Former Indian Hills superstar Jerome Harper and his current Robert Morris College looked up at the scoreboard late in their NAIA DI National Tournament battle with Auzua Pacific University. It wasn’t a pretty sight — down 91-85 with 2:03 to go in overtime.

The daunting task of a late comeback would be needed. For Harper, making comebacks has been what has kept the former Warriors’ career going.

Harper comes back from injuries, academics to shine at national tournament

Just five years ago, Harper seemed to destined for an NBA career sooner than later. The former Mr. Basketball in South Carolina and McDonald’s All-American, however, would find himself at Indian Hills after a tough summer of 2000.

After losing scholarship offers from Cincinnati due to a variety of off-court problems, Harper shined in Warrior maroon and gold. He averaged 12.5 points per game over two years and helped lead the Warriors to a fourth-place finish at the 2001 NJCAA National Tournament.

After committing to Iowa State in 2002, Harper soon again lost his NCAA Division I hopes when academic issues and a pair of arrests in Ottumwa forced the Cyclones to take back their scholarship offer. Harper had since been absent from college basketball until this past season, getting through those personal problems as well as battling through two severe ankle injuries.

Harper started 29 games for Robert Morris this past season, averaging 12.8 points and collected the second-most assists on the team with 117. More importantly, Harper helped lead Robert Morris to a very successful 31-4 season that led the Eagles to the final four of the NAIA Division I National Tournament.

Harper and his teammates rallied in the national tournament quarterfinals, scoring the final nine points against Azusa Pacific over the final two minutes of overtime. During that stretch, Harper nailed two free throws and came up with a clutch steal in the final seconds.

Watkins lands on his feet at Sacramento State

Of all the former Indian Hills basketball stars that have known success at the next level, no one knew more about previous JUCO success going into this year than Lorenzo Watkins. Besides leading IHCC’s to their first-ever national tournament appearance as a point guard with the Warriors in 1993, Watkins also was an assistant coach on the last Indian Hills team to win a national championship in 1999.

After resigning as IHCC head coach at the end of last year with a 94-36 (.723) record in four season as head coach of the Warriors, Watkins wasn’t sure where his career path would take him. It ended up back in the Big Sky Conference, where Watkins returned as an assistant coach with Sacramento State.

An all-Big Sky star in two years at Idaho State, Watkins also started his coaching career as an assistant there. As an assistant coach at Sacramento State this year, Watkins’ expertise helped guide the Hornets to a 15-15 record and within two wins of an NCAA Tournament berth.

The Hornets fell to regular season Big Sky champ Northern Arizona, 98-83, in the conference tournament semifinals. The loss ended the best season for the program in its Division I era, which began in 1991, and gave the Hornets the best record since the 1988-89 season.