Hilda M. Hankerson (born May 28, 1956) is an American high school girls basketball coach. She is the head coach for the Westlake High School (Georgia) Lions girls basketball team where she's won 4 Georgia State High School 7A girls basketball Championships. She played for the Mercer Bears Womens basketball team along side of Hall of Famers Cindy Brogdon and Sybil Blalock from 1974-1978. Their 1976 team handed the Hall of Fame University of Tennrssee Womens Basketball Coach Pat Summit her first loss as a head coach. Hankerson was also an assistant coach for the Mississippi State Bulldogs womens basketball team. [2] Coach Hankerson won the USA Today 2020 Girls High School Basketball Coach of the Year.

Basketball career

Hilda "Heard" Hankerson played point guard for the Mercer Bears womens basketball team from 1974-1978. She played an integral role in Mercer University women winning 2 State Championships and 2 championship runner-ups. The Bears were Southern Women's Athletic Conference regular season and tournament champions and AIAW regional champs during her playing tenure. Additionally, Mercer won the Georgia AIAW Tournament and advanced to the championship game of the AIAW regional tournament. During her career, Mercer advanced to the Women's National Invitational Tournament making it to the round of 16.

Coaching career

Assistant Coach

[3]Hankerson's coaching career began in 1978. She served at Mississippi State University Bulldog womens basketball team as an Assistant Basketball Coach, Recruiting Coordinator & Guards Coach, from 1978-1982 in the Southeastern Conference.

Head coach

Westlake High School

Coach Hankerson achieved her 600th win and finished the season with a perfect 30-0 record, culminating with a second-straight Georgia 7A state title in 2018. Since she has gone on to win a total of 4 Georgia High School 7A Championships. Overall, she has led Westlake to five final fours, five elite eights, four sweet 16s, eight state playoffs and nine regional championships. She also served as Athletic Director for Westlake from 2001 to 2011. During her tenure as both Athletic Director and Head Coach her teams averaged 20 plus wins each season since 1995 and over 50 girls basketball student athletes have received college scholarships from schools including the University of Georgia, Clemson University, Mercer University, Georgia Southern University, Troy State University, the University Southern Mississippi, Xavier University, College of Charleston, University of Alabama Birmingham, University of Tampa, and Jackson State University. As Athletic Director, her program puroduced notables athletes to include WNBA player Anriel Howard with the Seattle Storm and Cam Newton 2010 Heisman Trophy Winner and 2011 NFL #1 Draft Pick.

USA Basketball

Hankerson's first USA Basketball assignment was as a court coach for the 2019 USA Basketball Women’s U16 National Team trials.

References

[4] USA Today Girls High School 2020 Coach of The Year

[5] Westlake’ Hankerson Wins Coach of The Year

[6] Westlake HS State Championship

[7] USA Womens Basketball Coaching Staff

[8] Georgia Girls HS Basketball

[9] Hankerson Coaches Corner

[10] Coach Hilda Hankerson Basketball Podcast

[11] Atlanta Journal and Constitution-Women in Coaching

[12] Atlanta Journal and Constitution-High School Sports

[13] High School Girls National Championship

[14] Tri-Cities, Westlake Win Historic Championships

[15] Women That Lead

[16] Naismith High School Trophy

[17]The Mercerian

External links

[18]USA Today All-USA high school basketball team