ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — UCF sophomore guard Leah Harmon scored a career-high 38 points against Kansas and increased her scoring average from 2.8 points to 15.7 points this season. 

That career is something Harmon’s coach is proud of.

“To be at the guard, you have to be a leader; that’s No. 1. To play for me, you have to be a three-level scorer, and you have to understand the game,” UCF women’s basketball coach Sytia Messer said. 

What You Need To Know

 UCF guard Leah Harmon scored a career-high 38 points against Kansas

 The sophomore increased her scoring average from 2.8 points to 15.7 points this season with UCF

 Harmon played high school basketball at Sidwell Friends (D.C.) and IMG Academy

She played her freshman season of college basketball at the University of Miami

“She’s special. It’s not the size of your body; it’s the size of your heart and her heart is huge,” Messer explained. “This kid plays with a lot of passion and love for the game.”

Harmon’s game speaks volumes. 

Her scoring average is good for eighth-best in the Big 12 Conference. 

Her 12.9-points-per-game increase since last season with the Hurricanes is one of the biggest year-to-year point improvements in college basketball this season. 

She put the college basketball world on notice against Kansas. 

“Everything was just going right. My teammates were finding me,” Harmon said. “I was just flowing, and my teammates were just flowing with me.”

It was moment she has been building toward. 

Her journey started in New Jersey. Then she played high school basketball at Sidwell Friends in Washington, D.C. She then transferred to IMG Academy before playing her college freshman season at Miami. 

No matter where her journey has taken her, one thing has remained consistent: her mom and dad sitting front row at the games. 

“It’s amazing, man. Just me and my wife over there sitting courtside and watching her play,” said Leah’s dad, Hencer Harmon, after UCF’s win over Colorado. “It’s good, man. She’s been through a pretty long journey, so looks good now. I’m super excited.”

Harmon isn’t the biggest guard or the fastest. But her game is diverse, and it’s her ability to wear many hats that makes her a nightmare to guard.