Jim Harter enters his 10th full season as head coach of the Pace
University men's basketball team ranking second all-time at Pace in
both wins and winning percentage with an overall record of 158-116
(.577). Coach Harter has established the Setter program as one of
the best in the always competitive Northeast-10 (NE-10)
Conference.
Coach Harter is coming off of his third NCAA Tournament appearance
at Pace, finishing the 2006-07 season with an overall record of
20-13 and 15-7 in the NE-10, good for a second place finish in
conference and an NCAA at-large bid. The 06-07 Setters ranked
nationally in scoring offense (42nd), field-goal percentage defense
(51st), three-point field goals per game (63rd), blocked shots per
game (44th) and steals per game (59th).
Harter's teams have qualified for the NCAA's two other times,
making tournament appearances in 1999 and 2002. In 1999, Harter was
named the NIT/Metropolitan Coach of the Year after leading Pace to
the NCAA tournament and a 20-8 record. The 2002 squad finished 21-8
and won its first NCAA tournament game with a 92-88 victory over
Queens College. Before Harter's arrival, Pace had made only one
NCAA tournament appearance in its history.
During his time at Pace, Harter has gained a reputation as a top
recruiter with a keen eye for talent. Four of Harter's recruits
have been named Rookies of the Year, with Todd Ziogas (1996) and
Tomas Rimkus (1997) in the New York Collegiate Athletic Conference
(NYCAC) and Al Elliott (1999) and Ryan Williams (2005) in the
NE-10. Elliott also was named a Division II All-American as a
senior in 2002.
As a coach, Harter has become known around the league as someone
who adapts well to his talent, having coached the Setters to
successful seasons utilizing three different defensive systems.
Pace's 1999 NCAA Regional qualifying team averaged 86 points a
game, taking advantage of pressure man-to-man defense. The 2002
NCAA club finished 17-5 and second in the NE-10 utilizing a match
up zone defense. The team, remarkably, made more free throws than
their opponents attempted that season. The 2002-2003 season was
supposed to be a rebuilding year for Pace as indicated by their
13th ranking in the NE-10's pre-season poll. However, switching to
a pressure zone defense, Harter's club forced a league high 20
turnovers a game and finished fourth in the NE-10 at 14-8.
Harter has been associated with winning programs his entire
athletic career. Harter began his coaching career as a graduate
assistant at the University of Alabama-Birmingham where his team
went on to capture the Sun Belt Conference title, qualified for the
NCAA tournament, and participated in the National Invitation
Tournament.
From 1991-1993, Harter served as scouting coordinator for a Tulane
team that won the Metro Conference championship and advanced to the
NCAA tournament two times. The Green Wave was ranked in the Top 25
both seasons.
A 1982 graduate of the University of Delaware, Harter was a
linebacker on the Blue Hens' 1979 Division II National Championship
football team and played for College Football Hall of Fame coach
Tubby Raymond.
No stranger to basketball, Harter is the son of longtime NBA and
College coach Dick Harter, currently an assistant with the Indiana
Pacers. In 1991, Harter received his Masters degree in Athletic
Administration from the University of Alabama-Birmingham. Before
becoming a coach, Harter worked in the NBA's public relations
office for three years.
Harter currently resides in Beacon, New York with his wife Linda.
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