Isabelle Harrison fell to the court gripping her knee, knowing that the injury she just sustained was bad.
“Now that I look back on it, I see that everything happens for a reason,” Harrison said.
Later finding out that she had torn her ACL, the Feb. 15, 2015 game against Kentucky proved to be Harrison’s last as a Lady Vol.
Despite the injury curtailing the rest of her senior year, Izzy, as she’s called by many in the basketball program, remains with the university to this day, helping the team with practice and leadership.
With a healthy ACL and a new WNBA contract in hand, Harrison’s transition to the next level begins now.
“Everybody has issues to work through, and that was just one of mine,” Harrison said. “This has been a year-long process.”
Harrison is one of 11 children born to Dennis and Ida Harrison. DeeDee Harrison, the sister who is closest to Isabelle Harrison’s age, played middle blocker for UT from 2009-2012.
DeeDee Harrison’s presence at UT helped persuade Isabelle to join the Lady Vols.
“I visited her a couple of times while I was in high school still, so when she would have her games, the basketball team would walk through, and everyone would be like, ‘It’s the Lady Vols. They’re awesome,’” Isabelle said.
“I would come and see Pat (Summitt) during practices, and she was an idol. Her passion and her legacy on the game is what drew me in.”
Harrison’s class was the final class to have Summitt as a coach. For this, Harrison is forever grateful.
“Not many people can say they played for Pat Summitt. When people think of basketball, they think of Pat Summitt,” she said. “I got to be coached by her and yelled at by her. I think it was a privilege. I got to wear that badge of honor.”
As Summitt stepped down from the coaching pedestal, Holly Warlick stepped in. As the 2015-2016 season has progressed, more fans are jumping ship after the Lady Vols tied a franchise-worst 11 losses after Sunday’s defeat at LSU.
Harrison, who practices with the Lady Vols almost every day on the practice squad, believes in Warlick through the adversity.
“Holly’s been an assistant for as long as Pat’s been coaching,” Harrison said. “Head coaches have to have that hardcore exterior like Pat had. When (Warlick) had to step into that role, she had to figure that out, and I think she did a good job. She’s still learning.
“A lot of people try to compare the two, and you can’t do that. You just can’t. It’s just hard to compare them.”
After playing four solid years at UT and cementing herself as a top pick in the 2015 WNBA Draft, Harrison was disappointed at the time to find out she had been drafted 12th overall by the Phoenix Mercury.
It wasn’t the team that upset her. The Mercury are one of the top teams in the WNBA with Brittany Griner at center.
What disappointed Harrison is how far she fell in the draft after the ACL injury.
“I was supposed to be drafted a lot higher than what I went. I’m still thankful I got drafted in the first round and by Phoenix because they’re a great organization,” Harrison said. “They’re coaching staff is great, and the players that they have mesh really well.”
The draft experience was one that Harrison admits she won’t forget.
According to the Nashville native, draft experts sat down all of the young ladies who were participating in the draft days before the draft took place and took them through a crash course on everything from taking care of their bodies to filing taxes.
“Adult stuff,” as Harrison calls it.
As the day of the draft finally arrived, thoughts swirled around Harrison’s head about when her name would be called.
“I remember everything going by so fast,” Harrison admitted. “Until they called my name, I held my breath for the entire show. When I heard them say my name to Phoenix, I thought to myself, ‘Thank God. I can finally breathe out.’”
Although Harrison was drafted in 2015, she had to sit out for the season because of her ACL tear.
Now, ready for her rookie campaign in the WNBA, Harrison is ready to prove the entire league who how powerful of a player she is.
“I just want to be a rebounder and a defender,” Harrison said. “The team I’m playing for scores, so I don’t have to worry much about the offensive side. I just want to be active on the offensive and defensive glass and just be a good defender.”
