As an assistant coach for the California men's basketball team, Chris Harriman brought a wealth of experience to the program. Harriman was the first assistant coach hired under Mark Fox in April 2019, having previously worked under renowned coaches such as Rick Majerus at Saint Louis and Tim Miles at Nebraska. He served as Cal's interim head coach in between Fox's dismissal and the hiring of Mark Madsen in March 2023 before his departure from the program.
In his first season with the Golden Bears, Harriman oversaw a significant increase in wins, including seven conference victories and wins over Washington, Colorado, and other notable teams. He has also established himself as a successful recruiter, bringing in talented student-athletes from around the world, including recent signee ND Okafor, a top 75-ranked prospect from the NBA Global Academy in Mexico.
Prior to joining Cal, Harriman served as associate head coach at the University of New Mexico from 2015 to 2019. A testament of his leadership, knowledge, and impact, Harriman was the only coach retained after the 2017 coaching staff changes. Prior to joining the Lobos, Harriman was an assistant coach with the Nebraska Cornhuskers under Tim Miles for three years where he played a key role in developing several All-Big Ten selections and guiding the team to an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2014.
Harriman was an assistant coach under the late Rick Majerus at Saint Louis from 2008 to 2012 during the era of the Billikens' resurgence with a pair of 20-win seasons and was primarily responsible for recruiting the winningest class in Saint Louis program history. He assumed head coach duties at Saint Louis for one game after Majerus was hospitalized, and led the team to a 75-60 win over Duquesne. During Harriman's final season at Saint Louis, the Billikens ranked in the top 25 in the NCAA in scoring defense, scoring margin, turnover margin, and turnovers per game. Saint Louis earned an NCAA Tournament berth and defeated Memphis in the first round in 2012.
He began his coaching career at Nova Southeastern in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where he helped the team to 48 wins over a four-year span. The 2005-06 Sharks squad finished with 17 wins, which marked the largest single-season NCAA Division II turnaround in 15 years.
A native of Sydney, Australia, Harriman is widely regarded for his international recruiting prowess and global knowledge of the game. Harriman has landed numerous key international recruits globally – including from New Zealand in Rob Loe, Christian Salecich and Cody Ellis – and has a track record of signing recruits who have gone on to earn accolades such as Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year and First Team All-Conference.
Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander named Harriman one of the “Top 5 Up-and-Coming Division I Assistants” on CBS Sports, with Norlander writing, “Few guys have the international networking and contacts like Harriman. He’s the long-term valuable hire, the guy who finds the gem buried under 20 feet of mud.” Additionally, national basketball insider Jeff Goodman named Harriman one of the top three international recruiters in Division I college basketball.
Harriman began his playing career in Australia before heading stateside and becoming a standout guard for the Augusta State (Ga.) Jaguars of the NCAA Division II’s Peach Belt Conference. During his playing career, the Jaguars won 78 games as Harriman led the conference in steals and was named the conference’s Player of the Week during his senior season.
The guard helped guide Augusta State to PBC division titles and NCAA Tournament appearances. He wrapped up his college career with 627 points and 375 assists for the Jaguars before spending the 2003-04 season with the Hunter Valley Pirates. Harriman was the runner-up for the National Basketball League’s Rookie of the Year award for the Pirates as the top first-year player in Australia’s NBL.
Harriman married his wife, Ciara, in May 2019. He has one son (Avery) and three daughters (Kacee, Elsie and Natalia). He started the #AveryStrong campaign to raise funds and awareness for pediatric cancer in honor of his son’s battle with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.
LAST UPDATED: April 13, 2023
