From These Roots

“You’re not going to remember wins and losses near as much as you’re going to remember the fun times you had with your team.” -Coach Jayne Arledge

The Academy Years:

Basketball is the longest-running women’s sport at North Greenville. It was in October 1919 when the women on campus decided that they wanted their own athletic association on campus. The school athletic association was formed in 1915, but the only sports offered were for the male students. The first thing the Women’s Athletic Association at North Greenville did was to request a basketball court for the team they wanted to form. According to the 1920 yearbook account of what happened, “The girls wanted a basketball court; they called on the boys to build it. A number of the boys responded, but as there was such a temptation to loaf, only a few worked. When it was clear that the boys had quit the job, the girls decided to build the court themselves. But the boys could not stand idly by and see the girls working so hard; so they went to work and finished the job.” The women’s basketball team of 1919-1920 was organized too late to play any outside games, but they still played on campus.

Women’s basketball continued throughout most of the 1920s. The 1920-1921 women’s basketball team was the first team to play a game against another school. The North Greenville Baptist Academy women defeated the Greer High School women in their only outside game of the season. The 1923-1924 team also played one game off campus when they defeated Motlow’s Creek 23-16. The 1924-1925 women became the first women’s team to play more than one outside game when they defeated St. Albans 11-9 and lost to Motlow’s Creek 12-15. The 1925-1926 and 1926-1927 teams seem to have played outside games, but we have no record of them. We do not have yearbooks for 1928 or 1929, but the school catalogs do list basketball as one of the student sports on campus.

The Lassies:

Other than physical education classes, women’s basketball would not return to North Greenville until the 1958-1959 school year. The newly revived women’s team was named “The Lassies” and was led by Coach Joy Dean, the wife of the men’s basketball coach. Based on the games we have the results of, the team finished the season with a record of 3-3. The wins were against Paris High, Dacusville High, and Taylors High. The losses came from Gardner-Webb, Anderson, and Howard Business College. The loss to Anderson would be a sign of things to come as, over the decades, Anderson became one of North Greenville’s toughest rivals.

The 1959-1960 school year was the first season to start on time and include a full schedule. The team also had a new coach named Betty Alverson. The Lassies finished the regular season with a record of 6 wins, 6 losses, and 2 ties. North Greenville hosted the South Carolina Collegiate Girls’ Basketball Tournament in March of 1960. North Greenville did not win the tournament, but four of the Lassies were selected for the tournament’s all-star team. The Lassies had their first winning season in 1960-1961 with a conference record of 9-2. 1961-1962 was another winning season for the Lassies with a conference record of 14-2. The season ended with the first-ever conference tournament win for North Greenville women’s basketball. The next two seasons were winning seasons for the women with a record of 13-4 in 1962-1963 and 13-6-2 in 1963-1964.

The 1964-1965 season brought a new coach to the team named Marie Tibshrany and the final record was 6-11-1. The next three seasons were winning ones under Coach Tibshrany, who became Coach Burgess in the 1966-1967 season when she married. The 1968-1969 season brought another new coach to the team named Kella Hall. This same year, the team decided they needed a mascot so they drew a “Lassie” with a dress and bonnet. The Lassies finished the season with a losing record of 3-8. This would be the last season of Lassie basketball at North Greenville.

The Mountainettes:

Women’s basketball did not return to North Greenville until the 1973-1974 season. Pauline Hyman was the dean of women at North Greenville that year and the Converse women’s basketball team called her because they were looking for a team to play. So, Pauline threw a team together just before their first game of the season. They did not even have time to get official uniforms. Pauline and her husband Eric, an assistant football coach for Furman, took on the job of coaching the newly formed team. The Lassie mascot was dropped and the women’s team took on the name The Mountainettes. They finished their shortened schedule season with a 3-4 record.

The next season, 1974-1975, would be the first regular season for the women’s team. Despite playing all four-year colleges as a junior college, the women finished 7-3. The 1975-1976 team was the first team to include women of color with Alfreda Ray and Pam Adams. Alfreda Ray ended up earning the team’s MVP award for the year and was selected for the All-State Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Women’s Team. The Mountainettes finished the regular season with a record of 14-5 including wins against Furman, USC, and Lander. In March, the women traveled to Temple, Texas in two cars loaned by George Coleman Ford to participate in the AIAW Junior College National Basketball Tournament. After winning their first game, the Mountainettes played the local Temple Jr. College team. The referees called 22 fouls against NGC but only seven against Temple and NGC lost 83-61. Coach Pauline Hyman did not dispute the loss but did ask that the officials be suspended from the tournament and her request was granted. The Mountainettes went on to win their next game but then lost to Arizona College giving them a ranking of seventh in the nation.

