James Kelley Hall

  |   Visit Guest Book

James Kelley Hall, 51, of Myrtle Beach, SC, passed away unexpectedly on Thursday, September 2, after suffering a heart attack, at his home. He was born on January 13, 1959, in Selma, AL, to Raymond and Jeanette Hall, of DeFuniak Springs, FL. He graduated from Troy State with a BA, and thereafter began his first of almost thirty years in basketball. Between 1982 and 2009, he served on the court at ten different colleges; however, for the past year and a half, he was enjoying being a full-time husband and father, spending time with his immediate and extended families, playing golf, walking on the beach, and hunting shark’s teeth.
Kelley’s basketball career began at Troy State, where he served as Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator. He also served in this same position at Alabama (1983-1984), Mississippi State (1992-1994), Cal State Fullerton (1994-1996), and Auburn (1996-2000). From 2000-2002, he served as Associate Head Coach & Recruiting Coordinator at Louisville, and in 2002, was hired as Head Coach for Louisiana Lafayette. Kelley served as Head Coach for the Cajuns from 2002 until 2007, when he left to coach at Cincinnati from 2007-2009.
While serving as Head Coach at Louisiana Lafayette, Kelley was named the 2005 Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year, and finished the 2006-2007 season with a 25-9 record. That year, Kelley’s Cajuns were Sun Belt West Division Champions, Sun Belt Tournament Runner-Up, and accepted their first-ever invite to the NCAA Tournament. One of Kelley’s many highlights occurred when the Cajuns traveled to USC over Thanksgiving 2006, to win the championship, defeating the Gamecocks by 15 on their own home court. After leaving coaching in 2009, his love of basketball remained, and despite hopes of returning to the game, the love he had for his family became his priority.
In 2000, while serving as Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator at Auburn, Kelley met the love of his life, and his equal on the basketball court, Meredith Michele Sisson, of Myrtle Beach, who was then serving as the Assistant Coach at Virginia Commonwealth. On May 19, 2001, he married Meredith at Ocean View Baptist Church, and in August 2002, welcomed the birth of his first daughter, Brynley Michele. The following year, he celebrated the birth of his second daughter, and namesake, Jordyn Kelley. Four years later, their family rejoiced as they were blessed with a baby boy, Aubrey O’Neal. As Kelley progressed through his many coaching positions, they moved their growing family from Lafayette to Cincinnati, but finally made their way home to Myrtle Beach.
Kelley is survived by his wife, Meredith; his three children, Brynley, Jordyn, and Aubrey; his parents, Raymond and Jeanette Hall; his brother, Lance Hall, of DeFuniak Spring, Florida; his brother and sister-in-law, David and Tanya Hall, of Alabama; his brother, Joseph and Lovie Hall, of Germany; his brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Greg and Stephanie Sisson, of Myrtle Beach; his brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Chad and Beth Sisson, of Myrtle Beach; many nieces and nephews; countless friends, coaches, and players. Kelley is predeceased by a nephew, John Benjamin Hall, of Germany.
Funeral services will be held at 11:00 am, Monday, September 6, 2010 at Ocean View Baptist Church with Rev. Everett Douglas, Dr. Wayne Brown, and Dr. Jeff Dunn officiating. The family will receive friends from 9:30 until 10:45 am at the church on Monday. Burial will follow at Southeastern Memorial Gardens.
In lieu of flowers, if you are so inclined, the family asks that donations be made to the following: JAMES KELLEY HALL CHILDRENS EDUCATION FUND, c/o Conway National Bank, 425 Highway 17 North, Surfside Beach, SC 29575. The family would also like to thank everyone for the outpouring of love, thoughts, and prayers.
An online guest register is available at www.msfh.net.
McMillan-Small Funeral Home is serving the family.