Growing up in New Jersey, Ivy Harrington soaked up basketball knowledge from her father, who had played at Delaware State University. “My father taught me everything about my game –– from shooting in the backyard to going to basketball camps,” said Harrington, who took up hoops at age nine. “I knew when I was in seventh grade that I wanted to play in college, and from then on it was my goal to improve, get stronger, and learn more about the game.”
She considers basketball her first teacher –– introducing her to leadership, camaraderie, and commitment. “It was something I always used as a vehicle to get me to places and spaces that I knew I wanted to be in, college being the most important one for me,” Harrington said. A combo guard (point and shooting), she played at Morgan State University, an HBCU in Maryland, from 2013–2017.
Using the focus and discipline learned in basketball, last month Harrington hit the big shots to be crowned Miss New Jersey USA and will represent the Garden State in the Miss USA pageant later this year. “Now the game is paying dividends for me even on the pageant stage,” she said.
Related: Nebraska volleyball star Lexi Rodriguez wins the prestigious Sullivan Award
“Ivy’s experience as a student-athlete makes her incredibly coachable, competitive in the best way, and always open to new ideas,” said Gina Mellish, a pageant coach who worked with Harrington, at times utilizing basketball analogies. “On the morning of Miss New Jersey USA, I said, ‘It’s game day.’ She knew exactly what that meant and showed up prepared, focused, and ready to give it her all.”
Harrington said being coachable is her best trait. This was not her first try at the Miss New Jersey USA pageant. Despite three losses, she persisted and remained open to new ideas that Mellish presented.
“I wanted to present my best self on stage and in interviews throughout every single level of the competition,” said Harrington, 30, who has a mentorship program she calls MVP (Most Valuable Pivot), where she helps female student-athletes develop their identities outside of sports. She also coaches a girls’ high school basketball team.
Right now, her duties include community service as well as advocating for women’s empowerment in athletics. Shortly after winning her title, Harrington got to attend the WNBA Draft. “It was a full circle moment for me,” she said.