The 1976-1977 season was a great one for the Mountainettes. They won the state conference, came in second in the region, and went on to the AIAW Junior College National Basketball Tournament. They finished 3rd in the nation after barely losing to Anderson College, their biggest rivals, in the semi-finals by a score of 63-66. Anderson would go on to win their 4th straight national title that year.

The 1977-1978 season brought a new coach named Linda Clark to the team. Coach Clark was a North Greenville women’s basketball alumna and the women finished with a winning record. This also seems to be the last season the “Mountainettes” would be used.

The Mounties:

After 1978, the team went by the “Lady Mounties”. Coach Clark resigned after the 1978-1979 season and the new coach was Coach Randy Evington. However, Coach Evington left before the 1979-1980 season ended and Coach Bruce Murray was hired to fill his spot. The 1979-1980 season ended with a record of 9-9, but the Lady Mounties made it all the way to the championship game of the WCJCC Women’s Western Regional Basketball Tournament where they fell to Anderson. By the 1980-1981 season, another new coach would take over for the Lady Mounties basketball team. The new coach was Judy Stroud and she would stay with the team for only one season.

The 1981-1982 season started a new era in NGC women’s basketball when Jayne Arledge took over as head coach. Under Coach Arledge’s leadership, the Lady Mounties finished the season with a record of 15-6 and made it to the semi-finals of the district championship. 1982-1983 was a rebuilding year with most of the team being freshmen. The Lady Mounties went 6-11 but still placed 2nd in the Divisional Tournament. The 1983-1984 Lady Mounties finished third in conference play with a conference record of 3-3. Alexandria Rice, who played this season, would be inducted into the NGU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2000. The 1984-1985 Lady Mounties finished the season with a conference record of 5-3 which put them in a three-way tie with Anderson and Brevard for first in the Western Carolinas Junior College Conference. The women defeated both Anderson and Brevard in the playoffs and won the conference championship with a final overall record of 16-8. The Lady Mounties moved on to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region X tournament and lost by one point to Mount Olive College. It was one of the team’s best seasons yet and Coach Jayne Arledge ended up winning Coach of the Year.

The 1985-1986 Lady Mounties made it back to the NJCAA Region X Tournament but lost in the semi-finals. The 1986-1987 team made it to the Western Carolina’s Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament Championships but fell in the semi-finals to Spartanburg Methodist. Debbie Cornell, a player this season, would be inducted into the NGU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2010. The Lady Mounties were once again the champions of the Carolinas’ Junior College Conference during the 1987-1988 season. 1988-1989 was a rebuilding year with a majority of the team being freshmen. The team was also plagued with injuries all season and only four of the fourteen players on the team played in every game. The Lady Mounties ended with an 11-11 record and placed third in the conference. Senior Sharon Nesbitt made the All-Region team. The 1989-1990 season ended with a record of 13-14 overall and 7-7 in their conference, but freshman Lola Jones set a Lady Mounties record this season when she put up 45 points against Chowan.

The 1990-1991 Lady Mounties made it to the semifinals in the NJCAA Region X Tournament but fell to Louisburg, the number-one team in the region. The 1991-1992 season would be a unique one for the Lady Mounties. For the first time in school history, there was a women’s basketball team, but not a men’s basketball team. The Lady Mounties finished the season 14-9 and made it to the NJCAA Region X championship game where they lost to Louisburg. Coach Arledge called this team “one of the best teams if not the best” team she had ever coached at that time. Lola Jones, a member of this team, would be inducted into the NGU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2008. The 1992-1993 season ended in a semifinal loss to Louisburg in the NJCAA Region X tournament. The 1993-1994 Lady Mounties also made it to the semifinals in the NJCAA Region X tournament but lost to Anderson, the number-one seed. The 1994-1995 regular season ended with a record of 4-19. In the NJCAA Region X tournament, the Lady Mounties fell to Anderson in the second round.

