Some would call Le’lani Harris a guard, while others would consider her a forward.
While both are correct, Harris just looks at herself as a basketball player. And she’s a pretty good one.
The St. Francis senior has been chosen to the All-Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference’s five-member first team.
“Knowing that this is my last season playing basketball, I’ve been taking everything in and enjoying the time with my teammates and my coaches and just having fun really,” Harris said. “I always tell my teammates that we have to remember why we started and why we play and why we love basketball.
“That’s something that I’ve always pivoted to especially in this last year and just trying to enjoy it all.”
The 2022 Marist graduate who also earned second-team All-CCAC honors in 2024-25, leads the Saints in four categories this season, highlighted by her 17.1 points per game. The Oak Lawn resident also paces USF in field goals (153), free throws (95), points (461) and free-throw percentage (.913), while ranking second in 3-pointers (60).
“My shooting has taken a leap this year because that’s something I really focused on in the summer,” Harris said. “I wanted to be more efficient in my outside shot and I always thought my footwork was one of the highlights of my game.
“A lot of times, I play as an undersized post, so I don’t always have the height (advantage) but I have some finesse in my game and that’s definitely helped me stand apart from others.”
In the CCAC, the four-year starter ranks among the top 10 in five categories, including No. 1 in free-throw percentage.
The Saints finished 25-5 (17-3 in the CCAC) after losing 83-55 to host Dakota Wesleyan in the opening round of the NAIA National Tournament on March 13.
Harris will be shifting from player mode to coach mode this summer as she guides the Lady Lightning AAU basketball team. In the meantime, she can reflect on a successful end to her college career.
“I knew that this was my last year (playing), so I wanted it to be my best,” Harris said. “We started off the year really well and so I thought this is going to be special just because of what my teammates and I were able to do together on the floor.
“You knew that when we were winning like that and everybody was getting the ball and everybody was having fun, the numbers were going to come. That was definitely not a worry. … I knew that it was going to come in time with effort and my teammates (did) too.”