Turnover in any program can spell disaster, and when former Towson women’s basketball coach Diane Richardson left the program after last season, concerns arose for the program.
How would the Tigers respond to adversity after departure of the coach who led the program to its first and only NCAA Tournament appearance? That was the question around campus and the CAA. A number of players left Towson as a result, but the Tigers quickly found their next torch-bearer.
The school went with former Coppin State coach and Maryland legend Laura Harper, who won a national championship with the Terps in 2006. Harper hired former WNBA player and assistant coach Crystal Kelly to be her associate head coach.
Trust in the coaching staff trickled down throughout the program, keeping some key players in place, including sophomore forward Quinzia Fulmore. The Tigers just won their first regular-season conference title in Division I program history and enter the CAA tournament as the No. 1 seed.
Towson (19-10 overall, 13-5 in the CAA) begins its tournament run at noon on March 10 against the winner of Delaware-Hampton from a day prior. The tournament is taking place at Towson University’s SECU Arena.
“I feel like over the season, we’ve become one,” Fulmore said. “We’ve played more like a team. We slowly found our rhythm and once we fully learned how to play together, we played well as a unit.”
Fulmore was on the fence as to where to continue her college career last spring, being that she was set to play for her second different coaching staff in as many years with Towson. But once she got to know Harper after the coach was hired in April 2022, Fulmore decided to stay.
That has turned out to be a great decision for her. After scoring a total of 32 points last season, Fulmore has developed into one of the most productive players on the team. The 6-foot-3 forward is currently leading the team in rebounding (7.4 per game) and second in scoring (10.9 points).
“I think when I first got to Towson, the focus was on who was on the team, who wanted to be here,” Harper said. “I think the glaring thing for me after watching film was, ‘Why didn’t she play?’ That was the elephant in the room for me personally to learn. She’s literally the most athletic forward that I’ve coached and the best kid to ever want to be around.”
Harper dug deep in film room sessions to figure out how to get the most out of her current roster, and with players leaving, that freed spots up for players to step up. Harper and Kelly were forwards during their playing careers, so it allowed them to coach Fulmore in one-on-one settings during practice to get the most out of her skill set on the floor.
“She’s very hard-working,” Fulmore said of Harper. “She always teaches us discipline, energy, effort. I feel like, since Coach Harper was a post player and I’m a post player, in my workouts with her, she’s helped me a lot. She’s helped me become more aggressive, helped me with my footwork and just being more creative in the post.”
Having those similarities with her coaches unlocked a new level of confidence in the Greensboro, N.C., native, and she has run with it.
“She wants it,” Harper said. “She wants extra work, wants extra workouts. She sees how much her efforts and her time have positively affected her production.”
Alongside teammates like Kylie Kornegay-Lucas (13.9 points, 7.3 rebounds per game) and Patricia Anumgba (43.4 percent from 3-point range), both of whom are underclassmen, the Tigers have pounced on youthful energy to bring success to Towson throughout the season.
Richardson joined the program in 2017, setting the stage for arguably the most successful stretch in program history. The Tigers now have a regular-season title under Harper, one that was shared with Drexel and Northeastern, showing sustained growth.
As such, the plan from the beginning of the season remains unchanged for the Tigers, and that’s to bring home another title to SECU Arena and go dancing in March.
“The plan is to win a championship,” Fulmore said. “We’re looking for a postseason run and go far in March.”
Photo Credit: ENP Photography