# High Point Panthers women's basketball

The High Point Panthers women's basketball team is the basketball team that represents High Point University in High Point, North Carolina, United States. The school's team currently competes in the Big South Conference. The Panthers are led by head coach Chelsea Banbury, her sixth season.

## History

High Point began play in 1967. They won the 1978 AIAW Division II national championship 92–88 over South Carolina State in overtime. In their time in Division II, they won the Carolinas Conference Tournament in 1976 (24–1 record), 1977 (29–2 record), 1978 (30–8 record), 1979 (33–4 record), 1995 (22–7 record), 1996 (22–7 record), and 1997 (26–6 record). They made the WNIT in 2007, 2012, 2014, and 2019, losing to Charlotte 72–45, NC State 88–78, Bowling Green 72–62, and Ohio 81–74 respectively. At the end of the 2016–17 season, the Panthers have a program record of 772–597. In 2021, the Panthers earned their first appearance in the NCAA tournament by winning the Big South Conference tournament.

## Head coach

The Panthers are led by first-year coach Chelsea Banbury, who was hired as the new head coach in May 2019 following DeUnna Hendrix's departure to Miami-Ohio. Banbury spent 11 years on the coaching staff of Florida Gulf Coast, including the past five as the associate head coach. Banbury was a 2008 graduate of FGCU, where she played on the basketball team. She then helped the Eagles to postseason appearances in all 11 of her seasons on the coaching staff, including six NCAA tournaments. In 2021, she took the Panthers to its first ever appearance in the NCAA tournament.

## Individual career records

Reference:
| Record | Amount | Player | Years |
| Points | 2,612 | Karen Curtis | 1994–98 |
| Points/Game | 22.7 | Karen Curtis | 1994–98 |
| Rebounds/Game | 11.2 | Cheyenne Parker | 2010–13 |
| Assists/Game | 5.5 | Karen Curtis | 1994–98 |
| Blocks/Game | 3.5 | Cheyenne Parker | 2010–13 |
| Steals/Game | 2.8 | Natelle Henry | 2000–03 |
| Field Goal % | .499 | Stacia Robertson | 2012–15 |
| 3-Point % | .406 | Mackenzie Maier | 2007–11 |
| Free Throw % | .848 | Jurica Hargraves | 2007–11 |

## Individual single-season records

| Record | Amount | Player | Year |
| Points | 778 | Karen Curtis | 1996–97 |
| Points/Game | 25.1 | Karen Curtis | 1996–97 |
| Rebounds/Game | 13.2 | Cheyenne Parker | 2012–13 |
| Assists/Game | 7.7 | Dawn Allred | 1976–77 |
| Blocks/Game | 4.4 | Cheyenne Parker | 2012–13 |
| Steals/Game | 2.9 | Natelle Henry | 2002–03 |
| Field Goal % | .579 | Stacia Robertson | 2014–15 |
| 3-Point % | .449 | Katie Ralls | 2005–06 |
| Free Throw % | .902 | Jurica Hargraves | 2009–10 |

## Individual awards

Big South Player of the Year
* Katie O'Dell – 2005–06
* Stacia Robertson – 2014–15
* Emma Bockrath – 2016–17
Big South Defensive Player of the Year
* Cheyenne Parker – 2011–12, 2012–13
Big South Freshman of the Year
* Nicki Fontleroy – 2000–01
* Mackenzie Maier – 2007–08
* Shamia Brown – 2008–09
* Kaylah Keys – 2013–14
Big South Coach of the Year
* Joe Ellenburg – 2000–01
* Tooey Loy – 2004–05
Big South Scholar-Athlete of the Year
* Gina Rosser – 2002–03
* Leslie Cook – 2005–06, 2006–07
CoSIDA Academic All-American First Team
* Leslie Cook – 2006–07

## Coaches

Coaching Records :
| Name | Years | W–L (%) |
| Betty Jo Clary | 1967–1972 | 24–29 (.453) |
| Jennifer Alley | 1972–1977 | 69–46 (.600) |
| Wanda Briley | 1977–1979 | 63–12 (.840) |
| Nancy Little | 1979–1985 | 89–71 (.556) |
| Debbie Trogdon | 1985–1988 | 33–45 (.423) |
| Joe Ellenburg | 1988–2001 | 208–162 (.562) |
| Tooey Loy | 2001–2011 | 163–140 (.538) |
| Jennifer Hoover | 2011–2012 | 20–13 (.606) |
| DeUnna Hendrix | 2012–2019 | 125–93 (.573) |
| Chelsea Banbury | 2019–present | 38–19 (.667) |

