VIDEO: Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame’s Elaine Harlow Deadly 3-Point Shooter At UM
By By Alan Zlotorzynski // May 5, 2016
first all time in 3-point field goal percentage
ABOVE VIDEO: Cocoa Beach’s Elaine Harlow-Higuera is one of the most exciting and best basketball players to ever step foot on the basketball courts of Brevard County and throughout the state of Florida.
2016 COLLEGE INDUCTEE
• All Time 3-Point Shooter At UM
• Academic All-American
• 432 Career Assists At UM
COCOA BEACH HIGH GRADUATE
Cocoa Beach’s Elaine Harlow-Higuera is one of the most exciting and best basketball players to ever step foot on the basketball courts of Brevard County and throughout the state of Florida.
As one of the best guards Central Florida has ever known while at Cocoa Beach High, Halrow-Higuera played for legendary head coach and now fellow Space Cost Sports Hall of Famer, Mike Gaudy from 1982 until 1986.
Harlow-Higuera captained a senior class in 1986 that finished their careers with 96 wins and just six defeats, four of them coming in state tournament play.
The .941 winning percentage is a feat not matched by a Brevard County senior class in any sport since – at least that this writer can find.
Harlow-Higuera and Coach Gaudy were instrumental in establishing the Minutemen as a perennial state power, as they led the Minutemen to consecutive Class AA state runner-up titles in 1984-85 and ‘85-86.
Averaging an astounding 25 points per game during her Senior season, Harlow, a 5-foot-5 inch guard, was a high school All-American in 1985-86. She was also the Gatorade Player of the Year and a Converse All-American.
Coach Gaudy’s teams routinely put up 90 points and Harlow-Higuera scored over 30 on many nights without the use of the three-point line, which was not introduced into Florida High School basketball until the 1987-88 season.
The Harlow-Higuera Minutemen teams drew a large following because of the way they played the game.
They loved to run and score points. In fact, during the 1986 State AA Championship game, Cocoa Beach and Dunnellon played before a tournament-record 1,953 fans at Winter Park High.
She was even better in the classroom at Cocoa Beach than on the court. With a 3.9 GPA, she was Salutatorian of her Senior Class.
FIRST ALL TIME IN 3-POINT SHOOTING
Following four successful years at Cocoa Beach, Harlow-Higuera attended the University of Miami from 1986 to 1990 where she went on to start for three seasons. She played for Lin Dunn and the Hurricanes all-time women’s basketball wins leader, head coach Ferne Labati.
With 432 career assists (3.8 APG) in 155 games at The U, Harlow-Higuera is currently eighth on the Canes career assist leader board. She ranks first all time in three-point field goal percentage.
Harlow-Higuera connected on 92 of 243 attempts beyond the arc for a career percentage of .374. Harlow-Higuera was also nominated as a two-time honorable mention Academic All-American while at Miami.
These days, Harlow-Higuera resides in Missoula, Montana with her husband Tony Higuera. Elaine is the Technology Director at Target Range School in Missoula. Elaine works hard supporting teachers as they implement innovative and creative use of technology in the classrooms.
Coupled with Elaine’s accomplishments on the basketball court, which have been rarely duplicated since she graduated from Cocoa Beach in 1986, and her accomplishments in life, it is easy to see why she now joins her high school coach as member of the Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame.
THE 2017 SPACE COAST SPORTS HALL OF FAME Banquet and Induction Ceremony will take place at the Cocoa Beach Country Club on Friday, May 12.
FOR INFORMATION ABOUT the 2017 SPACE COAST SPORTS HALL OF FAME, call 321-615-8111 or e-mail Contact@SpaceCoastDaily.com
CLICK HERE to see all the members of the Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame.
