When Kate Harpring played in the Overtime Select league in August, she wasn’t exactly an unknown recruit in the class of 2026. But after scoring 19.2 points per game and earning MVP honors during a championship run with Double Dynasty, Harpring’s abilities, and prowess, were undeniable.
Now the Marist School junior is considered by the 247Sports Composite to be the No. 2 player in the ‘26 class. The start of her emergence in becoming one of the top players in the country can be traced to those few weeks last summer.
“Just doing the work,” Harpring said of her rise to national recognition. “Practicing, whether it’s high school and then also doing weight room, stuff like that off the court, helping me to get better. I’ve never worried about rankings too much. Obviously, it’s there, but I’ve kind of just stuck with my own path and it’s kind of worked out.”
Harpring spoke with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Friday at Overtime Elite in Atlantic Station. She has been named a captain for team Cold Hearts for the 2025 OT Select league which begins this August.
Accompanied by her younger brother Bobby for the afternoon, Harpring had her pick of Cold Hearts gear and took part in a photo shoot before being treated to a courtside seat for Game 1 of the Overtime Elite finals at Overtime Elite Arena at Atlantic Station.
“It’s pretty cool,” Harpring said of all the attention. “Obviously last year (playing in OT Select) was a great experience. It was my first time doing a league like this. I thought it was just really cool. Then, obviously, to be a captain this year is really cool after winning and getting MVP (last year). It’s really cool to kind of have my own team now.”
Credit: Adam Hagy/Overtime
Credit: Adam Hagy/Overtime
Harpring is the daughter of former Georgia Tech basketball legend Matt Harping. Her older brother, Luke Harpring, is a second-year tight end for the Tech football team. Those two, along with Kate’s mother, she said, have been instrumental in helping her navigate recruiting.
Scholarships offers have come Harpring’s way at a furious pace in recent months.
“Throughout the season I’m usually pretty busy so it’s kind of hard to get a lot of recruiting stuff in with phone calls and texts. I’m pretty sure I might be the worst texter-backer,” Harping laughed. “I’ll tell coaches, ‘Hey, I’m sorry, I’ve just been super busy.’ The school I go to, we have lots of homework, it’s pretty vigorous academically. I don’t have too much time, especially during the season. I practice and then I have extra work to do off the court.
“But I’ve been able to get organized again these last couple days and gotten back on track recruiting. Visits-wise I’m gonna take a few more officials coming up here in the spring and then throughout the summer and maybe a few in the fall. Just still trying to figure it all out.”
Harping and her Marist team lost March 1 to eventual state-champion Creekside, one of just three losses for Marist this season. Harpring called the defeat “devastating” and said in the immediate moments after that semifinals loss she and her teammates vowed to be state champions in 2026.
The 5-foot-10, 17-year-old Harping scored 28 points in the loss to Creekside. She scored 40 points in a tournament win over Cartersville and 30 in a tournament victory over Stockbridge. Against Northview in February, Harpring scored 49.
Harpring said, however, that the work to continue to improve won’t slow as she prepares for her senior season and, ultimately, college basketball.
“Whether it’s finishing around the basket, the next level there is going to be a lot of taller post players where I need to get used to playing with someone really tall in the paint,” Harpring said. “And then also tempo, playing with my speed, whether it’s pushing the ball or slowing it down sometimes. Those are two big things.”
Credit: Adam Hagy/Overtime
Credit: Adam Hagy/Overtime
Harpring’s Cold Hearts team will begin play in August, competing in eight games over about a four-week span. The league showcases the top 15-18-year-old players from around the country and, “provides them with tools and resources to build their personal brands as they prepare for college,” according to the league’s website.
The players participating in OT Select also have access to advisers, a facet that will be key for Harping as college basketball fans eagerly await to find out where she’ll suit up in the fall of 2026.
“I think around the time that I want to (commit) is probably before my high school (senior) season, or within the first couple of weeks of that,” Harpring said. “I don’t feel too much pressure about it anyways, but I feel like just having that decision made, just being able to put recruiting away, just being able to focus on the school I wanna go to, that will make it easier.”
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