Georgia State University Athletics

Lea Henry finished her 16th season as the head coach of the Georgia State University women’s basketball program and 20th year overall at the helm of an NCAA Division I team.

This year’s 2009-10 talented group of returning lettermen, coupled with a strong recruiting class makes a fourth NCAA bid and fifth postseason tournament bid high among her goals for this team. Last year's team was in the top 10 in the nation in steals as she preaches the heart and desire for team defense. Senior Brittany Hollins became only the second player in CAA history to earn All-Defensive team honors all four years.

The Panthers return two CAA All-Rookie guards in Crystal Johnson, who led the league in assists, and Jylisa Williams, who led all freshmen in scoring.

Under Henry, the Panthers have enjoyed a period of excellence as they have won at least 15 games in nine of the past 12 years, making postseason tournament appearances four times.

 

Her 12th win in 2009-10 was her 300th career victory as a head coach. Because of her outstanding collegiate, national, international and coaching career, Lea Henry was inducted into the Tennessee Lady Volunteer Hall of Fame in September 2005 and was enshrined into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in May 2006. She was on the Advisory Board for the Atlanta Dream WNBA franchise that started in 2007-08.

 

BUILDING THE PROGRAM

Henry already holds the record for most career wins at State with 230 and has won 20 or more games in a season four times.

What Henry has accomplished in Atlanta has been no small feat as she led Georgia State to a school-record eight straight winning seasons from 1997-98 to 2004-05. During that eight-year span, the Panthers put together an overall record of 155-83 (.651), including 102-42 (.703) within Atlantic Sun conference regular season play.

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Henry’s overall collegiate coaching record over the past 19-plus campaigns stands at 288-265 (.524), including a 230-207 (.526) mark over her 15 seasons at Georgia State.

In May 2004, Henry was chosen as an assistant coach, along with former University of Florida head coach Carolyn Peck, for the United States Junior World Championship Qualifying Team, helping former University of Colorado head coach Ceal Barry with some of the top 18-and-under players in the country.

Henry worked for USA Basketball much of the summer of 2004, preparing the U.S. Junior National Team for the 2005 Junior World Championship, held in July in Tunisia. While assisting the 2004 summer squad, she traveled to Colorado Springs, Colo., Denver and Miami for training, and then to Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, for the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Athletics Junior World Championship Qualifying Tournament. The U.S. won the gold medal at the tournament, winning all five of its games by an average margin of 81 points.

THE MOVE TO THE CAA

Georgia State is making significant strides after four seasons in the top 10-ranked Colonial Athletic Association under Henry. Each recruiting class and team has become better as the program competes in one of the 10 toughest Division I leagues in the country.

 

In 2008-09, the Panthers defeated 17-time defending conference champ Old Dominion on Jan. 29 at the Sports Arena. Out of conference, Georgia State won on the road over an ACC foe, Clemson. The Panthers led the league in steals and turnover margin.

The 2006-07 squad recorded an even 15-15 overall mark after the inaugural 2005-06 campaign, improving by six victories from the previous year and posting four more league wins. During that year State posted seven CAA wins, including a pair by 46 points and 25 points, and lost two overtime games and a one-point game in battling the conference’s top teams.

In 2005-06, the Panthers battled through CAA competition for the first time, giving some indication of what the future holds with a solid showing at the CAA Tournament. State upset fifth-seeded William & Mary - a team that defeated the Panthers in two previous meetings - in the first round and battled well against No. 4 seed Hofstra in the quarterfinals. Henry recorded her 250th career victory following the Panthers 89-65 triumph at Towson on Jan. 15, 2006.

EIGHT STRAIGHT WINNING SEASONS

Henry ran her winning-season streak to eight straight in 2004-05. In the 2002-03 season, Henry recorded career win 200 overall and win number 150 at Georgia State as the team went 20-11, while capturing the A-Sun North Division and the Tournament Championship.

In 2001-02, the Panthers had a 21-10 overall record and 14-6 Atlantic Sun mark, claiming the outright conference regular season crown. After a second straight conference tournament championship, State made a second consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament. Following the campaign, Henry was selected as the 2002 Georgia College Division I Coach of the Year by the Atlanta Tipoff Club (also won it in 1998 and 2000).

Georgia State made it back-to-back 24-7 overall records in 2000-01 with three of the losses coming against nationally-ranked opponents (Villanova, Georgia and Louisiana Tech). The Panthers finished 15-3 for the second consecutive year during the conference regular season, but had to settle for second place. State got revenge, however, by going 3-0 at the conference tournament, defeating regular season champion Campbell in the final game and earning the program’s first-ever NCAA Tournament bid.

