Neil Harrow, Fordham women’s basketball team’s new head coach, was officially welcomed to Rose Hill on April 10 with a press conference held by the Fordham athletics department. The addition to the Rams coaching staff was announced on April 1 by Charles Guthrie, Fordham’s director of intercollegiate athletics, almost three weeks after the university announced they had started a national search for a new program lead.
“When we looked for a new leader for women’s basketball, we weren’t just looking for a tactician, we were looking for a mentor,” University President Tania Tetlow said. “We wanted someone who understands that winning happens in the classroom, in the community and in the character of our student athletes long after the final whistle blows.”
Guthrie echoed Tetlow’s sentiment during the press conference.
“When we canvassed every corner of the country, it became apparent that Neil really cared about students and that’s where it all starts, so we’re excited about his care for students and how we’re going to move our women’s basketball program forward,” Guthrie said.
“We were looking for a championship-caliber coach. Going from six wins to 21 wins at LIU is almost impossible. Everyone across the country knows that’s a very challenging, daunting task to have a competitive program, and he had one of the best win totals in the entire country this year.” Charles Guthrie, Fordham’s director of intercollegiate athletics
As the former head coach of the women’s basketball program at Long Island University (LIU), Harrow’s move to Fordham is not a far one. Although the move may be short in distance, Harrow comes to Fordham with an impressive career in tow, most notably a standout 2025-26 season at LIU. In his first year with the Sharks, Harrow led the program to a 21-11 overall record with 14-4 in the Northeast Conference. The season included LIU’s first appearance in a championship title game since 2010, a success that made Harrow a frontrunner for Fordham’s open position.
“We were looking for a championship-caliber coach,” Guthrie said. “Going from six wins to 21 wins at LIU is almost impossible. Everyone across the country knows that’s a very challenging, daunting task to have a competitive program, and he had one of the best win totals in the entire country this year.”
A native of Scotland, Harrow came to the United States to complete his master’s degree in education leadership at Valdosta State University in Georgia, where he was a graduate assistant for two years before graduating in 2015.
Harrow remained in the South, where he worked on the coaching staff at Troy University for seven seasons. His tenure on the sideline in Alabama kicked off his success in the NCAA’s Sun Belt Conference. Over the course of his time with the Trojans, Troy women’s program won five Sun Belt Championships and four NCAA Tournament berths.
Continuing his success in the Sun Belt, Harrow won three more conference championships as the associate head coach at James Madison University (JMU), including an NCAA Tournament appearance during his time in Virginia from 2022-25.
“We’re going to be a fun team to watch and we’re going to be a hard team to beat, and I think that’s a really good combination.” Neil Harrow, Fordham women’s basketball head coach
In addition to Harrow’s vast collegiate coaching experience, in the summer of 2024 he joined the Los Angeles Sparks as an assistant coach, soon returning to JMU to serve as their head coach for his final season. His time spent on the sideline in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) with the Sparks was not the only time he spent in the league. Harrow had previously been on the payroll as an advanced scout for both the Sparks and Connecticut Sun.
Harrow’s time spent under head coach Curt Miller with the Sparks sets him apart from other collegiate coaches. Harrow hopes to transfer his familiarity with the caliber of professional play to his coaching approach to Fordham and continue his success at the collegiate level in the historic Rose Hill gymnasium.
“Another reason I’m really thankful for my WNBA experiences (is that) cutting-edge trends are important; you’ve got to be aware of those. You’ve got to play how the pros are playing. You’ve got to understand those cutting-edge concepts,” Harrow said. “We’re going to be a fun team to watch and we’re going to be a hard team to beat, and I think that’s a really good combination.”
Harrow joins the Rams after the departure of the previous Head Coach Bridgette Mitchell, who was with the program for three seasons. During Mitchell’s last season the Rams ended with a 10-20 overall record.
Harrow becomes the third new head coach brought into the athletics department since Guthrie’s tenure began in December of 2024. Mike Magapayo was one of Guthrie’s new additions to the head coaching staff in the department. Magpayo joined the men’s basketball program last year, after the program parted ways with Keith Urgo, hoping to turn the page on a team that had been riddled with recruitment violations and staffing scandals.
Magapayo finished his first season with the Rams with a 17-15 record and four of his new recruits have returned to continue to play for Fordham.
“We’re going to seek joy along the way and we’re going to work really hard to bring glory to this institution, this department, this community.” Neil Harrow, Fordham women’s basketball head coach
Harrow finds himself in a similar predicament as Magapayo at the start of his tenure; the women’s program currently has six players on the 2026-27 season roster, leaving Harrow with the task of rebuilding the team before their season starts next November. Part of that recruitment process will be balancing new recruits with the existing Rams to create a new dynamic within the program.
“To the current players … we’re going to create a positive environment. We’re going to find joy along the way and we’re going to roll up our sleeves and get to work,” Harrow said. “Success is not easy, but it’s worth it; the journey is worth it.”
Along with building a new team, Harrow hopes to bring wins to the program.
“Yes, defense wins championships, but I would rather win 80 to 75 and 50 to 48,” Harrow said. “So let’s put some points on the board, let’s share the ball, let’s make quick decisions, let’s get everybody involved.”
Although wins, points and success are the goals of any athletic program, Harrow emphasized the importance of the process and the time spent as a team to that goal.
“We’re going to seek joy along the way and we’re going to work really hard to bring glory to this institution, this department, this community,” Harrow said.
The importance of connection between the program and the wider Fordham community was highlighted by Harrow as key to his coaching philosophy.
“I really need community, faculty members, alumni, former players, everybody. I’m not that hard to find — my door will not be closed, my phone will not be off, and I want everybody to be along; this is going to be a special ride,” Harrow said. “We’re going to have fun and do things that a lot of people outside of this room might not see coming.”
Harrow closed his remarks at the press conference with his goals as the women’s basketball program turns a new page in leadership.
“We’re going to build the best thing possible. We’re going to build the best staff and the best roster that we can,” Harrow said. “We’re going to play the best basketball that we possibly can, and I’m extremely grateful for this opportunity. We will represent in the best way we can. Go Rams.”
