Scots in College Update

Neil Harrow is head coach of the women’s program at Long Island University in NCAA Division 1. The 40-year old from East Kilbride’s career includes assistant coach roles at Troy University and James Madison, before becoming the first Scottish coach in the WNBA as an assistant with the Los Angeles Sparks in 2024. He landed his first NCAA head coaching position at LIU in 2025.

Harrow and LIU have enjoyed a strong start to the season, with four wins in their five November fixtures. The Sharks opened with a solid 75-60 victory over Northeastern on Nov 3rd, and they bounced back from defeat to South Florida with comprehensive victories over Kean, Delaware State, and American, rounding out a month where the team has largely clicked into gear. The all-round team performances have been the story of November, with balanced scoring throughout the roster and solid rebounding, averaging 39.0 boards per game, complementing their strong defensive showings. I’m sure Neil will be really pleased with how his side has performed early into his tenure; four wins from five is exactly the sort of momentum you want heading into December and conference play in the New Year. You can watch LIU’s next game live at NECFrontRow.com.

Zoe Sharpe (170-G-2006) is a 5’ 7” guard at Simon Fraser University in NCAA Division 2. Growing up in Inverness and Glasgow, Zoe, now 20, played for Caledonia Pride and Caledonia Gladiators in the WBBL, becoming one of the league's youngest players at 15. She has also represented Great Britain at U16 and U18 levels.

Zoe featured in all seven matches as Simon Fraser posted a 3-4 record across seven fixtures in November. She averaged 18.6 minutes per game, contributing 2.9 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.1 assists. She's been shooting 31.8% from the field and 20.0% from three-point range. Her standout performance came against Vanguard on Nov 15th, where she logged 28 minutes and posted 8 points on 1-5 shooting from the field and 6-6 from the free-throw line, adding 2 rebounds, an assist,and a steal. Zoe has seen consistent game time throughout November, appearing in all seven fixtures with at least 11 minutes per game.

Pollyanna Storie (188-G-2002) is a 6’ 2”, fifth year centre at the University of Calgary in USports in Canada. The 23-year old previously played for the Pride and City of Edinburgh Basketball Club, as well as representing Scotland and Great Britain at multiple youth levels.

Pollyanna featured in all eight matches as Calgary posted an impressive 8-0 record across their November fixtures. She averaged 22.3 minutes per game, contributing 11.5 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists. She's shooting 47.9% from the field and 27.3% from three-point range. Her standout performance came in the 83-52 victory over Lethbridge on Oct 25th, where she logged 26 minutes and posted 20 points on 8-15 shooting from the field, including 4-8 from three-point range, adding 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and a block. Calgary have two games against Manitoba this weekend before finishing up for the Christmas break, they’ll be looking to end the year with a perfect 10-0.

Ross is yet to secure his first victory with the team posting a 0-5 record. The Patriots, predominantly made up of freshman players, have struggled offensively, converting just 29.4% from the field and 25.6% from three-point range across the month. Their most competitive performance came at Penn State Scranton on Nov 12th, where the Patriots scored 59 points on 46.5% shooting and fell by 11, 59-70. Adams and assistant coach Ashlyn Messinger will be looking to address this as they look forward to three December fixtures before the Christmas break.

Danielle McNamara (178-F) is a 5’ 11”, redshirt freshman forward from Falkirk, now playing for Lake Region State in JUCO. Before heading state-side, Danielle was named to the WEABL North All Conference Second Team whilst playing for Sheffield College.

The 21-year old featured in four matches as Lake Region State posted a 5-4 record across nine November fixtures. McNamara appeared in the team’s first four games, averaging 28.5 minutes per game, contributing 9.8 points on 38.9% shooting from the field. She's converted 45.5% from three-point range and 50.0% from the free-throw line. Her standout performance came in the narrow 87-80 defeat to Dawson Community College on Nov 1st, where she logged 37 minutes and posted 13 points on 5-9 shooting from the field, including 2-3 from three-point range and 1-2 from the line. McNamara missed the team's final five November fixtures.