Women's Basketball
Harris, Nate
Nate Harris
- Title:
- Associate Head Coach
- Email:
- caleigh.cookson@mso.umt.edu
- Phone:
- 243-5334
The 2025-26 season is Nate Harris’s first year as head coach at Montana, his fifth year as a coach for the Lady Griz.
He was initially hired in April 2021 as an assistant coach after serving the previous two seasons as the head coach at NCAA Division II Angelo State in San Angelo, Texas.
He spent two years in an assistant position at Montana before being promoted to associate head coach.
Harris was elevated to interim head coach in January of the 2024-25 season and led the Lady Griz through their final 17 games before being named to the permanent position at season’s end.
As interim head coach, he guided Montana to a 9-8 record and to wins over No. 3 Idaho and No. 2 Northern Arizona at the Big Sky Conference tournament in Boise.
In the championship game against No. 1 Montana State, it took a last-second shot by the Bobcats to end Montana’s season one shot short of making its first NCAA tournament since the 2014-15 season.
In Harris’s first year on staff, in 2021-22, Montana had a seven-win improvement from the previous season.
In his third year, the Lady Griz broke out, winning 23 games, advancing to the WNIT and winning a game in a national postseason tournament for the first time since 2014.
The Lady Griz, who ranked second nationally in 3-point field goals (10.8/g), ended that season with a NET ranking of 98.
Harris has been coaching collegiately on a full-time basis since 2008-09, with most of that time spent in the state of Montana.
Born in Sidney and raised mainly in Ronan, Harris played at Montana Tech, from which he graduated in 2007 with a degree in mathematics.
He was a volunteer assistant with the men’s basketball team at his alma mater in 2007-08 before joining the staff in a full-time position the next two years.
Harris was an assistant on the men’s staff at Fresno Pacific for the 2010-11 season.
He returned to Montana and shifted to the women’s game when he was hired by Kevin Woodin at MSU Billings prior to the 2011-12 season.
The Yellowjackets would win 60 games in three seasons with Harris on staff, including going 25-8 in 2013-14 when MSUB advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Division II national tournament.
He spent the next four years (2014-15 to 2017-18) on coach Tricia Binford’s staff at Montana State, the last two as associate head coach.
The Bobcats, after winning back-to-back regular-season titles, advanced to the WNIT in 2015-16, the NCAA tournament in 2016-17.
Following the 2017-18 season, Harris took a position at Angelo State. He was an assistant for the Rambelles for one season before being elevated to head coach.
His first team as head coach, in 2019-20, went 18-10 and advanced to the NCAA Division II South Central Regional before the tournament was canceled due to COVID-19.
His final season at Angelo State, in 2020-21, was done in by the lingering effects of COVID, with nine games either postponed or canceled.
Harris and his wife, Elise, a Missoula native, have four daughters, Henley, Harper, Hollyn and Hayden.
He was initially hired in April 2021 as an assistant coach after serving the previous two seasons as the head coach at NCAA Division II Angelo State in San Angelo, Texas.
He spent two years in an assistant position at Montana before being promoted to associate head coach.
Harris was elevated to interim head coach in January of the 2024-25 season and led the Lady Griz through their final 17 games before being named to the permanent position at season’s end.
As interim head coach, he guided Montana to a 9-8 record and to wins over No. 3 Idaho and No. 2 Northern Arizona at the Big Sky Conference tournament in Boise.
In the championship game against No. 1 Montana State, it took a last-second shot by the Bobcats to end Montana’s season one shot short of making its first NCAA tournament since the 2014-15 season.
In Harris’s first year on staff, in 2021-22, Montana had a seven-win improvement from the previous season.
In his third year, the Lady Griz broke out, winning 23 games, advancing to the WNIT and winning a game in a national postseason tournament for the first time since 2014.
The Lady Griz, who ranked second nationally in 3-point field goals (10.8/g), ended that season with a NET ranking of 98.
Harris has been coaching collegiately on a full-time basis since 2008-09, with most of that time spent in the state of Montana.
