Staff Directory
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Email:
- Phone:
- 816-235-6007
Wyketha Harrell is entering her fifth season as an assistant coach for the UMKC women’s basketball team. Harrell handles the preparation and organization of the UMKC women’s basketball camps and clinics, while aiding in the team’s recruiting, the development of the post players and forwards and game preparation and scouting reports. She also serves as the team liaison between the marketing and facilities staff, focusing on the team community involvement, practice and workout times.
"Wyketha is our Kansas City coach and has opened up a lot of doors with Kansas City players and coaches," UMKC Head Coach Candace Whitaker said. "She has helped us network within a city that hosts a lot of talent. She was an undersized post as a player, so she understands how our undersized kids have to operate down low and the versatility that they need to have to be successful."
During the 2009-10 campaign, Harrell helped guide the Kangaroos to their first post season tournament berth of the Division I era, when UMKC was invited to participate in the inaugural Women's Basketball Invitational. That season the 'Roos picked up the first win over Drake in UMKC history and posted a 16-16 record, the second best mark for the program since its admittance into The Summit League, and a 12-6 league record, the most in school history.
Off the court, Harrell helped bring the No. 55 ranked recruiting class to UMKC in 2011, including No. 77 Ashli Hill, and the No. 84 class in 2012. In her tenure at UMKC Harrell has been a part of two international trips by the UMKC women's basketball program, to the Bahamas in 2009 and to Costa Roca in 2011.
Harrell joined the Kangaroos after spending the 2006-07 season as an assistant coach at Missouri Southern State. Harrell helped lead the Lions to a 14-13 overall record, including a win over No. 2 Missouri Western. She worked primarily with the post players and was also responsible for recruiting and compliance. Prior to joining the MSSU staff, Harrell also served as an assistant coach for one season at Garden City (Kan.) Community College, working with the post players as well as monitoring players’ academic progress.
Harrell was a four-year collegiate player, starting her collegiate basketball career at Rockhurst University where she started 14-of-24 games as a freshman. After transferring to Missouri Southern for her sophomore season, the Kansas City, Mo., native was part of a turnaround that saw the Lions improve from a 10-17 record the season prior to her arrival to a school-best 19-9 overall record during her senior season. She averaged 12.2 points and 6.7 rebounds per contest, shooting a team-high 57.5 percent from the floor en route to an honorable mention all-MIAA accolade.
In addition to her coaching experience, Harrell worked as an Educational Assistant with the Women’s Sports Foundation, founded by Billie Jean King. She was a site visit coordinator for the GoGirlGo! initiative, coordinating logistics and event planning. Additionally, she worked with the It Takes A Team Project, updating educational materials.
Off the court, Harrell plays an active part in both her
local community and national coaching community. By actively
participating with UMKC Association for Women of Color and by serving as a
member of the Chancellor's Advisory Board to the
Women's Center (CABWC), WIN for KC (Kansas city non-profit), National Association of
Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators (NACWAA), Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), the Black Coaches Association (BCA)
and the Women Coaches Academy (WCA), Harrell shows her dedication the women in athletics and
professional development.
Harrell received her bachelor of arts degree in psychology with an emphasis in kinesiology from Missouri Southern in 2004.
