DAHLONEGA | Long-time athletic director and head men's basketball coach Bill Ensley will be honored by the University of North Georgia athletic department on Saturday, January 24 in a formal court naming ceremony.  The day has been tabbed Bill Ensley Day and begins with a reception with all former players at 12:30 p.m. in  the Military Leadership Center (MLC) on the Dahlonega campus.
 
Coach Ensley will be formally announced as the court's namesake during a halftime ceremony of the women's game with Clayton State.  The women's game is set to tip off at 1:30 p.m. in Memorial Hall.   In addition to the court naming presentation, all former men's basketball players in attendance will be recognized during the ceremony.
 
"Coach Ensley is entrenched in the foundation of not only North Georgia athletics, but in the university as a whole," stated director of athletics Lindsay Reeves. "He has remained committed to the Nighthawks and we are pleased to have his name stand forever as a testament to his outstanding legacy at North Georgia."
 
Ensley is one of the most recognizable names in the history of North Georgia athletics. He served as director of athletics for 24 years and re-established the men's basketball program in 1971, serving as the head coach for 18 years, in which he never saw a losing season.  He was inducted into the inaugural North Georgia Athletics Hall of Fame in 2010.
 
Ensley led the Saints to the district playoffs 11 times, capturing consecutive district championships titles in 1983 and '84. He was named Atlanta Tip-Off Club Coach of the Year and GIAC Coach of the Year in 1976, and recorded an overall record of 328-212 during his 18-year tenure at the helm of the men's basketball program.
 
In 1994, Ensley was named to the NAIA Hall of Fame and was the recipient of the NAIA's Athletic Administrator of the Year award in 1991.