Harper Taylor was at a career crossroads, unsure if she wanted to continue coaching women's basketball or go in a new direction.
Then came a phone call from Athletic Director Miguel Paredes asking her to apply for the opening at Kansas Wesleyan University.
It was the proverbial bolt from the blue.
"I was definitely intrigued; I just wasn't expecting it," she said. "I had been in such a poor place with where I was at with coaching that I didn't think I was going to have my dream job right there in front of me.
"After the last place that I was at for two years (Division II Metro State-Denver) I think my love for coaching and how I viewed my position changed a lot. It was kind of the experience and some of the people that I worked with and how I handled a lot of situations. I learned a ton, but it was just really hard for me to continue seeing myself in coaching long term. For the first time in my life, I was heavily questioning it."
Taylor's husband Cole had another viewpoint.
"He was thinking about it as 'this is her opportunity to be a head coach,'" she said.
Indeed, KWU offered a fresh start at a place she was familiar with after working as an assistant during the 2021-22 and '22-23 seasons.
"A big reason why I took (the Metro) position was because of how I knew I loved coaching when I was here," she said.
Taylor applied and ultimately chosen to lead the Coyotes into the 2025-26 season.
In the two months since her hiring she has rediscovered her passion for coaching. It's been a whirlwind - relocating, hiring her staff (two graduate assistants), overseeing renovation of the locker room, fundraising, ordering equipment, working on the budget, familiarizing herself with the returning players and recruiting.
She wouldn't have any other way.
"I think the difference is I get to take pride in something where I get to drive the ship," she said. "I think that has really helped bring me back to life. Of course, right now there aren't really any consequences to those actions because my players aren't here, but I can already feel the difference in the team from interview to summer to my relationships and my conversations with them. They have grown so much just because of how I do things. I was here before, I know how things were done before, and I know how the girls responded."
She is convinced KWU is the right job at the right time.
"It's refreshing to still feel that (passion) here," she said. "I feel a very strong bond to Kansas Wesleyan because of what I helped build here before. I don't think I knew that a couple months ago, I feel like I had to be slapped in the face to be like 'you can do this.'"
Taylor knows what she wants her teams' on-court persona to be.
"Defense will be at the forefront," she said. "I know everyone says that and then stats don't prove it. It might take a while development-wise to get where I want us to be on the defensive end but that will be a big point of emphasis. I want our team to be thinking from a defensive standpoint and not an offensive standpoint. It's hard to get a group of girls to think that way. As a player I loved offense."
Adaptability will be imperative, though.
"Honestly, I would just say I'm full of surprises," she said. "I might sit here and say one thing but then halfway through the year it might completely change. I could be saying 'defense, defense, defense' and may not have one girl that can guard so you've got to figure it out, figure out the next thing."
She guarantees there will be no shortage of energy.
"This will be the quietest, most reserved you'll probably see me all year," she said. "I'm going to be loud - very communicative, I guess. We have four core values for our program - pride, accountability, connection and communication. The communication piece will be huge. Like I said in our group chat the girls' communication with me has already drastically changed."
With the best yet to come.