With the growth of the school into a 4-year institution, North Greenville athletics entered into a new conference- The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The young team finished the 1995-1996 season with a record of 7-19, but Coach Arledge said, “We knew this year would be a rebuilding one. I saw a lot of improvement.” I have nothing on the 1996-1997 team. 1997-1998 was a hard year for the Lady Mounties. They finished 9-16 and only had one conference win.

After some hard first seasons at the 4-year collegiate level, things turned around during the 1998-1999 season. The Lady Mounties began the season with a seven-game winning streak- the longest in school history. During a game with Montreat College, the team set a school record with 92 points scored. Single-game records for steals and rebounds were also broken multiple times during the season. In the end, they finished with an overall record of 15-11. The 1999-2000 season ended with the Lady Mounties placing sixth in the Mid-South Conference Championship. The 2000-2001 season would be the last for the Lady Mounties. The team record was 11-15 overall and 5-12 in the conference. Rachael Heisler became the school’s all-time leader in scoring and rebounding this season. Heisler also earned the Mid-South Conference’s Player of the Week on February 5, 2001. Rachael was inducted into the NGU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2005.

The Crusaders:

North Greenville switched mascots in 2001 and the 2001-2002 season was the first year for Crusader Women’s Basketball. The Crusaders would also enter into the NCAA Division II in the early 20000s. The Crusaders had a strong start with a seven-game winning streak and ended the regular season with a record of 12-8 and a seventh-place ranking in the NCCAA. The Crusaders fell to Emmanuel College in the first round of the NCAA Southern Regional Tournament, but players Donnette Nelson and Kristy Hutson made the NCCAA All-South Regional team. 2002-2003 was another rebuilding year for women’s basketball. With only two seniors on the team, the Crusaders finished the season with a record of 6-13. The team improved in the 2003-2004 season with a record of 15-12 and player Erlana Jackson was named to the NCCAA Southern Region All-American Team.

The 2004-2005 Crusaders made it to the semi-finals of the NCCAA South Regional Tournament before being defeated, but still received a bid to participate in the NCCAA National Tournament. They made it all the way to the championship game before falling to Oklahoma Wesleyan with a score of 68-50. Coach Arledge was named Tournament Coach of the Year while Earlana Jackson and Amber Rector were named to the All-Tournament Team.

The 2005-2006 season was a winning one for the Crusaders with a final record of 19-13. The women won the NCCAA South Regional Tournament and placed seventh in the NCCAA National Tournament. Amber Rector set a single-game school record with 35 points scored and she was named to the National Christian College Athletic Association All-South Region First Team. She was also selected to the third team of the All-ICAA along with teammates Amber Bramlett and Audrey Toscano. Amanda Milner was named to the first team All-Tournament Team at the National Christian College Athletic Association National Tournament. Also this season, the team raised $1,000 to help with Hurricane Katrina relief.

The women finished with a 22-12 record in the 2006-2007 season and were the runner-up in the NCCAA South Regional Tournament. Amanda Milner and Eboni Davis were both named to the All-South Regional Tournament team. The Crusaders then received a chance to play in the NCCAA National Tournament where they placed fifth. The 2007-2008 season ended with a record of 14-13 and a loss in the NCCAA South Regional Tournament.

The winning season streak ended during the 2008-2009 season with a final record of 13-15. This season, the NGU Athletic Department started a series on YouTube called “The Jayne Arledge Show” where they would interview Coach Arledge about Women’s Basketball. The 2009-2010 season ended with a record of 15-15 and another NCCAA South Regional Tournament Championship for the Lady Crusaders. The women went on to the NCCAA National Tournament and finished in fourth place. Nikki Wood was named to the All-Tournament Team and Karly Stache was named to the NCCAA All-American team. The 2010-2011 season finished with a record of 13-14 and a second-place finish in the NCCAA South Regional Tournament. Karly Stache and Krisceda Cotton were chosen as members of the 2010-11 All-ICAA Women’s Basketball Team. Karly Stache was also named the NCCAA Player of the Year.

