BOONE — Former St. Edmond star Lydia Harvey is back in Iowa.
Harvey has been named assistant coach of the Des Moines area women’s basketball team. She will serve under former Prairie Valley player Jocelyn Kovarik.
“We are thrilled to welcome Coach Harvey to the DMACC Boone campus,” Kovarik said. “She is a great addition to our women’s basketball program, to the school and to our community.
“She is organized in terms of administrative details and has important connections for our recruitment process. Coach Harvey believes in player development on an individual level and believes in hard work and dedication. I know she will help instill that belief in our student-athletes as well.
Harvey has spent the past two seasons as an assistant at Highland, Kansas, under former Iowa Central head coach Jordon O’Brien. While there, she focused on on-the-job coaching, recruiting, fundraising, academic orientation, and fundraising.
A graduate of St. Edmond, Harvey played two seasons at Iowa Central, averaging 17 points and seven rebounds per game. She helped the Tritons reach the NJCAA Tournament.
Harvey concluded her playing career at both High Point University and Valdosta State University. She earned a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus on management and psychology from VSU.
While at VSU, Harvey earned her master’s degree in public administration and served as a graduate assistant in athletics operations at the school from 2017-2019.
Kovarik succeeded retired Steve Krafcisin after serving as his assistant for several seasons.