Troy University Athletics
Photo by: Joshua Thurston
Joanna Harden Set to Begin Professional Career
8/28/2014 8:48:00 AM | Basketball (W)
REYKJAVIK, Iceland – Former Troy women's basketball standout Joanna Harden has signed to begin her professional career with Valur Reykjavik of the Dominos League, the premier women's basketball league in Iceland.
"I'm really excited to travel to another country and get that experience," Harden said. "When I was a little girl, I always dreamed about playing pro basketball, and now that it's about to happen I'm overly excited."
Harden, a two-time All-Sun Belt selection in her two seasons at Troy, led the Sun Belt in scoring in 2013-14 when she averaged 25.1 points per game. The Pompano Beach, Fla., native set the Troy single-season scoring record (754 points) along with the Sun Belt and Troy single-game scoring record (52 points) during her senior season.
She was also a finalist for the Nancy Lieberman Award, given to the NCAA's top point guard, and finished her career with the second highest scoring average (20.1 ppg) and free throw percentage (80.8 percent) in school history.
Harden, who spent the first two years of her career at Northwest Florida State, played against Troy head Chanda Rigby, who was the head coach at Pensacola State during those two seasons.
"Coach Rigby and I had a special connection," Harden said. "One of the best decisions I've ever made was to come to Troy when she was hired.
"I'm glad I got to experience playing in Troy's fast-paced system. I played in a slower system in junior college, but in the pros it's all about running in transition to get your best opportunities to score. Troy and Coach Rigby have prepared me for that."
In addition to the work she did on the court in her two seasons at Troy, Harden also worked in the classroom and graduated from Troy in May with a degree in criminal justice.
Harden will travel to Reykjavik, Iceland within the next week and begin working with Valur, a team that finished fourth in the eight-team Dominos League last season. Valur lost in five games in the semifinals of the league's playoffs to eventual champion Snaefell.
The league's 28-game schedule will begin in October and conclude in April. Last season, former Clemson standout Lele Hardy was the league's MVP after averaging a league-best 26.5 points per game.
For more information on the Troy women's basketball team, find them on Twitter at @TroyWomensBBall and Instagram at @TroyWBB. For more information on Troy, visit TroyTrojans.com. Fans can also find Troy on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube by searching for Troy Athletics.
"I'm really excited to travel to another country and get that experience," Harden said. "When I was a little girl, I always dreamed about playing pro basketball, and now that it's about to happen I'm overly excited."
Harden, a two-time All-Sun Belt selection in her two seasons at Troy, led the Sun Belt in scoring in 2013-14 when she averaged 25.1 points per game. The Pompano Beach, Fla., native set the Troy single-season scoring record (754 points) along with the Sun Belt and Troy single-game scoring record (52 points) during her senior season.
She was also a finalist for the Nancy Lieberman Award, given to the NCAA's top point guard, and finished her career with the second highest scoring average (20.1 ppg) and free throw percentage (80.8 percent) in school history.
Harden, who spent the first two years of her career at Northwest Florida State, played against Troy head Chanda Rigby, who was the head coach at Pensacola State during those two seasons.
"Coach Rigby and I had a special connection," Harden said. "One of the best decisions I've ever made was to come to Troy when she was hired.
"I'm glad I got to experience playing in Troy's fast-paced system. I played in a slower system in junior college, but in the pros it's all about running in transition to get your best opportunities to score. Troy and Coach Rigby have prepared me for that."
In addition to the work she did on the court in her two seasons at Troy, Harden also worked in the classroom and graduated from Troy in May with a degree in criminal justice.
"Graduating from Troy was one of the biggest accomplishments in my life," Harden said. "I'm the first person in my family to graduate. Without school you can't play basketball, and Troy gave me that chance. My two years in Troy were big on and off the court."
Harden will travel to Reykjavik, Iceland within the next week and begin working with Valur, a team that finished fourth in the eight-team Dominos League last season. Valur lost in five games in the semifinals of the league's playoffs to eventual champion Snaefell.
The league's 28-game schedule will begin in October and conclude in April. Last season, former Clemson standout Lele Hardy was the league's MVP after averaging a league-best 26.5 points per game.
For more information on the Troy women's basketball team, find them on Twitter at @TroyWomensBBall and Instagram at @TroyWBB. For more information on Troy, visit TroyTrojans.com. Fans can also find Troy on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube by searching for Troy Athletics.
2025-26 Women's Basketball Season Recap
Monday, April 06
Underdogs Untold: WBIT
Saturday, March 21
Chanda Rigby Postgame Press Conference (WBIT) - No. 2 Kansas
Thursday, March 19
No. 2 Troy vs. No. 4 James Madison - SBC Championship (Full Highlights)
Monday, March 09