Paula Lee enters her fourteenth season at Baton Rouge Community College as the Head Coach of Women’s Basketball. Overall, she enters her twenty-fifth season as a collegiate coach. Lee has experienced a great deal of success at the helm of the BRCC Women’s Program. The 2013-2014 season was a historical year for the BRCC Lady Bear Basketball Program. The Lady Bears were crowned Region #23 Champions and advanced to the NJCAA National Tournament. The success of the Lady Bears in 2013-2014 earned Lee District 23 Coach of the Year honors. Lee’s Lady Bear Program has produced  23 players who have moved on from BRCC to continue athletic career at four year institutions. Her players have moved on to Wiley College, Southern University, Jackson State, University of North Texas, Dillard University, Xavier University of New Orleans, LSU-Alexandria, LSU Shreveport, Univesity of Mobile and Mississippi College.

Lee’s success at BRCC can be attributed to her prior experience as a Division I Assistant Coach as well as her first Junior College Head Coach Position. She brings with her wealth of knowledge and experience after spending seven years at Louisiana State University (LSU) under the direction of Hall of Fame Coach Sue Gunter, two years at McNeese State University in Lake Charles, Louisiana, one year at Tennessee State University in Nashville, Tennessee, three years as the Head Coach at Southern University at Shreveport, and two years at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette.

As the Head Coach at Southern University at Shreveport, Lee resurrected the dormant Women’s Basketball Program. Under Lee’s tutelage, the Lady Jaguars won the Louisiana Athletic Association of Community Colleges Championship for three consecutive years and qualified for the NJCAA Region #23 Tournament for two years where they lost in the Semi-Finals to Copiah-Lincoln Community College. For her efforts and the team’s success, Lee was named the LAACC Coach of the Year in 2006. During her two year stint at McNeese State, Lee served as the First Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator. She was very instrumental in recruiting and signing some of Louisiana’s top high school talent as well as helping McNeese improve in Conference play.

As a member of the Louisiana State University women’s basketball staff, Lee was part of the program’s tremendous turn around. The team improved from a 20-34 record prior to Lee’s arrival to a 68% winning percentage. Her work paid huge dividends as LSU went on to earn three NCAA appearances, including two Sweet 16 trips and one Elite Eight finish. Lee also impacted the program from the recruiting standpoint as she assisted in the signing of six recruiting classes, which were ranked nationally in the Top 20. Among the athletes under Lee’s tutelage were three All-Americans and five players who played professionally. Also, while at LSU, Lee spent five years teaching in the Kinesiology Department as well as designed and implemented the first Activity Course for High School students to take through Correspondence Study.

Lee began her coaching career at Belaire High School in Baton Rouge, LA. While at Belaire, she coached girl’s basketball, softball and cross country as well as taught Freshman English and Physical Education. It was under Lee’s leadership and direction that the girl’s basketball program was established in 1990. Four years later, Lee was named Basketball Coach of the Year after guiding her team to the State Play-Offs and a record of 20-9. Lee was also named Coach of the Year for Softball in 1993.

Lee is a native of New Roads, Louisiana and is the daughter of Robert and Theresa Lee. She received her Bachelor of Science degree from Louisiana State University in Kinesiology with a minor in English. Lee also obtained her Master’s Degree from LSU in 1996 in Administration and Supervision.