## Seasons

Statistics overview :
| Season | Coach | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason |
| AIAW Small College Division Independent (1967–1974) ||||||
| 1967–68 | Betty Jo Clary | 8–0 | | | |
| 1968–69 | Betty Jo Clary | 1–11 | | | |
| 1969–70 | Betty Jo Clary | 1–7 | | | |
| 1970–71 | Betty Jo Clary | 8–5 | | | |
| 1971–72 | Betty Jo Clary | 6–6 | | | |
| 1972–73 | Jennifer Alley | 5–14 | | | |
| 1973–74 | Jennifer Alley | 4–16 | | | |
| AIAW Small College Division Carolinas Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (1974–1980) ||||||
| 1974–75 | Jennifer Alley | 7–13 | | | |
| 1975–76 | Jennifer Alley | 24–1 | | | |
| 1976–77 | Jennifer Alley | 29–2 | | | AIAW Small College Quarterfinals |
| 1977–78 | Wanda Briley | 30–8 | | | AIAW Small College Champions |
| 1978–79 | Wanda Briley | 33–4 | | | AIAW Small College Quarterfinals |
| 1979–80 | Nancy Little | 24–8 | | | |
| NAIA Carolinas Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (1980–1993) ||||||
| 1980–81 | Nancy Little | 20–10 | | | |
| 1981–82 | Nancy Little | 11–11 | | | |
| 1982–83 | Nancy Little | 3–20 | | | |
| 1983–84 | Nancy Little | 16–8 | | | |
| 1984–85 | Nancy Little | 15–14 | | | |
| 1985–86 | Debbie Trogden | 12–14 | | | |
| 1986–87 | Debbie Trogden | 13–14 | | | |
| 1987–88 | Debbie Trogden | 8–17 | | | |
| 1988–89 | Joe Ellenburg | 7–17 | | | |
| 1989–90 | Joe Ellenburg | 17–12 | | | |
| 1990–91 | Joe Ellenburg | 15–14 | | | |
| 1991–92 | Joe Ellenburg | 19–12 | | | |
| 1992–93 | Joe Ellenburg | 16–13 | | | |
| Dual membership: NCAA DII and NAIA Carolinas Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (1993–1995) ||||||
| 1993–94 | Joe Ellenburg | 11–16 | | | |
| 1994–95 | Joe Ellenburg | 22–7 | | | NAIA Division I First round |
| NCAA DII Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference (1995–1997) ||||||
| 1995–96 | Joe Ellenburg | 22–7 | 16–2 | 2nd | |
| 1996–97 | Joe Ellenburg | 26–6 | 17–3 | 2nd | NCAA Division II Regional final |
| NCAA DII Independent (1997–1999) ||||||
| 1997–98 | Joe Ellenburg | 23–4 | | | |
| 1998–99 | Joe Ellenburg | 10–17 | | | |
| NCAA Division I Big South Conference (1999–Present) ||||||
| 1999-00 | Joe Ellenburg | 6–22 | 3–11 | 8th | |
| 2000–01 | Joe Ellenburg | 14–15 | 8–6 | T-2nd | |
| 2001–02 | Tooey Loy | 13–15 | 7–7 | 4th | |
| 2002–03 | Tooey Loy | 18–12 | 8–6 | 3rd | |
| 2003–04 | Tooey Loy | 14–14 | 8–6 | 3rd | |
| 2004–05 | Tooey Loy | 17–12 | 11–3 | 2nd | |
| 2005–06 | Tooey Loy | 20–10 | 9–5 | 2nd | |
| 2006–07 | Tooey Loy | 18–12 | 11–3 | 1st | NIT Round 1 |
| 2007–08 | Tooey Loy | 15–15 | 6–6 | 4th | |
| 2008–09 | Tooey Loy | 15–16 | 10–6 | 2nd | |
| 2009–10 | Tooey Loy | 17–14 | 9–7 | T-3rd | |
| 2010–11 | Tooey Loy | 16–15 | 9–7 | 4th | |
| 2011–12 | Jennifer Hoover | 20–13 | 13–5 | 2nd | NIT first round |
| 2012–13 | DeUnna Hendrix | 17–13 | 11–7 | T-4th | |
| 2013–14 | DeUnna Hendrix | 22–11 | 16–4 | 1st | NIT first round |
| 2014–15 | DeUnna Hendrix | 20–12 | 14–6 | T-2nd | |
| 2015–16 | DeUnna Hendrix | 12–19 | 10–10 | 6th | |
| 2016–17 | DeUnna Hendrix | 15–15 | 13–5 | 3rd | |
| 2017–18 | DeUnna Hendrix | 17–14 | 10–8 | 4th | |
| 2018–19 | DeUnna Hendrix | 22–9 | 15–3 | 2nd | WNIT first round |
| 2019–20 | Chelsea Banbury | 16–13 | 14–6 | 3rd | |
| 2020–21 | Chelsea Banbury | 22–6 | 17–3 | 1st | NCAA first round |
| Total: | Total: | 829–625 (.570) | | | |
| National champion   Postseason invitational champion   Conference regular season champion   Conference regular season and conference tournament champion  Division regular season champion  Division regular season and conference tournament champion  Conference tournament champion ||||||

## Postseason Results
### NCAA Division I women's tournament

High Point has appeared in the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament twice. They have a combined record of 0–1.
| Year | Seed | Round | Opponent | Result |
| 2021 | #16 | First round | #1 UConn | L 59–102 |
| 2025 | #16 | First four | #16 William & Mary | TBD |

### NCAA Division II

High Point has appeared in the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament. They have a combined record 2–1.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
| 1997 | First Round Regional Semifinal Sweet Sixteen | Longwood Shippensburg Edinboro | W 80–64 W 71–53 L 70–68 |

### Women's National Invitation Tournament

High Point has made the Women's National Invitation Tournament four times. They have a combined record of 0–4.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
| 2007 | Round 1 | Charlotte | L 72–45 |
| 2012 | First Round | NC State | L 88–78 |
| 2014 | First Round | Bowling Green | L 72–62 |
| 2019 | First Round | Ohio | L 81–74 |

### AIAW

High Point made three appearances in the AIAW National Small College Basketball Championship. They had a record of 6–3. They were champions in 1978.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
| 1977 | First round Quarterfinal | Salisbury SE Louisiana | W 114–50 L 112–85 |
| 1978 | First round Quarterfinal Semifinal Final | Eastern New Mexico William Penn Berry South Carolina St. | W 104–65 W 66–65 W 105–77 W 92–88 |
| 1979 | First round Quarterfinal | North Dakota State Dayton | W 93–40 L 75–65 |

### NAIA

High Point made one appearance in the NAIA Women's Basketball Championships. They had a combined record of 0–1.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
| 1995 | First round | Arkansas Tech | L 82–57 |