In 1999-2000, Henry guided Georgia State to its first-ever conference regular season title en route to being named the conference Coach of the Year. Although the Panthers ended as the conference tournament runner-up—missing out on the NCAA Tournament—State did make it into the postseason, taking part in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament for the first time.

Henry’s success has come by recruiting top-flight players and turning them into some of the nation’s finest talent. Most recently, Patechia Hartman became Henry’s seventh conference Player-of-the-Year selection (2004 & 2005), including her fifth at Georgia State. By coaching 1997 conference Player-of-the-Year Etolia Mitchell, who pulled down 13.2 rebounds per game in 1996-97, Henry is one of the few coaches to have developed both an NCAA national scoring leader (Andrea Congreaves in 1991 and 1992 while at Mercer) and rebounding champion (Mitchell).

She has coached 31 all-conference and all-rookie honorees in 13 seasons at State and 62 of her athletes have been named to their respective conference all-academic teams.

COACHING BEFORE GEORGIA STATE

A 1984 Olympic gold medalist, Henry came to Atlanta from former conference-rival Mercer, just down the road in Macon, Ga., where she was the head coach for four seasons.

During her four years with Mercer, Henry led the Bears to conference regular season championships (1991 and 1992) in her first two full campaigns as a collegiate head coach and was chosen as the conference Coach of the Year both times. During those seasons, Henry coached Congreaves, a Kodak All-American, two-time Division I national scoring leader and three-time conference Player of the Year who spent time in the WNBA and also played overseas. Those two years at Mercer featured 18-9 and 20-8 overall records.

Prior to taking over in Macon, Henry was an assistant coach at Florida from 1986-90. She served as the interim head coach with the Lady Gators at the end of the 1989-90 season, posting a 3-3 record. As the interim coach of that 15-13 team, Henry coached a win over SEC rival Kentucky in the SEC tournament opener. Two of her three losses at Florida were to her former coach, Pat Summitt, at the end of regular season and in the second round of the SEC Tournament.

Before Florida, Henry was an assistant coach at then-conference member Stetson for one season. Prior to Stetson, she was a graduate assistant coach at her alma mater, Tennessee, under National Basketball Hall-of-Famer and all-time collegiate coaching wins leader Pat Summitt from 1983-85 while working on her master’s degree.

Henry earned a bachelor’s degree in 1983 and master’s in 1985, both from UT in physical education.

HENRY: THE BASKETBALL PLAYER

As a prep at Southwest Georgia Academy in Damascus, Henry was a Kodak All-American in 1979. From there, she became a four-year starter at Tennessee and a true coach on the floor at point guard. As a Lady Vol, she captained three teams that went to the Final Four and was twice recognized as an Academic All-American.

For three consecutive seasons, Henry led UT in assists (1980-83), averaging 4.4 for her career (593 total). She finished her brilliant collegiate career with averages of 8.4 points and 1.7 steals per contest while shooting 46.6 percent from the field. Henry played in 134 games during her time in Knoxville, starting 123. In 1983, she was an All-Southeastern Conference selection and later received an NCAA post-graduate scholarship.

The biggest highlight of Henry’s playing career occurred when she was chosen as the starting point guard for the 1984 United States Olympic Team that was coached by Summitt. In six contests, she averaged 4.2 points and 3.0 assists a game, playing with some of the best women’s basketball talent ever assembled, including Teresa Edwards, Lynette Woodard, Anne Donovan and Cheryl Miller. Henry’s squad, which earned the U.S. its first gold medal in Olympic women’s basketball, played in front of raucous and enthusiastic crowds at The Forum in Los Angeles [Inglewood], which hosted the 1984 Games.

Henry has previously served on the USA Basketball Player Selection Committee, playing a role in picking the members of the1996 Olympic championship team in Atlanta, and the NCAA Mid-East Regional Committee. She was also on the 1997-98 Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Division I Coach of the Year Selection Committee and has been a member of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Rules Committee and Kodak All-America Selection Committee. She currently serves on the screening committee for the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame and was on the Advisory Board for the Atlanta Dream team of the WNBA when they started in 2008-09.

An instructor at numerous coaching clinics and camps throughout her career, including the Pat Summitt Basketball Camp, Kay Yow Basketball Camp, Georgia Basketball Camp, B.C. All-Star Camp, and Norman Carter Basketball School, Henry has also directed her own Lea Henry Camp of Champs for the past 22 years.

HALLS OF FAME

Because of her outstanding collegiate, national, international and coaching career, Lea Henry was inducted into the Tennessee Lady Volunteer Hall of Fame in September 2005 and was enshrined into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in May 2006. She was on the Advisory Board for the Atlanta Dream WNBA franchise that started in 2007-08.

Henry, who is originally from the Damascus/Colquitt area of Georgia, married Greg Manning in 2005. The couple resides in the Druid Hills community of Atlanta.