Camden High’s state championship basketball coach is stepping down

Natalie Norris, who led Camden High School to back-to-back girls state basketball championships, is retiring as head coach.

Norris confirmed the news to The State on Monday morning. She’s been the head coach at Camden since 2011. She will continue to teach at the school.

“I just felt it was the right time,” Norris told The State. “My son is getting married in the summer and my daughter is graduating so it was the right time. I wanted to leave the program while I still had something left and was in a good place. We have a lot good returning players coming back so I think it will be in good hands.”

Norris met with her players and talked to their parents over the last two days to inform them of her decision.

Under Norris, Camden won 180 games, three region titles and played for three state championships from 2022-2024, winning the last two. The Bulldogs hadn’t won a title since 1982 before winning back-to-back titles.

The Bulldogs had four 20-plus win seasons in the last five years and likely would have been five straight if teams didn’t have play a shorter schedule because of COVID in 2020-21 season.

But the success wasn’t easy. Norris said she remembers going into former Camden athletic director Jimmy Neal office and thinking about and stepping down a few years ago. But he advised her to stick it out and things began progressing especially after Joyce Edwards, who went on to rewrite the school’s record book and became the school’s first McDonald’s All-American this year.

“She is a once-in-a-lifetime athlete, and I am glad our school took the opportunity to recognize her as such,” Norris said. “What a special player she was I was able to coach and what an incredible run we had. These girls are special and it was a great group to coach.”

Norris said it was special being able to coach her daughter Deanna, a guard who has played on varsity the past five seasons.

Before coaching Norris was a standout player at Camden in the late 1980s and early 1990s. She was named S.C. Gatorade Player of Year as a senior in 1992 and was the school’s all-time leading scorer when she graduated.

Norris went on to play at the University of South Carolina and appeared in 101 games during her career. She led the Gamecocks in assists during her junior and senior seasons.

Norris remains close to the program. She rode in a float with other former USC women’s players on Sunday in the Gamecock women’s basketball championship parade.

Most of Norris’ Camden records stood until Edwards broke them. Edwards was a top national recruit and a star player under Norris the past six seasons, and also signed to play for the the USC Gamecocks.

Norris said she plans on going to a lot of Gamecock games and watching Edwards play the next four years.

“I am going to be one of the FAMS now and going to enjoy watching her grow and develop,” Norris said.