SEARCY – After two decades of service wearing multiple hats at Harding Academy, Rusty Garner is leaving to take a new job at a familiar place within walking distance.
Harding University hired Garner, who has spent over a decade as both the Lady Wildcats’ basketball and softball head coach, on Friday as an assistant for the Lady Bisons’ basketball team.
“Harding Academy is a wonderful place and that’s probably why I’ve worked there for half of my life,” Garner told The Natural State Sports Network. “I’ve met, worked with, and coached some of the most incredible people I will ever know.
“Only something very special would have gotten me to leave and I truly believe that the Harding University Lady Bison basketball program is special. I am so grateful to Harding Academy for 21 wonderful years, and now to Coach Tim Kirby for giving me a chance to grow and learn while coaching those amazing young women at the collegiate level.”
Garner’s resume certainly reflects one who earned his spot to mentor at the next level.
As an assistant with the girls basketball program, he helped Harding Academy reach the 2004 Class AA state championship game before taking the reins in 2007. The team is coming off of a great 2023-24 campaign, in which they won 27 games and took down previously undefeated Fouke in the 3A state tournament quarterfinal round before falling to Salem by two points in the semifinals.
In 17 seasons as head coach of the Lady Wildcats, Garner compiled a record of 374-164 – an average of 22 wins per year – with nine regional final appearances and eight conference tournament championships, plus he was tabbed conference Coach of the Year nine times. Harding Academy clinched a state tournament berth 15 times in that span that included eight finishes in the quarterfinals, three in the semifinals and one in the championship round in 2014, the same season Garner was named the Class 3A Coach of the Year. Additionally, Garner was the head coach in the Arkansas High School Coaches Association All-Star game twice.
Garner also achieved success in 13 seasons heading HA’s softball program, including this past spring as they finished the year with a 20-4 record and a 3A state quarterfinalist. His teams reached the state semifinals four times and the state final two times. Garner was named conference Coach of the Year seven times, the same amount of conference titles the Lady Wildcats won under his tutelage, along with serving one stint on staff for an All-Star game.
Looking at the success of last year’s Harding University women’s basketball squad, it makes sense why Garner would make the move to join Tim Kirby’s staff. The Lady Bisons finished second in the Great American Conference’s regular season standings with a 19-3 record, 26-6 overall for the season, including a perfect 15-0 inside Rhodes-Reaves Field House.
As the Central Region’s No. 5 seed in the NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball Tournament, the Lady Bisons defeated four-seed Pittsburg (Kan.) State before falling to top seed Southern Nazarene (Okla.) in the second round. They finished 24th in the WBCA Division II Postseason Top 25 Women’s Basketball Coaches Poll, the third time in school history they finished in the Top 25. They return a host of talent for 2024-25, including All-GAC performers Rory Geer and Mountain View native Aubrey Isbell, plus GAC Freshman of the Year and Conway Christian alumna Josie Williams.
(Cover photo submitted)
Kyle Sutherland is a journalist and podcast host (Arkansas Preps Weekly) for The Natural State Sports Network. His written work has been featured in outlets including the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Best of Arkansas Sports and Hooten’s Arkansas Football. He is also the color commentator for 103.7 The Buzz’s high school football Game of the Week. Email Kyle at kyle@naturalstatesports.com.