University University of Kentucky Nickname Wildcats Head coach Matthew Mitchell League Division I (NCAA) | Location Lexington, KY Home Away Arena Memorial Coliseum Conference Southeastern Conference | |
 | ||
Colors Kentucky Blue and White | ||
The Kentucky Wildcats women's basketball team represent the University of Kentucky in the Southeastern Conference, which has historically been the most dominant conference in women's basketball. However, despite reaching national rankings as high as #4, the team has never reached the national championship semifinals ("Final Four"). Through the end of the 2009–10 season, the team's all-time varsity record (excluding non-varsity seasons prior to 1974) was 603–455, the team had won the SEC Women's Basketball Tournament (1982), and appeared in the NCAA Tournament seven times with a tournament record of 7-7.
Contents
- Facilities
- Head coaches
- Year by year results
- 200910
- 201011
- 201112
- 201213
- All American players
- SEC Awards
- References
The first University of Kentucky women's basketball team was organized in 1902, and competed for the first time on Feb. 21, 1903. However, in 1924, despite a perfect 10-0 season, the University Senate passed a bill to abolish women's basketball in part because, according to state politicians, "basketball had proven to be a strenuous sport for boys and therefore was too strenuous for girls." After 50 years, women's basketball was granted varsity status in 1974, and most of the official records maintained by the university only reflect games since that time. The team, coached by Sue Feamster, was given the nickname "Lady Kats", which continued to be used until May 1995.
Led by UK all-time leading scorer Valerie Still, Patty Jo Hedges, and Lea Wise, the Lady Kats won the SEC Tournament in 1982. The following year, the same trio led the team to a #4 ranking in the country, the highest in the team's history.
The team is currently coached by Matthew Mitchell.
Facilities
Since the restoration of the program in 1974, the Kentucky Wildcats have played their home games in the 8,500 seat Memorial Coliseum, and their record attendance in that building is 10,622, set on February 5, 1983 against Old Dominion; they also led the nation with an average attendance of 3,645 that season. Recently the team has also played occasional games in the 23,500 seat Rupp Arena.
In January 2007, the university opened the Joe Craft Center, a $30 million state-of-the-art basketball practice facility for both the men's and women's teams.
Head coaches
Year by year results
Year Record Coach
1903 1-0 Jane Todd Walton
1904 2-0 C.P. St. John
1905 Unknown
1906 0-1 Thomson Bryant
1907 No Games Thomson Bryant
1908 3-0-1 C.W. Leaphart
1908–09 4-1 Walter C. Fox
1909–10 7-1 No Coach Listed
1910–11 No Record
1911–12 4-1 J.J. Tigert
1912–13 5-0 J.J. Tigert (State Champions)
1913–14 4-2 J.J. Tigert
1914–15 5-1 J.J. Tigert
1915–16 2-2 William Tuttle
1916–17 5-0 J.J. Tigert
1917–18 1-4 Jim Park
1918–19 2-0 Andy Gill
1919–20 0-3-1 Sarah Blanding
1920–21 1-7 Sarah Blanding
1921–22 2-4 Sarah Blanding
1922–23 7-3 A.B. "Happy" Chandler
1923–24 10-0 Bart Peak (Champions of the South)
Conference tournament winners noted with # Source