Ludi "Lea" Henry (born November 22, 1961, in

Colquitt, Georgia Colquitt is a city in Miller County, in the southwestern portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. The population was 1,992 at the 2010 census. Colquitt is the county seat of Miller County, a role it has held since just after Miller County was create ...

) is an American former

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player who competed in the

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the secon ...

USA Basketball

Henry was chosen to represent the USA on the

USA Basketball USA Basketball (USAB) is a non-profit organization and the governing body for basketball in the United States. The organization represents the United States in FIBA and the men's and women's national basketball teams in the United States Olympi ...

team at the 1981 World University games, held in

Bucharest, Romania Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...

and coached by

Kay Yow Sandra Kay Yow (March 14, 1942 – January 24, 2009) was an American basketball coach. She was the head coach of the NC State Wolfpack women's basketball team from 1975 to 2009. A List of coaches in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of F ...

. After winning the opening game, the USA was challenged by China, who held a halftime lead. The USA came back to win by two points, helped by 26 points from

Denise Curry Denise Curry (born August 22, 1959) is an American former basketball player and college and professional basketball coach. Curry was inducted in the inaugural class at the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 1999. College basketb ...

. The USA also was challenged by Canada, who led at halftime, but the USA won by three points 79–76. The USA beat host team Romania to set up a match with undefeated Russia for the gold medal. The Russian team was too strong, and won the gold, leaving the US with the silver medal. Henry averaged 5.1 points per game. Henry traveled to Taiwan with the team representing the US at the 1980 Women's R. William Jones Cup competition. The team had a record of 7–2, and won the bronze medal. Henry returned with the USA team to the Jones Cup competition in 1982. This time, the USA posted a 7–1 record to earn the silver medal. Henry was the leading scorer for the USA team with 19.6 points per game which earned her a position on the Jones Cup All-Tournament team. Henry also competed in the 1984 Jones Cup tournament. The USA sent the 1984 Olympic team to the tournament as part of their pre-Olympic training. This team won all eight games to earn the gold medal. Henry also played on the 1981 and 1983 World University Games teams, both coached by

Jill Hutchison Jill Hutchison (born March 8, 1945) is an American retired women's basketball coach, having served as head coach for 28 seasons at Illinois State. Hutchison also served as the first president of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association. She was a ...

. She helped each team win the gold medal for the USA.

References

1961 births Living people American women's basketball coaches American women's basketball players Basketball coaches from Georgia (U.S. state) Basketball players at the 1984 Summer Olympics Basketball players from Georgia (U.S. state) Florida Gators women's basketball coaches Medalists at the 1984 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists for the United States in basketball People from Colquitt, Georgia Tennessee Lady Volunteers basketball coaches Tennessee Lady Volunteers basketball players Universiade gold medalists for the United States Universiade medalists in basketball Medalists at the 1981 Summer Universiade Medalists at the 1983 Summer Universiade United States women's national basketball team players {{1960s-US-basketball-bio-stub