LaTanya Collins was named the new head coach of the Harford women's basketball program on July 1.
Collins finished her first season at Harford with a 24-4-1 record, including an eight-game win streak to start the season. On Feb. 16, the Fighting Owls defeated Chesapeake by an 84-68 scoreline to guarantee the women's basketball program its 8th straight 20+ win season.
Harford ended the year leading the NJCAA in points per game allowed (48.6) along with steals per game (16.9). The Fighting Owls also finished second at the Division I level in blocks per game (8.4) and finished Top 15 in scoring (81.2 ppg) among DI teams.
Under the mentorship of Collins, Harford guard Kelvajha Foster obtained an NJCAA DI All-American award. Additionally, Collins helped produce two All-Maryland JUCO Conference players in Foster (Second Team) and redshirt sophomore Tsahai Corbie (Honorable Mention).
Collins returns to the state of Maryland after spending the past two seasons with Motlow State, compiling a 27-32 record with Lady Bucks. Last season, she led Motlow to a 19-12 record and a second place finish in the TCCAA/NJCAA Region VII regular season standings. Four players were awarded All-Conference honors in her two-year stint, including 2019 NJCAA All-American and TCCAA Co-Most Valuable Player of the Year Janna Lewis.
Prior to Motlow, Collins spent the 2016-17 season as an assistant coach at Coppin State University in Baltimore. Under first year head coach DeWayne Burroughs, she helped guide the Eagles to the No. 6 seed in the MEAC Basketball Tournament with an 8-8 conference record.
Before Coppin State, Collins spent two years as an assistant to the head coach/director of student-athlete development at Virginia Tech University from 2014-16.
Collins also spent time as the women's basketball coach at Saint Gertrude High School in Richmond, Virginia (2013-14) and Atlee High School in Hanover, Virginia (2011-13). She served as an assistant coach at Radford University (2009-10) assisting with recruiting, coaching post and guard players, and supervising camps.
She guided the women's basketball program at Southern Vermont College in 2005-06, and at St. Augustine's University in 2006-07. After inheriting a squad at St. Augustine's that had finished 6-22 the previous season, she helped turn the program around by winning 18 games the next season.
Collins has also served as an assistant at Marist College and her alma mater, Virginia State.
Collins earned her bachelor's degree in biology from Virginia State University in 2000 and her master's degree in exercise science in 2015 from California University of Pennsylvania.
