Matt Levins - The Hawk Eye
Megan Harrell was arguably the best women’s basketball player ever to don a Lincoln Land Community College jersey.
During her two-year stint with the Loggers, the Notre Dame High School graduate led the team to a fifth-place finish in the NJCAA Division II national tournament, earning all-tournament honors her sophomore year.
Harrell was selected to the NJCAA D2 first team All-America team as a sophomore when she averaged 15.3 points per game for the 2024-2025 season. In addition to leading the Loggers in scoring, Harrell led the team in rebounding at 8.4 rebounds per game. On the year Megan Harrell managed to record 10 double doubles.
Harrell finished the year with 585 points (17th in the nation) and 303 total rebounds (20th in the nation).
Now, Harrell is giving back to Lincoln Land as an assistant coach. She not only still gets to suit up in practice and prepare the players for the games, she is an extra pair of eyes on the bench with head coach Chad Jones and assistant coach Gary Albert.
Harrell, who is finishing up her degree in agricultural business online from Penn State University, is getting the best of both worlds. While she no longer plays in games, she still gets to play in practice and now gets to impart her knowledge to the Loggers from a coaching perspective.
“I feel like my main job in practice is I get to suit up with them and get in there. I'm teaching them how physical it is, especially the freshmen and sophomores now. Just pushing them to be better every day in practice,” said Harrell, a native of Carthage, Illinois. "I learned a lot from Jones and Gary when I was playing. They're great coaches. They're hard to play for, but they make you better. I'm even getting better watching them as a coach."
Harrell has played a key role in helping Lincoln Land to a 13-0 start to the season and a No. 4 national ranking.
The Loggers are scheduled to open the second half of the season at 1 p.m. Jan. 3 with a home game against John Wood Community College in Springfield, Illinois.
"Megan is probably the best women's basketball player our school has ever had. She was fantastic last year. First team All-American. She has a closet full of trophies and record books,” Jones said. “She had a bunch of DI offers. She said from the start that she was done playing after last year. She wanted to hang it up and be our assistant coach. She is fantastic. She is amazing at teaching the kids. She's an unbelievable player, but at the same time she gives me what they're feeling, the players' side of it. She's been a huge asset to us, without a doubt."
During her two seasons as a player for the Loggers, Harrell helped the 2023-24 team win 28 games, an NJCAA Region 24 title, and finish in the elite eight at the National Championships. The 2024-25 team recorded a school record 34 wins, won the conference championship, the NJCAA Region 24 tournament championship, and finished in fifth at the NJCAA national championship held in Joplin, Missouri this past March.
Harrell is able to relate to the Lincoln Land players, many of whom she played with last season. She knows what makes them tick and what buttons to push to get them to perform at a high level.
"I think that's what Jones and Gary love about me most is that I'm able to explain things,” Harrell said. “I'm very blunt and will tell them what I think. Expressing how they might feel. Or if they jump on a girl I'm able to talk to them and explain it in a different way. I'm more of the background-type coach. I'm hoping these girls appreciate the different outlook on it."
Harrell, the daughter of Traci and Mark Harrell, has a second coaching job with a middle school in Springfield. It gives Harrell a chance to get back to basics and work on the fundamentals of the game.
"It's very different from college to middle school,” Harrell said. “I'm learning so much on knowing your players. My Mom coached for a long time, so I've always got her to call and ask her questions on what I should do in certain situations. Just learning your players. I feel like that is the biggest part."
One of the biggest things Harrell tries to drive home to the players she coaches is the value of hard work. It takes a lot of effort and determination to get to the level Harrell reached. She knows how far hard work took her and she wants her players to realize that, as well.
"Just knowing the game. Basketball IQ is a big part. That's what made me who I was,” Harrell said. “I wasn't the fastest or one who could jump out of the gym, but I knew basketball. That's what set me apart."
Harrell plans to move back to the Carthage area after she graduates in May. While getting a job and starting a career are her top priorities, she hasn’t ruled out coaching in the future. She has plenty to offer to the game which has given her so much and taken her so far.
“I want to get a job back around home and hopefully be able to coach at some point. That's not my main goal, but I would love to coach,” Harrell said. "It's got to be local. I'll be back in Carthage. Burlington would be fine. I would love to coach somewhere."