Diamondback Online - The University of Maryland's Independent Daily Student Newspaper

Issue date: 3/6/08 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Yuchen Nie

When Maria Harper says she always told her daughter Laura she was destined for excellence, she doesn't say it to show off, and she certainly doesn't say it with arrogance.

The soft-spoken genuine Maria says it because she has lived and has always taught her two children to live by the fundamental belief that, if you do something and you truly give it 100 percent, there is no way you will not be excellent.

"That's not negotiable," Maria says.

From the time senior forward Laura Harper started playing basketball at the surprisingly late age of 13, she has given it nothing but her best, and as she heads into her final postseason with the Terrapin women's basketball team this weekend, she does so as one of the most accomplished and influential players in the history of the program.

She has worked harder than most to achieve excellence.

"It's not about basketball; it's not about any sport," Maria, a teacher, said. "It's about whatever you do - it's doing that excellent. So I said, 'Whatever you choose to do, you have to be excellent.'"

At first, Laura didn't choose basketball.

Laura's father, Haviland, played college ball at George Washington and is still a relatively well-known high school coach in the Philadelphia area, but Haviland and Maria separated when Laura was in third grade, and Laura lived with her mom, so she didn't necessarily grow up around the game.

Instead, Laura strove for excellence in other things such as playing the saxophone and field hockey.

"I was a big field hockey player, but then I got too tall almost, and it started hurting my back," the now 6-foot-4-inch Laura said.

Then one day when Laura was in seventh grade, Laura and Maria were driving somewhere when Laura told her mother she wanted to play basketball.

She'd never played before.

"Not an ounce," Maria said.

"I just decided to try it," Laura said. "My mom was just like, 'You want to play? Then you have to focus, and you have to actually commit to something.'"

So Maria went to a small, run-down gym near their home in Elkins Park, Pa. to see if she could find a place for her daughter to play.

"I didn't know what I was doing. I just walked into a gym and said, 'Does anybody here play ball?'" Maria said. "When I went in there, it was just smelly, sweaty guys. But I didn't have any reservations about making sure Laura and her brother were excellent. I just wanted to make it happen."

Continued...

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