Portland Fire, one of the WNBA’s recent expansion teams, announced Thursday the signing of former West Virginia standout Jordan Harrison. Read more: Portland Fire signs Jordan Harrison, set to play former teammate JJ Quinerly.
After going undrafted at the WNBA Draft Monday, the former Mountaineer guard did not have to wait long to take her talents to the professional level.
If Harrison makes the Fire’s roster, she sets up the potential to play against her former teammate, JJ Quinerly, on July 22 and August 25. Quinerly’s Dallas Wings travel to Portland for the first matchup.
Elite senior year
Harrison is coming off a productive senior year with West Virginia where she averaged 13.1 points per game, 5.2 assists per game, and 3.2 steals per game. The Oklahoma native led the Mountaineers in total steals and assists.
Her defensive efforts led to her being named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. She was also a finalist for the NCAA Defensive Player of the Year.
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Harrison played a big role in WVU’s historic season, finishing with a 28-7 record and a Big 12 Tournament Championship. The Mountaineers also hosted the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament for the second time in program history, the first since 1992.
After Harrison’s three-year career at WVU, she finished sixth in program history with 499 assists, and seventh with 277 steals.
What she brings to the Fire
With the Fire entering its first season in the WNBA, Harrison has a better chance than most undrafted rookies to make the roster.
No guard on Portland’s roster averages more than eight points in their career. The most experienced guard on the roster is Karlie Samuelson, who has seven years of experience in the WNBA.
Everyone else in the backcourt has played four years or fewer in the league. That shows that with a strong few weeks, Harrison could find herself on the roster when the 2026-2027 season begins on May 8.
In order to do that, Harrison will have to lean on her strong defensive ability. Throughout her WVU tenure, she proved how capable she was as an on-ball defender.
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Despite her small frame, she’s also a capable defender off the ball. Harrison routinely would get in the passing lanes and create transition opportunities for the Mountaineers.
Most likely, she will not be asked to be the primary ball handler for the Fire. In that case, she will have to improve on her three-point shooting. Harrison shot just 33.3% from behind the arc in her collegiate career.
Stay up to date with Harrison’s WNBA journey and all other related WVU Athletics stories on WV Sports Nation.