North Greenville Basketball joined the Conference Carolinas for the 2011-2012 season. It was a great year for the Lady Crusaders with a final record of 20-9 and a second-place finish in the Western Division of Conference Carolinas. They made it all the way to the semifinals of the Conference Carolinas Tournament where they fell to Barton 74-79. Christina Carlis earned a spot on the Conference Carolina’s All-Tournament Team. Courtney Friddle was named Conference Carolina’s Freshman of the Year. Three NGU women were chosen for Conference Carolina’s All-Conference teams. Karly Stache was named to the 2nd team All-Conference, while senior Christina Carlis and junior Krisceda Cotton nabbed 3rd team honors. In a game this season, Christina Carlis became NGU’s all-time assists leader with 363. This was also the senior season for Karly Stache who was inducted into the NGU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2022. Karly made 299 three-pointers in her career which is still a school record and was selected twice for the NCCAA All-American First Team.

The rest of the 2010s did not go as well for the Crusaders in terms of overall records and conference tournaments. Every other season that decade ended in a losing record and the only season the team made it past the first round of the Conference Carolina’s Tournament was the 2017-2018 season when the Crusaders made it to the semi-finals. On an individual player level, several Crusaders earned honors this decade. Alisha Hope was named to the All-Conference Third Team in the 2012-2013 season. Alisha Hope and Timisty Nelson were named to the All-Conference Third Team in the 2013-2014 season. During the 2014-2015 season, Cortney Williams was named Conference Carolinas Freshman of the Year while Timisty Nelson was selected to the All-Conference Second Team, and Alisha Hope was selected to the All-Conference Third Team. Karen Donehew was chosen as the Conference Carolina’s Freshman of the Year during the 2016-2017 season. For the 2017-2018 season, Karen Donehew earned a spot on the First Team All-Conference while Cameron Carter earned a spot on the Third Team All-Conference.

After 35 years of coaching Women’s Basketball at North Greenville, Coach Aldridge retired from coaching the team after the 2016-2017 season. Jan McDonald, North Greenville’s Athletic Director stated, “Coach Arledge has contributed more to NGU and the athletic program for the last 36 years than anyone could imagine. She has impacted hundreds of young women’s lives over the years. Her presence on the court will be missed but never forgotten. Her loyalty and service to NGU will forever be remembered.” Coach Arledge was inducted into the NGU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2018. Willis Holliday, Coach Aldridge’s assistant coach in her last season, took over the head coaching job for the 2017-2018 season. Another assistant coach, Angel McGowan, became the interim coach for the 2018-2019 season.

With a new decade, came a new coach for Crusader Women’s Basketball. Kevin Long Jr. became the new head coach for the 2019-2020 season and soon after would have to face the challenges of coaching a team during a worldwide pandemic. The 2019-2020 season ended with a 13-15 record. Karen Donehew was named to the Conference Carolinas 2nd Team making her North Greenville’s first-ever player to be named All-Conference in all four playing years. Karen also set several program records during her time on the team. The 2020-2021 season was delayed until January 2021 due to safety concerns during Covid. In addition to a delayed start, fans were not allowed in Hayes Gym for the season and mask protocols were put into place. The season was full of schedule changes brought about by Covid, but the Crusaders earned their first winning regular season record in years with an 8-7 finish. The women lost in the Conference Carolinas Tournament Quarterfinals giving them an overall record of 8-8. Journey Muhammad also earned postseason recognition by being named to the All-Conference Carolinas Women’s Basketball Third Team.

The 2021-2022 season saw a return of fans to the basketball games despite more schedule changes due to Covid. Tolisha Walker tied a team record previously set by Krisceda Cotton by recording twenty assists in a game and Abbi Oates was named as one of the nominees for TheLeadershipPlaybook.com 2021-2022 Student-Athlete of the Year. The season ended with an 8-20 overall record for the Crusaders. The 2022-2023 season ended with a second-round loss in the Conference Tournament and the same overall record as the previous year. Amareya Turner tied the single-game record for blocked shots this season with five, joining former players Amanda Milner, Paulette Addison, Bailey Breazeale, Elizabeth Trentham, and Karen Donehew.

As of the end of 2023, the Crusader Women’s Basketball team is off to a great start with a record of 8-3. The team returns to the court on January 1st in an exhibition game against Wofford in Spartanburg. The next home game is January 6th against Barton College.