Southland Conference 1980s All-Decade Women’s Basketball Team Announced
FRISCO, Texas – The Southland Conference, as part of its year-long 50th Anniversary commemoration, has announced its All-Decade Women’s Basketball Team from the 1980s. The team includes stars from its member institutions from the league’s inaugural 1982-83 season through 1989-90.
A total of 20 student-athletes makeup the 1980s All-Decade Team with at least one player from eight member institutions during that period.
In addition to the selection of the 20 all-decade players, one of the picks, Eun Jung Lee (1982-86) of Louisiana-Monroe, was selected as the Player of the Decade. She was a four-time player of the year selection, a four-time all-conference selection and the 1983 Southland Conference Tournament Most Outstanding Player. Lee led the Warhawks to three regular-season titles, one tournament championship and three appearances in the NCAA tournament. In the three years ULM went to the NCAA tournament, the Warhawks won at least one game each year including a trip to the Final Four in 1985. Lee led the league in assists all four years and is still the league’s career assists leader (978). Lee ranks in the top 10 in the Southland in six career categories, including scoring (2,208), field goals made (840), free throws made (528), assists, assists average (8.3) and steals (297).
The Seoul, South Korea, native, is still the only basketball player in Southland Conference history, male or female, to earn the conference player of the year all four years while in the league.
Joining Lee on the all-1980s team from Louisiana-Monroe is four-time all-conference center Lisa Ingram (1982-86), who is the league’s all-time scoring leader (2,601) and led the conference in scoring each season she was at ULM. Chana Perry (1984-86), Veronica Ridgell (1986-89) and Derunzia Johnson (1987-90) also represented the Warhawks on the all-decade team.
Louisiana-Lafayette is represented by five members during the decade including forward Mary Douglas (1982-84), forward Lisa Merritt (1982-84), post Teena Cooper (1984-87), forward Aronji Johnson (1984-86) and guard Kim Perrot (1986-87). Stephen F. Austin has three members on the team including two-time player of the year Portia Hill (1988-90), Connie Cole (1987-90) and Annie Norris (1987-88). McNeese State and Northwestern State each have two representatives on the all-decade team. Natalie Randall (1982-84) and Pat Jean (1982-83) represent the Cowgirls while Pam Hudson (1988-90) and Linda Grayson (1987-89) are the Lady Demons on the squad. Texas State’s Shelly Borton (1987-90) also earned all-decade recognition, along with Lamar’s Kara Audery (1982-84) and North Texas’ Clara Campbell (1985-87).
The 1980s all-decade team consists of three conference players of the year, two of whom were multiple honorees, five newcomers of the year, two four-time first-team all-conference selections and one three-time all-conference selections.
The Head Coach of the Decade is Louisiana-Monroe’s Linda Harper, who coached the Warharks throughout the decade, leading them to three NCAA tournament appearances, including a Final Four trip in 1985. During her time at ULM, Harper won four conference titles and was named the conference coach of the year in 1983 and 1985. As the coach at ULM, Harper posted a 168-56 overall recorded with an impressive 78-14 mark in conference play.
The Southland Conference will continue to recognize All-Decade Teams through the 2000s during the remainder of the current basketball season.
To best assess the candidate pool for the all-decade team, the Southland Conference developed a metric that analyzed numerous elements of a student-athlete’s performance and value within the league at the time. Most notably, the Conference honored “real-time” factors such as all-conference selection by coaches and a player’s statistical performance among his peers at the time. Further, other components of selection including a player’s effort toward helping her team win a championship or finish near the top of the conference, whether she earned individual honors from the league and if she participated in postseason tournaments.
Southland Conference 1980’s All-Decade Women’s Basketball Team
| Name |
Institution |
SLC Years |
Hgt. |
Pos. |
Hometown |
| Kara Audery |
Lamar |
1982-84 |
6-2 |
P |
Pineland, Texas |
| Shelly Borton |
Texas State |
1987-90 |
5-7 |
G |
Pueblo, Colo. |
| Clara Campbell |
North Texas |
1985-87 |
6-2 |
P |
Dallas, Texas |
| Connie Cole |
Stephen F. Austin |
1987-90 |
6-0 |
P |
Snook, Texas |
| Teena Cooper |
Louisiana-Lafayette |
1984-87 |
6-3 |
P |
Slidell, La. |
| Mary Douglas |
Louisiana-Lafayette |
1982-84 |
5-8 |
F |
Vardaman, Miss. |
| Linda Grayson |
Northwestern State |
1987-89 |
6-1 |
F |
Natchitoches, La. |
| Portia Hill |
Stephen F. Austin |
1988-90 |
6-2 |
P |
Palestine, Texas |
| Pam Hudson |
Northwestern State |
1988-90 |
5-11 |
F |
Quitman, Texas |
| Lisa Ingram |
Louisiana-Monroe |
1982-86 |
6-3 |
C |
Fort Lauderdale, Fla. |
| Pat Jean |
McNeese State |
1982-83 |
6-0 |
F |
Opelousas, La. |
| Aronji Johnson |
Louisiana-Lafayette |
1984-86 |
6-0 |
F |
Baton Rouge, La. |
| Derunzia Johnson |
Louisiana-Monroe |
1987-90 |
6-2 |
P |
Columbia, La. |
| Eun Jung Lee |
Louisiana-Monroe |
1982-86 |
5-6 |
G |
Seoul, South Korea |
| Lisa Merritt |
Louisiana-Lafayette |
1982-84 |
5-10 |
F |
Lakeland, Fla. |
| Annie Norris |
Stephen F. Austin |
1987-88 |
6-0 |
P |
Sulphur Springs, Texas |
| Kim Perrot |
Louisiana-Lafayette |
1986-87 |
5-5 |
G |
Lafayette, La. |
| Chana Perry |
Louisiana-Monroe |
1984-86 |
6-4 |
C |
Brookhaven, Miss. |
| Natalie Randall |
McNeese State |
1982-84 |
6-2 |
P |
Beaumont, Texas |
| Veronica Ridgell |
Louisiana-Monroe |
1986-89 |
5-8 |
G |
Dubach, La. |
Player of the Decade:
Eun Jung Lee, Louisiana-Monroe, 1982-96
Coach of the Decade:
Linda Harper, Louisiana-Monroe