Born in Sidney and raised mainly in Ronan, Harris played at Montana Tech, from which he graduated in 2007 with a degree in mathematics.
He was a volunteer assistant with the men’s basketball team at his alma mater in 2007-08 before joining the staff in a full-time position the next two years.
Harris was an assistant on the men’s staff at Fresno Pacific for the 2010-11 season.
He returned to Montana and shifted to the women’s game when he was hired by Kevin Woodin at MSU Billings prior to the 2011-12 season.
The Yellowjackets would win 60 games in three seasons with Harris on staff, including going 25-8 in 2013-14 when MSUB advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Division II national tournament.
He spent the next four years (2014-15 to 2017-18) on coach Tricia Binford’s staff at Montana State, the last two as associate head coach.
The Bobcats, after winning back-to-back regular-season titles, advanced to the WNIT in 2015-16, the NCAA tournament in 2016-17.
Following the 2017-18 season, Harris took a position at Angelo State. He was an assistant for the Rambelles for one season before being elevated to head coach.
His first team as head coach, in 2019-20, went 18-10 and advanced to the NCAA Division II South Central Regional before the tournament was canceled due to COVID-19.
His final season at Angelo State, in 2020-21, was done in by the lingering effects of COVID, with nine games either postponed or canceled.
Harris and his wife, Elise, a Missoula native, have four daughters, Henley, Harper, Hollyn and Hayden.
| NATE HARRIS AT A GLANCE | ||||||
| PERSONAL | ||||||
| Hometown | Ronan, Mont. | |||||
| Education | Montana Tech, 2007 | |||||
| Family | Wife: Elise Daughters: Henley, Harper, Hollyn, Hayden |
|||||
| COACHING RESUME | ||||||
| Years | School, Position | |||||
| 2008-10 | Montana Tech, Assistant Coach (MBB) | |||||
| 2010-11 | Fresno Pacific, Assistant Coach (MBB) | |||||
| 2011-14 | MSU Billings, Assistant Coach | |||||
| 2014-18 | Montana State, Assistant Coach/Associate Head Coach | |||||
| 2018-19 | Angelo State, Assistant Coach | |||||
| 2019-21 | Angelo State, Head Coach | |||||
| 2021-25 | Montana, Assistant Coach/Associate Head Coach/Interim Head Coach | |||||
| 2025-present | Montana, Head Coach | |||||
| COACHING HISTORY | ||||||
| Year | School | Record | Conf. Record | Conf. Finish | Postseason | |
| 2008-09 | Montana Tech | 8-21 | 1-13 | 8th | ||
| 2009-10 | Montana Tech | 11-20 | 4-10 | 7th | ||
| 2010-11 | Fresno Pacific | 20-11 | 12-8 | t-4th | ||
| 2011-12 | MSU Billings | 18-12 | 10-8 | 6th | ||
| 2012-13 | MSU Billings | 17-10 | 11-7 | t-3rd | ||
| 2013-14 | MSU Billings | 25-8 | 15-3 | 1st | NCAA II Regional | |
| 2014-15 | Montana State | 15-15 | 9-9 | t-5th | ||
| 2015-16 | Montana State | 21-10 | 14-4 | 1st | WNIT | |
| 2016-17 | Montana State | 25-7 | 15-3 | t-1st | NCAA Tournament | |
| 2017-18 | Montana State | 16-15 | 9-9 | t-7th | ||
| 2018-19 | Angelo State | 26-6 | 17-3 | t-1st | NCAA II Regional | |
| 2019-20 | Angelo State | 18-10 | 14-8 | t-4th | NCAA II Regional | |
| 2020-21 | Angelo State | 1-13 | 1-13 | 14th | ||
| 2021-22 | Montana | 19-11 | 12-8 | t-4th | ||
| 2022-23 | Montana | 14-16 | 10-8 | 5th | ||
| 2023-24 | Montana | 23-10 | 13-5 | 3rd | WNIT | |
| 2024-25 | Montana | 14-18 | 8-10 | t-5th | ||
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