RIP Cajuns will miss J. Kelley Hall
Former Ragin' Cajuns head women's basketball coach J. Kelley Hall, 51, suddenly passed away on Thursday afternoon after suffering a heart attack at his home in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Hall, born January 13, 1959, is the winningest coach in program history, turning around a program that had amassed just 45 wins in the 1990's to 86 wins over his five seasons. UL finished either first or second in the Sun Belt West division four straight seasons under Hall. The Cajuns program was 21-34 in his first two seasons, but posted a mark of 65-28 (.699) in his final three seasons.
"We are deeply saddened to hear of Coach Hall's passing," Ragin' Cajuns athletics director David Walker said. "He was well liked by everyone. Our sympathies and prayers go out to Meredith and their children."
The 2005 Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year transformed Louisiana into a Sun Belt-power, finishing the 2006-07 season with a 25-9 record. The Cajuns were Sun Belt West Division Champions, Sun Belt Tournament Runner-Up and accepted a rare mid-major at-large berth in the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament. It was the first-ever NCAA Tournament invitation in UL history.
Hall, a master of the match-up zone, was regarded as one of the finest defensive coaches in the women's college game. In his career at UL, the Cajuns held the opposition to 58.7ppg on 36.3 percent shooting.
Hall's Cajuns set eight individual and 12 team records, including most victories in a season (25, 2006-07), most home wins in a season (13, 2004-05), most consecutive home wins in a season (13, 2004-05) and most consecutive home wins overall, notching 22-straight wins from February 5, 2004 through January 5, 2006. Over his five seasons, Hall coached five 1,000-point scorers, one Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year, two Sun Belt Conference Newcomers of the Year and eight All-Sun Belt performers.
One of Hall's many highlights came when the Ragin' Cajuns traveled to the University of South Carolina's Thanksgiving Tournament in 2006 and won the championship, defeating the Gamecocks by 15 on the SEC team's home hardwood. Later that same season, UL went to SBC-power Western Kentucky and defeated the Hilltoppers 77-64 in E.A. Diddle Arena.
Hall was hired to be the Cajuns 10th head coach in school history on April 5, 2002. He had coaching stops at Louisville, as Associate Head Coach & Recruiting Coordinator (2000-02), and Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator positions at Auburn (1996-2000), Cal State Fullerton (1994-96), Mississippi State (1992-94), the University of Alabama (1983-84) and Troy (1982-83). He left the Cajuns to serve as head coach at the University of Cincinnati from 2007-09.
The Selma, Alabama native honed his X's and O's as a head coach in the highly competitive junior college ranks. Hall averaged 26 wins per year during a seven-year stint as the head coach at Truett-McConnell Junior College, while also capturing three state championships and four second-place finishes. In 1984-85, Hall helped start the women's basketball program at Gordon Junior College where he led the team to a first-year record of 19-7.
Hall and his wife Meredith were married on May 19, 2001. They are the proud parents of daughters Brynley Michele and Jordyn Kelley and son Aubrey Oneal.
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Originally Posted by NewsCopy
My prayers go out to his family. Dang that's way too young to go. 
