SAN FRANCISCO -- Academy of Art University Athletics has announced Booker Harris as its new assistant coach for men's basketball. Boasting more than 20 years of experience as a player, coach, and administrator at the NCAA Division I and II levels including a recent 10-year stint at the helm of Dominican University of California men's basketball, Harris will reunite with Head Coach Scott Waterman and his staff as the Urban Knights continue preparing for their upcoming 2021-22 season.

"I feel incredibly fortunate to be able to hire Booker Harris," Waterman said. "We go back 20 years in the coaching profession and I was fortunate to be to be his associate head coach for two years. He will be a tremendous asset to this program in several ways. First, he has a great basketball mind and will easily form relationships with the players in the program. Secondly, he has had success everywhere he has been including appearances in several NCAA tournaments. Finally, he has been in the PacWest for 10 years and knows what it takes to be successful in the conference. There is no doubt he will hit the ground running and continue to help elevate the ART U basketball program."

In just his first three seasons with the Penguins, Harris transformed a team that went 4-22 before his arrival, to 11-18 in the 2011-12 season and 16-10 in the 2012-13 season, earning the No. 4 seed in the Pacific West Championship Tournament and PacWest Co-Coach of the Year. His squad continued to progress, finishing the 2013-14 season at 22-8, earning second place in the conference en route to the PacWest Championship game. During his time at Dominican, which overlapped with Waterman from 2017-19, Harris saw 10 of his players earn All-PacWest Team honors and had his squads collect eight NABC Team Excellence Awards.

"I am thrilled to be working alongside Coach Waterman once again," Harris said. "Scott is an exceptional basketball coach and basketball mind who has had success in his career.  I truly feel blessed to be a part of the program and athletic department as we try and vault ART U men's basketball to new heights. I am invigorated by the vision of Coach Waterman and Director of Athletics Brad Jones to establish a tradition of excellence here at Academy of Art."

Prior to Dominican, Harris spent two seasons as the top assistant coach for NCAA DII perennial powerhouse Metro State in Denver. In addition to winning the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference East Division Tournament title and achieving a top 25 national ranking, Harris helped the Roadrunners post back-to-back 20+ win seasons in 2010 and 2011 with the latter culminating in a NCAA Tournament second round appearance.

Before Metro State, Harris was on the sidelines as the director of basketball operations for two seasons at NCAA DI University of San Diego. In 2008, the Toreros won the West Coast Conference Tournament and upset UConn in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.

A member of a championship team at Cal State San Bernardino, Harris was an assistant coach for four seasons when the Coyotes compiled an 86-28 record, setting a California Collegiate Athletic Association record with six consecutive conference titles. In 2006-07, CSUSB won the NCAA West Region and advanced to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament. Between 2003 and 2007, the Coyotes had one All-American and 10 All-CCAA First Team honorees.

Harris began his coaching career in 2001-02 as an assistant coach at Sonoma State where he earned his master's degree in Business Administration in 2003. He and Waterman first worked together in 2002 when Harris was a strength and condition coach at Long Beach State.

"I am grateful for the opportunity to continue to prioritize the well-being of student-athletes and position them for success in competition, in the classroom, in the community, and in life beyond college," Harris said.

A native of San Francisco, Harris was a member of the University of San Francisco Dons' last NCAA Division I tournament team in 1998. A two-time member of the WCC All-Academic Team, Harris played for Head Coach Phil Mathews at USF where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in Business Administration in 1999. The 6-foot-1 guard played three seasons for the Dons and was a member of the 1998 WCC Tournament Championship team.