After spending two seasons with coach Dusty May as Florida Atlantic's Director of Basketball Operations, KT Harrell joins him in Ann Arbor for the same position at the University of Michigan.
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While working in Boca Raton, Harrell helped Florida Atlantic to back-to-back historic seasons. The Owls posted two straight 25-plus win seasons, with a two-year record of 60-13. In 2023, FAU won the Conference USA title with an 18-2 record. The following year, FAU transitioned to the American Athletic Conference and finished second with a record of 14-4.
In his first year with FAU (2022-23), the Owls finished the season with a record of 35-4, capturing the program's first-ever Conference USA regular-season title (18-2) as well as first tournament title before making a run to the Final Four.
As the No. 9 seed in the East regional, FAU began their journey with a thrilling last-second 66-65 victory over No. 8 seed Memphis, marking the program's first NCAA win. After defeating No. 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson (78-70), who had upset No. 1 seed Purdue, the Owls advanced to their first Sweet 16. With a 62-55 win over No. 4 seed Tennessee, FAU won the regional title after a back-and-forth 79-76 victory against No. 3 seed Kansas State.
They faced off with No. 5 seed San Diego State in the national semifinal. Still, unfortunately, Florida Atlantic fell short as the Aztecs' Lamont Butler made a jumper as time expired, ending the Owl's run with a 72-71 loss.
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After pursuing a professional career overseas, Harrell transitioned into the collegiate coaching ranks in 2020. He spent two seasons (2020-22), as a graduate assistant under Bruce Pearl at Auburn, his alma mater. Harrell assisted in scouting and preparing opponent personnel reports while contributing to player development.
With Auburn, the Tigers posted a 41-20 record, with a 22-14 mark in SEC play. In his second season, the Tigers won the 2022 SEC regular season title and earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament. After defeating Jacksonville State in the first round, they were eliminated in the second round by Miami (Fla.), who eventually advanced to the Final Four.
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Before switching into the coaching ranks, Harrell was a standout guard at Auburn. He second over 1,196 points in his two seasons -- the most by any player in two seasons in Tiger history. He ranks 25th all-time on the Tigers' career leaderboard. Harrell scored 18.4 points per game throughout his career to rank sixth all-time in Auburn history. He stands second in free throw percentage (83.9%) and sixth in three-point percentage (40.0%).
Harrell, the 2015 SEC scoring champion, was an All-SEC second-team selection during his senior campaign, which included Auburn’s run in the 2015 SEC Tournament when the Tigers won three games in three days for the first time in 30 years en route to an appearance in the semifinals.
Before Auburn, the 6-4 guard started his collegiate career at Virginia (2010-12), playing 42 games under Tony Bennett. As a freshman, he played in all 31 of Virginia’s games, with 15 starts. He scored in double figures in 11 of his first 19 games, including a career-high of 20 points against Oregon. As a sophom*ore, he played in the first 11 games before deciding to leave Charlottesville for Auburn at the semester break.
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Following his time with Auburn, Harrell played professional basketball overseas for Belgium, Italy and Turkey. Harrell was the leading scorer in the 2015-16 Turkish Federation Cup and the season MVP of the 2016-17 Italian Cup.
The Montgomery, Ala., native, as a prep all-star Harrell was the Gatorade Alabama Player of the Year and ranked among the top 100 nationally by various scouting services while playing at Brewbaker Tech Magnet High School.
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Harrell earned a bachelor’s degree from Auburn in psychology in 2015 and finished a master’s degree in adult education in 2022.
He and his wife, Krista, have a son, Kamden, and a daughter, Siena.
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The KT Harrell File
Born: July 5, 1992
Hometown:Montgomery, Alabama
High School: Brewbaker Tech Magnet High School
College:Auburn University (2015 & 2022)
Degrees:Bachelors in psychology; Masters in adult education
Wife: Krista
Children: son, Kamden, and daughter, Siena
Career Resume
Seasons | Program | Position |
2020-22 | Auburn University | Graduate Assistant |
2022-24 | Florida Atlantic University | Director of Basketball Operations |
2024-present | University of Michigan | Director of Basketball Operations |
Career Breakdown
Season | Program | Overall | Conf. | Finish | Tournament | Postseason |
2020-21 | Auburn | 13-14 | 7-11 | t-10th | ineligible (NCAA) | ineligible (NCAA) |
2021-22 | Auburn | 28-6 | 15-3 | 1st | SEC: Quarterfinal | NCAA: Second Round |
2022-23 | Florida Atlantic | 35-4 | 18-2 | 1st | CUSA: Champions | NCAA: Final Four |
2023-24 | Florida Atlantic | 25-9 | 14-4 | 2nd | AAC: Semifinal | NCAA: First Round |
2024-25 | Michigan | 0-0 | 0-0 | -- | -- | -- |
Career Totals | 256-118 | 146-59 |
Career Seasons
School | Year | Games | Overall | Conf. |
Auburn | 2 | 61 | 41-20 | 22-14 |
Florida Atlantic | 2 | 72 | 60-12 | 32-6 |
Michigan | 1 | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 |
Career | 5 | 133 | 101-32 | 54-20 |
Postseason
NCAA (3): 2022 (2nd), 2023 (FF), 2024 (1st)
Regular Season Titles
Southeastern (SEC) (1): 2022
Conference USA (1): 2023
Tournament Titles
Conference USA (1): 2023