According to head women’s basketball coach Bill Fennelly, there are three major building blocks to success at this level: great players, great assistant coaches and great fan support.

Latoja Harris brings the Cyclones all three.

The enthusiastic second-year assistant from Mansfield, Ohio rejoined Fennelly in Ames last season after competing for him as a player in the early ’90s.

“Assistant coaches are absolutely critical to the success of any team,” Fennelly said recently, “and we’re fortunate to have three of the best.”

Harris began her basketball career in the Midwest, leading her Mansfield Senior high school team to three Ohio Heartland Conference championships.

Along the way, she set school records for field goal percentage and rebounding and was twice selected league MVP.

It was at the collegiate level that Harris’ connection with Fennelly began.

“Latoja Harris was one of the most talented, yet hard working, players I’ve ever coached,” Fennelly said.

In three seasons at Toledo, Harris set both school and conference records for field goal percentage, shooting .630 over her career and scoring 1,466 points.

A strong addition to Fennelly’s rebuilding campaign at Toledo, Harris was key in leading the team to two post-season tournaments, including an NCAA bid in her first season.

For the 1992-93 campaign, Harris was selected Mid-American Conference player of the year and was an honorable mention All-American.

After graduating with a degree in communications, Harris wasn’t ready to quit playing and followed a professional career to Europe where she enjoyed continued success.

Playing for clubs in Funcheral, Portugal, Venezia, Italy, Koripojat, Finland and Brissa, Turkey, she averaged over 20 points and 10 rebounds per game for her career.

It was in August of 1997 that Harris traded in the sneakers for a coach’s whistle, joining Fennelly and coaches Brenda Oldfield and Katie Abrahamson in Ames.

“It’s been a good transition for me to go from playing for Fennelly to coaching with him,” Harris said. “As a player, you can’t always understand why a coach does what he does, but now I’ve got a better understanding, and I see that he knows what he’s doing.

“It’s been a challenge going from player to coach, but he’s done a lot to help me make the move.”

Fennelly is more than confident in Harris’ ability to coach the game she was so good at playing.

“You can’t be successful with bad assistants just like you can’t be successful with bad players,” Fennelly said. “The success we’re having now is largely for what our assistants have done, and Coach Harris is a big part of that. She is a great asset to the Iowa State women’s basketball program.”

Harris hopes to someday have a team of her own, but she’s not rushing anything.

“Coach Fennelly’s done a great job teaching me the game, and it’s a great feeling coming to work each day when you love what you’re doing,” Harris said. “I love Ames, and I’m surrounded by great people. I’d like to be a head coach someday but not right now.”

The next step for Harris is to move into recruiting.

After that; however, the sky’s the limit.

“All three of our assistants will have their own teams someday,” Fennelly said, “and I’m sure they’ll be as successful as we are here.”

But for now, Harris is content to learn from her peers and maintain the current success of the Cyclones.

“I’ll just take it one day at a time,” she said.