The record certainly was not what Emmie Harris wanted for Utah State but that did not keep her from enjoying playing for new coach Kayla Ard.

The Aggies finished 4-20 and lost their last 16 games but that has not stopped the Boyle County High School graduate from deciding to take the extra year and return to the Aggies.

“I love the coaching staff’s mindset and determination for this team. They did a lot for myself and my team this year, even with COVID happening,” said Harris who is home for a month break from school.  “I feel like I have gained more confidence with this coaching staff and cannot wait to see what we can do next year. I have a lot of faith in them and can’t wait to grow with them even more next year.”

Harris averaged 8.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, and a team-high 2.8 assists per game. She also had 18 steals in the 22 games she played.

Just like she was at Boyle where she was a state champion hurdler and all-state soccer player, Harris does not focus on scores. However, she’s already played in 111 games — just 15 short of tying the school record. She has started 48 games and has 433 points, 222 rebounds, 142 assists, 77 steals, and 23 blocks in her four seasons at Utah State.

Harris is a biology/pre-med major and will be able to use her fifth year to start on her Master’s degree. That’s why playing another year is both an athletic and academic decision for her.

“I obviously love playing basketball and I’m not quite ready to give it up just yet, so when I found out that I was capable of playing another year I knew exactly what I wanted to do,” she said.  “It worked out well for me because I had planned on taking a gap year before going to medical school.

“Once COVID hit it was impossible to do any job shadowing or things like that so this extra year gives me time to do that and study for medical school.”

Harris admits if she could play 16 more games to become the all-time leader at Utah State it would be a “pretty cool” achievement.

“Being able to stay dedicated and keep working in this program is a big accomplishment,” Harris, a Mountain West Scholar-Athlete recipient from 2018-2020),  said. “I’ve been able to meet so many great people through this program and my years here at Utah State.”

Harris knows she has dramatically improved as an overall player during her collegiate career. She wants to keep “growing” next season as well.

“I have definitely matured more on and off the court from the adversity I have faced over the four years. I credit that to a lot of my family, coaches, and teammates. I have much more knowledge of the game compared to when I came in as a freshman,” she said.

“It has been fun getting to just focus on one sport for the past couple of years and being able to grow within it. I’ve met a lot of people and made a lot of connections due to this sport and I can’t wait to see what the future holds.”

Harris had numerous scholarship options for college in more than one sport but liked the athletic and academic opportunities at Utah State despite the distance from home to Logan, Utah.

“I am proud of myself for the past four years, but I’m not finished yet,” she said. “I am thankful for the opportunities I have received here on and off the court. I have to continue to work hard and push myself even harder this last year to really accomplish my future goals and plans I have set for myself.”