Women's Basketball Southern Conference

Paul to be Inducted Into the Northeast Georgia History Center Sports Hall of Fame

GAINESVILLE, Ga. -- Elon University head women's basketball coach Brenda Paul will be among the members of the first-ever class of the Northeast Georgia History Center Sports Hall of Fame. Paul will be one of over 65 individuals inducted on Saturday, August 28 at the History Center on the campus of Brenau University. To be considered for the Hall of Fame a person must either be from Northeast Georgia or have strong community ties to the area.

All honorees have been invited to attend the induction ceremonies on August 28 beginning at 10:30 a.m. at the History Center. Phil Jackson, former sports editor of the Gainesville Times, will make each presentation which will be followed by the dedication of the Sports Hall of Fame.

Said Paul, "I have fond memories of growing up in Hall County. It was a small town that really supported high school athletics. Sports truly mattered to the community. It is a wonderful place to call home."

"This is an honor to the institutions that gave me the opportunity to coach and to the athletes that have been a part of my coaching career," Paul said of her induction.

Paul, a native of Flowery Branch, Ga.,- recently concluded her 10th season at Elon where she guided the Phoenix to the Southern Conference Tournament semi-finals and a 17-12 overall record. In her time at Elon, Paul has posted a 134-145 record. With Elon's victory over Youngstown State this season, Paul earned her 400th career victory. In 26 seasons as a collegiate head coach, her record now stands at 414-344.

Paul came to Elon after a five-year stint as the head coach at Georgia State University in Atlanta, where she guided her 1992-93 squad to a second-place finish in the Trans-America Conference. Before that, the 1977 North Georgia College graduate served as the head coach at Mississippi State University for four seasons. While there, she turned the Lady Bulldogs' program around from an 8-20 record in her first campaign to a 19-13 mark in 1987-88. That record represented the best single season win-loss mark in the program's history, while also qualifying MSU for postseason play for the first time ever. For that feat, Paul ended up the SEC's runner-up for Coach of the Year honors.

Paul began her coaching career with a two-year stop at Tennessee Wesleyan College in 1978, before moving on to Berry College (Ga.) in 1980. During her five seasons at Berry, she led the Lady Vikings to the NAIA District 25 Championship each year and coached a total of eight All-Americans. Also during those five years, Berry finished in the top eight at the NAIA National Tournament three times, including fourth in both 1982 and 1984.