Jim Harter enters his 11th 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 172-130
(.569). 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 an 14-14 season in 2007-08 that saw the
Setters win their last five games in the regular season to finish
13-9 in the Northeast-10 Conference, locking up the #4 seed and a
first round bye in the conference tournment. Pace would host #5
seed Stonehill in the quarterfinals and saw the Setetrs season end
with a 60-47 loss to the Skyhawks.
Harter's teams have qualified for the NCAA's three times, making
tournament appearances in 1999, 2002 and 2007. 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. The 2007 team went 20-13, reaching the NE-10
Tournament semifinals for only the second time in school history.
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. Three of Harter's recruits
have been named Rookies of the Year, with Todd Ziogas (1996) 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.
