A University of the West of Scotland (UWS) Sport Coaching graduate has taken up a coaching role with Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) team the Los Angeles Sparks.

Neil Harrow, originally from East Kilbride, will be moving to Southern California from Virginia, where he was coaching at James Madison University (JMU), to serve as an assistant coach for three-time WNBA champions Los Angeles Sparks.

Neil said on social media: “Although I’m happy to be joining the L.A. Sparks and coaching in the WNBA, this opportunity wouldn’t have happened without Coach O and JMU. I’ve really enjoyed my time here and I’ll miss it.”

LA Sparks Head Coach said: “Neil joins us from the collegiate ranks where he is widely respected and considered one of the bright stars of our profession.

“He’s a passionate leader and relationship builder who impacts winning with his contagious positive energy.”

Though it’s a long way from his days at UWS, where he graduated in 2010 with a BSc in Sport Coaching, Neil constantly uses the skills he learnt at UWS in his job.

Always interested in sports, Neil played basketball seriously from the age of fourteen for several regional and national league teams. After school he briefly took a job in sports retail, then heard about the UWS degree in Sports Coaching.

“I had done some voluntary weekend coaching with a youth group for people with disabilities, and I’d also coached at my high school – I felt I had an ability to connect with players. Plus, I love the rush of game-day, so I was delighted to get the last place on the UWS course.

“The degree covered all the elements needed for a career in sports coaching, including physiology, biomechanics, performance analysis and event management, but I enjoyed the sports psychology class the most. It showed me how many levels there are to helping people to improve their performance.”

Read more: UWS graduate helps Troy University Women’s Basketball Team win the Championship

Neil joins the Sparks after spending the past two seasons as Associate Head Coach for James Madison University women’s basketball, where he helped guide the team to the regular season conference championship and its first ever Sun Belt Tournament Championship title last season.

Neil also served as an advanced scout for the Connecticut Sun under coach Miller from 2021-2022 and for the Sparks in 2023. Prior to joining the Dukes staff, he served as an assistant coach at Troy University from 2015-2022 where he helped guide the Trojans to five Sun Belt Conference Championship titles, three NCAA tournament appearances and two WNIT appearances.

The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) is a women’s professional basketball league composed of 12 teams, all based in the United States. The league was founded on April 22, 1996, as the women’s counterpart to the National Basketball Association.

Find out more about the BSc (Hons) Sport Coaching programme at UWS.