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USATSI

Harmoni Turner has proven to be a not–so-secret weapon for Harvard, and that can be credited to four words her dad told her five years ago: "Do you trust me?" Her story is about basketball, but also much more than that.

In 2019, Turner was a five-star recruit who only had her sights on Power 5 schools and absolutely did not want to go to Harvard. Nevertheless, she followed her dad's advice and committed to the program.

Now, she is one of the Ivy League's top players and made history with the Crimson earlier this month by scoring a single-game program-record 41 points in a 78-70 win against Boston College. The 5-foot-10 guard has earned back-to-back First Team All-Ivy honors and spent her summer as co-captain for Team USA. With her help, the team went undefeated and earned a gold medal at the 2024 FIBA 3-on-3 U23 World Cup in Mongolia. 

Harvard has the best overall record in the Ivy League at 7-1, and Turner has led those efforts with 22 points, 4.6 rebounds and a total of 26 steals -- tied for most in the nation. So, just like her dad predicted, Turner's chosen path has been a positive one. 

As a senior, it's clear Turner's opinion of Harvard basketball has changed drastically from when she was in high school. Recently, Turner said she would not leave the Crimson even if programs like UConn, USC or LSU came knocking at her door.

"If only y'all knew the numbers they were throwing at me after my freshman year..." Turner posted on social media "There's no amount of money that i'd agree to to leave Harvard. This education means more to me than any $$ right now."

To explain how she ended up joining the Crimson, Turner recounted how she was cut from her first serious basketball team when she was in fifth grade. She wasn't big or strong enough, and all she could do was cry to her dad.

"He sat me down in his office, and he was like, 'Do you trust me?'" Turner told CBS Sports. "And I was like, 'Yeah, I trust you,' with tears in my eyes." 

Turner ended up making a team better than the one that cut her, and she never heard her dad bring up those four words again -- until it was time for her to make her college decision.

"He saw me deterring away from Harvard. I was not looking into it. I didn't really care about it," Turner said. "And that's when he sat me down. He was like, 'Do you trust me?' And I said, 'I do.' I knew it was one of those moments. So, I had to kind of bite my tongue on that.

"… Thank God that I did because I'm starting to realize the blessings and opportunities that are coming my way just for being here. And basically changing that narrative because I've always wanted to be like a trailblazer. Taking that step forward and actually becoming one, I give all my thanks to my father for that."

Getting accepted into Harvard and being a Division I athlete are pretty big accomplishments, but things were not always so bright for Turner.

Less than two years ago, Turner started a nonprofit organization for young girls, Pretty N' Secure, with the help of her stepmother. It tackles depression, anxiety, mental health and childhood trauma -- which Turner unfortunately experienced first-hand.

"I faced a lot of abuse with my biological mother… it's definitely been difficult to cope with," Turner said. "Definitely been difficult to manage through, but we got through it, and basketball was a part of the outlet for me as well. That's what inspired me to want to start this nonprofit with my mom. 

"We basically just tell our stories to these young girls and we give them a better meaning, that there's more to life than what's handed in front of them. Because a lot of these girls that we mentor, they have pretty unfortunate circumstances, and they feel like what they see is all that life is. We want to break that narrative with them."

Turner's goal in going to Harvard was to show the world you are not defined by just one aspect of your life -- not your past, not your sport or your academics. 

"I want people to see who I am as a person, not just as an athlete," Turner said. "So, I've always wanted to inspire kids, inspire my peers, because they felt like I didn't face any form of adversity because I'm always laughing. I'm always cracking jokes. I'm never sad around them. And so I wanted to give them a different perspective of how I basically live my life and what I've gone through."

Turner is majoring in African American studies, and law school is something she is considering. She eventually wants to become a civil rights activist, but for now, she wants to play basketball as long as she can.

Since this will be her last year playing for Harvard -- Ivy League schools don't play grad students -- Turner has some big goals to achieve before she goes pro.

"Win an Ivy League championship, that's something that's been my goal since I've committed," Turner said. "We haven't been able to do it yet within my first three years, but we have so much talent… I do have a few personal goals, but that's something that I kind of keep dear to my heart, and I feel like in due time you'll start to see them."