Jon Harris

Jon Harris is an American college basketball coach who is the former men's head coach at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE), an NCAA Division I program competing in the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC). A high school star at Edwardsville High School, Harris played collegiately at Marquette University. He was named the SIUE Cougars' new coach in April 2015 after spending thirteen years as an assistant in five different Division I programs. On March 11, 2019, SIUE announced that Harris' contract had not been renewed. Harris is currently (Fall 2019) a Recruiting Specialist for Next College Student Athlete, a company that facilitates the contacting of college coaches by high school and middle school students. Biography Jon Harris was born in Edwardsville, Illinois in 1981, the son of Robert "Bob" and Mary Ann Harris. He followed in his father's footsteps by starring in basketball at Edwardsville High School (EHS), remaining in town with an aunt when his father's employment was transferred to Chicago. Harris was the 1998 St. Louis Post-Dispatch Player of the Year, a USA Today honorable mention All-American, and an Associated Press (AP) All-State selection. This was despite the team's failure to advance beyond the sectional semifinals in the IHSA state tournament— as a junior, the EHS Tigers lost to Alton in a six overtime game; as a senior, the Tigers fell to Collinsville on a 70-foot "buzzer-beater" with both games played at SIUE's Vadalabene Center. After graduating from EHS, Harris attended Marquette University in Milwaukee, in his sophomore through senior seasons, coached by Tom Crean. Although he started only 22 games, he had major playing time in every game under Crean, and was team captain as a junior and senior. He finished his playing career ranked #20 on the Conference USA rebounding list and was a career 53% shooter from the floor. Teamed with Dwyane Wade, Harris' 2001–02 Golden Eagles team went 26–7, finishing in the NCAA Tournament and earning a #9 AP ranking. The Golden Eagles fell victim to one of the notorious 12 vs. 5 upsets to Tulsa (one of three that year). Harris graduated from Marquette in 2002 with a bachelor's degree in psychology. He is married to the former Heidi Bowman, who was also a four-year basketball star at Marquette, earning Conference USA All-Conference honors in 2001. They have three children, Hailey, Leah, and Jaxon.