When people think of ETSU women’s basketball the first thing that comes to mind is head coach Karen Kemp, as she is set to enter her 16th season at the helm for the Lady Bucs. Since taking over the program in 1994, Kemp has posted 214 career wins, giving her the most wins in school history.

Last season under Kemp’s watch the Lady Bucs made their second straight trip to the NCAA tournament, marking the third straight year ETSU appeared in postseason play. Guard Siarre Evans had another outstanding season, as she was named Atlantic Sun Player of the Year and Tournament MVP. In addition, Evans led the conference in scoring and rebounding, while also being tabbed one of the finalists in the WBCA State Farm Coaches’ All-America Basketball Team. Evans was one of four players Kemp guided to all-conference accolades, with Latisha Belcher being selected Defensive Player of the Year, TaRonda Wiles landing first team all-conference honors, and Gwen Washington being listed on the all-freshman team.

While those four Lady Buccaneer standouts were racking up awards on the court, another four of Kemp’s Lady Buccaneer student-athletes were working hard in the classroom. Kemp’s ETSU squad posted a team GPA of 3.06, thanks to Tara Davis (3.15), Devin Thompson (3.32), Natasha Dixon (3.32), and Natalie Pickwell (3.88) making the A-Sun All-Academic Team.

Kemp joined another milestone in 2008-09, as she picked up win number 200 with the Lady Bucs’ 75-67 victory over Florida Gulf Coast on Jan. 8. Also, ETSU’s 20-11 record marked a program-best third consecutive 20-win campaign, along with its fourth straight winning season.  Kemp has now averaged 20.3 wins over the last three years - and she has posted a .635 winning percentage in that stretch.

In 2007-08, Kemp’s club made history by winning the 2008 Atlantic Sun regular season and tournament championships, which marked the first time in Lady Buccaneer history the team was represented in the NCAA Tournament.

The 2007-08 squad accumulated numerous accolades, as four ETSU student-athletes as well as coach Kemp won Atlantic Sun postseason awards. Kemp was tabbed Coach of the Year by her peers for the second time in her career and her team also achieved high standards in the classroom, by having five Lady Bucs named to the Atlantic Sun All-Academic Team.

As a team, ETSU broke four school records in 2008, and the Lady Bucs’ NCAA Tournament appearance marked the second straight year ETSU earned a trip to postseason play. In total, Kemp has guided the Lady Bucs to all three of their postseason berths.

During her tenure at ETSU, coach Kemp has had the privilege to coach All-America standout and now current assistant, DeShawne Blocker, as well as numerous all-conference selections. In her career, Kemp has coached over 20 all-conference award recipients, including four Player of the Year winners and two Freshman of the Year candidates.

In 2006-07, the Lady Bucs posted their best season since 1994-95, when Kemp took over the reins and led ETSU to a school-record-tying 21-win campaign and its first-ever postseason appearance. Kemp did it again in 2007 as ETSU made its second postseason appearance in Lady Buccaneer history. Kemp’s crew finished with a 20-12, 14-4 A-Sun record, marking the first time since the end of 2000 that ETSU posted back-to-back winning seasons. 

Kemp’s squad was busy both on and off the court during the 2006-07 season as eight student-athletes received conference accolades for their hard work and dedication. ETSU was led by seniors Brooke Wilhoit and Holly Moring, both named to the Atlantic Sun All-Academic team, along with freshmen TaRonda Wiles and Sarah Muniz. Wilhoit and junior sharpshooter Michele DeVault received Second Team All-Atlantic Sun honors, while Kemp’s successful recruiting skills paid off as a trio of freshman stars were recognized for their efforts on the court as well.  Latisha Belcher battled through a series of knee injuries to finish off a stellar rookie campaign by receiving A-Sun All-Tournament honors, and Devin Thompson joined teammate Siarre Evans on the league’s All-Freshman Team. Kemp had the privilege to coach her first-ever Freshman of the Year candidate as Evans was tabbed the winner, as well as taking home Atlantic Sun First Team honors. Under Kemp’s watch, 12 different players have received conference awards in the team’s two-year stint in the Atlantic Sun.

Since joining the A-Sun ETSU has posted 58 conference wins over the last four seasons, which marks the highest total over the span among active members in the league. The 58 victories also set a school record for most conference wins in three consecutive seasons.

Kemp is just the second ETSU head coach to reach the 100-win milestone, doing so when her team defeated Western Carolina at Memorial Center on Feb. 11, 2002. Two years later Kemp became the all-time wins leader when her Lady Bucs defeated Davidson on Feb. 7, 2004, capturing her 119th career victory.

During Kemp’s tenure at ETSU, the Lady Bucs have reached peaks never before achieved in the program’s history. Kemp’s 1994-95 squad tied a school record with 21 victories and won the only Southern Conference regular season title in school history. That team went on to participate in the National Women’s Invitational Tournament, also a first for a Lady Buc squad.

ETSU also placed two players, DeShawne Blocker and Amy Engle, on the All-Southern Conference First Team and Southern Conference Tournament First Team, a first for Lady Buc basketball. Both Blocker and Engle earned league Player-of-the-Year honors. Kemp also coached then-junior Tiffani Mayes to All-Southern Conference First Team accolades during the 2003-04 season while also directing junior Brooke Wilhoit to a spot on the 2003-04 All-Southern Conference Freshman squad.

Kemp was rewarded for her efforts by being named 1995 Southern Conference Coach-of-the-Year, becoming the only first-year head coach to win the award.

Kemp’s 1996-97 team jumped out to a 7-3 start, winning the Southeast Missouri State Tournament, the second regular-season tourney title during her tenure (University of Houston Tournament, 1994). After struggling with injuries following the Christmas break, the Lady Bucs sprang back to make Southern Conference history in the first round of the league tournament. Playing at Furman, the 1997 regular-season champion, the eighth-seeded Lady Bucs pulled off a 64-62 victory, marking the first time in league history that the regular season champion had been defeated in the first round of the Southern Conference Tournament. ETSU then advanced to Greensboro for the semifinal round of the league tourney, losing on a last-second three-pointer.

While her teams have been a success on the court, Kemp’s squads have reached even greater heights in the classroom. Thirty-one of the 34 players who have completed their eligibility under Kemp have gone on to earn their degrees.

Kemp, named head coach on August 8, 1994, came to ETSU after successful stints as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Mississippi State University and the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga. A native of Chatsworth, Ga., Kemp spent seven seasons at Chattanooga where she helped guide the Lady Mocs to Southern Conference regular season titles in 1991 and 1992 and the Southern Conference Tournament Championship in 1989 and 1992. In 1988, Kemp took on the added duties of Senior Women’s Administrator at UTC and was responsible for the administration of six intercollegiate sports. Prior to joining the UTC staff, Kemp served as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Mississippi State.

Kemp played on the collegiate level at Berry College in Mount Berry, Ga., where she was a two-time All-America selection while helping lead the school to a four-year record of 120-19. A four-year starter, she averaged over 12 points and nine rebounds during her career and was a four-time NAIA All-District pick. She was also named to the NAIA National All-Tournament team as a freshman and junior.

Kemp earned a B.S. degree in interdisciplinary studies from Berry College in 1985. She is married to Eddie Gregory and is the mother of two children: Marcus (17) and LaKeisha (12).