Approximately one year ago, I was sitting in roughly the same place, writing a column lambasting the Athletic Department for choosing to release then-Interim Head Coach Stephanie Glance. Not only was she the obvious choice to take over the program, but I felt – perhaps too emotionally – that further upsetting a team in turmoil would not translate to wins.

Well, apparently I was wrong. And I’m very happy to admit it.

I’m not saying Kellie Harper is the next coming of Pat Summit (though the media is sure trying to anoint her as such.) But she did exactly what she said she would do, and sooner than anyone had any right to expect. In her first year at the helm, she and her players did the program and Kay Yow proud.

Harper and Co. didn’t come into the program under the most desirable circumstances. She still has a long legacy to live down, but a fresh start and a tentative, depleted fan base seemed to give her the same merit-based opportunity that she reportedly gave her players. Wins were what it would take to get fans back into the stands, and wins she eventually provided. By the end of the 2009-2010 campaign, Reynolds Coliseum was rocking.

Harper and her coaching staff took a small (both in numbers and stature) team of inherited players and got them to play to the best of their ability. Few expected ACC Rookie of the Year Marissa Kastanek to be such a boon for the Pack, but she, along with sophomore Bonae Holston, turned into consistent scoring threats. Meanwhile, the seniors truly played like it was their last game night in and night out. There weren’t many games where the Pack looked like it was being outworked.

This isn’t to say there weren’t growing pains. But a few tough losses at the beginning of the season gave way to an 8-4 run to finish it out, including a run to the finals of the ACC Tournament. UCLA ousted the Pack convincingly in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, which provided a sour aftertaste for an unexpectedly successful season. If two things can be said about State’s shortcomings this year, it was that it was very streaky and far too reliant on Kastanek for scoring. But these aren’t the hardest problems to correct.

I’m not going to speculate as to how Harper interacts with her players, how well her staff recruits or whether this streak will carry into next season. State fans have certainly had more than enough recent experience with first-year coaches that send expectations through the roof before following up with several years of mediocrity. But there’s no reason not to think that this team can only get better from here.

I know many State fans have their sights solely and hungrily set on Ryan Harrow, (maybe) C.J. Leslie and the rest of a revamped men’s squad that will come in a year from now. But if you would, take the time to check on the Pack women from time to time. This program, young and fresh but seeped in tradition, looks to be headed in the right direction.

Now please, Pack – don’t make me eat those words as well.