DeLand, Fla. - One needs only to watch Shorter College assistant women's basketball coach Kristy Brown on the bench during a Lady Hawks' game to see the qualities that make her such an effective leader of young athletes. Enthusiasm, intensity, compassion, dedication - all characteristics that not only make her an effective teacher, but also made her an excellent player - a Hall of Fame player, to be exact. On Saturday, March 20, Brown will be inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame at Stetson University, where she starred for four seasons for the Hatters' women's basketball team from 2001-05.

"It is a huge honor to be inducted into the Stetson Hall of Fame," said Brown, who is in her second season with the Shorter women's program. "I had the amazing privilege of attending a great academic school because of basketball. I am very grateful for all the support that I had at Stetson from my professors, coaches, the community and especially my teammates."

While her support mechanisms were plentiful at Stetson, Brown did all she could to uphold the Hatters' women's hoops program - one that she helped elevate to new heights while becoming arguably one of the best players in Stetson history.

Brown's impact reached well beyond the basketball court, however, as noted by her college head coach, Dee Romine, who spent 15 years on the sidelines at Stetson and won over 300 games in 24 seasons as a collegiate head coach.

"Every three or four years, a coach is given the opportunity to coach a special type of student-athlete," said Romine, who retired from coaching on May 31, 2008, but remains involved in the Stetson athletic department. "Kristy was very special and is the most hard working, self-committed athlete that I've ever coached.

"She had a tremendous work ethic, was such a positive person and was a great student. It was a privilege to have coached a player like Kristy."

Brown's career numbers on the hardwood are staggering.

Brown is Stetson's second all-time leading scorer and rebounder with 1,522 points and 941 rebounds, respectively. Her 14.2 career points per game average ranks third all-time, her 560 career field goals rank fourth on the all-time list and her .514 career field goal percentage is sixth best in program history.

Brown, one of only two players in Stetson history to score 1,000 points, grab 900 rebounds, and appear in 100 games, converted on 370 free throws in her four years in DeLand, the most all-time, and ranks seventh in career blocks having swatted 54 attempts.

She also holds the Hatters' single-game mark for rebounds as she pulled down 24 against Charleston Southern on Dec. 20, 2003.

Brown was a two-time first team All-Atlantic Sun performer and was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2005 Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament when she led the Hatters to the league championship and the school's first-ever trip to the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball National Tournament.

That year, her final in a Hatters' uniform, Brown averaged 16.8 points and 10.8 rebounds, hit the game-winner in the A-Sun semifinals, scored 28 points in the Atlantic Sun championship game against Georgia State University and closed out her career with 17 points and eight rebounds in Stetson's first round NCAA loss to No. 1-ranked Louisiana State University.

That LSU team featured two All-Americans, Seimone Augustus and Sylvia Fowles, who now compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).

"Being a part of the 2004-05 team was hands down the most memorable event in my life thus far," Brown said. "I was extremely blessed to be on such a great team. Not only was that the most talented team that I have ever been on, but as a group, we were extremely close."

"Every team tries to find its heart and soul and Kristy was the heart and soul of that team," said Romine. "She was our go to player inside and you knew that every game where she was on the floor, you had a chance to win. She loved to take the big shot and she was outstanding for us."

Successful playing careers don't always translate into fruitful coaching ventures, but Brown has certainly gotten off to a tremendous start on the sidelines.

In her first season with the Lady Hawks in 2008-09, Brown assisted Shorter head coach Vic Mitchell in guiding the team to its second consecutive 20-win campaign.

Her off-season recruiting efforts helped land several of the Lady Hawks' top players for the current season, including NCAA Division I transfers Holly Bawden and Kelly Ellison and true freshmen Shelby Farrer and Ashley Harris.

Brown's influence on the players and program, however, extends much further than simple x's and o's.

"Kristy is a tremendous Christian young lady who is a fantastic role model for our players," said Mitchell. "It is important for her not only to be able to coach our players on the court, but it is paramount in her life that she be able to share her faith with our players and help each of them grow spiritually during their time at Shorter College. I have often said that Kristy's gift was not only that she could play basketball at a high level, but also that she can give her gift away to the players in our program.

"Kristy coaches with the same intensity and passion with which she played during her entire career and we are fortunate that she is part of our women's basketball program."

Romine, with whom Brown still keeps in close contact, has no doubt that Brown has the tools needed to be a great coach on any level.

"I would hope that she is able use some of the things we tried to do both on and off the court at Stetson in her coaching experience at Shorter," Romine said. "I know that she is totally committed to everything that she does, gives one hundred percent effort and is always prepared."

"Let's be honest, there is nothing like playing, but coaching is the next best thing," Brown said. "I feel that since I played collegiate basketball that I can relate to the girls because I have been there. I know what they are going through and hopefully that has helped me become a better coach."

Still, with a bright future surely in hand, March 20 will be about remembering and celebrating an incredible playing career, one that consisted of a wealth of individual and collective achievements and something that remains very close to Brown's heart.

"I miss the competition and feeling that I got before every game," said Brown. "There is nothing like competing with your best friends.

"To have had the opportunity to play and create lifetime memories with my 14 closest friends - that is something that I will cherish the rest of my life."