Buffie Burson

After winning the Peach Belt Conference last season in their first year in NCAA Division-II, the North Georgia Lady Saints basketball team will certainly not be sneaking up on any teams this season. The Lady Saints went (19-1) in conference play last season and (23-4) overall.

“We knew going into last season we wouldn’t have an opportunity for post-season play as an NCAA provisional member, so we set our goals on the only thing we could play for – a regular season championship,” said Buffie Burson, Lady Saints head basketball coach. “Needless to say, I was extremely pleased with the final result.”

“Our team will be young, with no seniors, and will have to gain experience and learn our system quickly,” said Burson. “Hopefully playing a difficult schedule will prepare our young team. We will have to use our speed and quickness rather than our size this year. We are a much quicker team than in the past.”

After a 10-day layoff the Lady Saints (1-2) will next travel to Montevallo, Ala., on Nov. 17-18 to take on the University of West Georgia and the University of Montevallo in the Montevallo Coke Classic.

North Georgia will host its first home game Nov. 24 at 3 p.m. against Claflin University.

The Lady Saints will then host Georgia College & State University on Dec. 2 and University of Cumberlands on Dec. 16, before opening up its Peach Belt Conference schedule on the road Jan. 4 versus the University of North Carolina-Pembroke.

The teams’ first home Peach Belt Conference game will be Jan. 10 at 5:30 p.m. against Lander University.

North Georgia is in the 4-year process of moving from NAIA to NCAA Division-II status.

Even though they won the Peach Belt Conference title last season, the Lady Saints were unable to compete in the Division-II national tournament. The NCAA requires a 4-year transition period, where national sports tournaments and other events are prohibited, giving new schools time to meet the standard of NCAA rules and regulations.

“The NCAA does not want new schools to have an unfair advantage over other NCAA schools because they are violating rules, whether it’s recruiting, eligibility, etc.,” said coach Burson. “North Georgia administrators, coaches, and athletes have worked diligently to ensure we are following all NCAA rules. It has been a huge transition for us all, but we know it will be worth it in the long run. We are just now starting to see a little light at the end of the tunnel.”

Good news came last summer when it was announced that North Georgia received a special waver from the NCAA which cut one year off of the transition period, meaning North Georgia will have full NCAA Division-II status, and be eligible to compete in national tournaments, starting with the 2008-2009 season.

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