Jan. 6, 2003
The University of Kentucky athletics department will honor former women’s basketball standout Valerie Still with a jersey retirement ceremony on Sunday, Jan. 12 at 3 p.m. ET at halftime of the Alabama game. Still is the all-time leading scorer (2,763) and rebounder (1,525) for both the UK men and women. She will become the first female letterwinner in any UK sport to have her jersey retired.
Still, who lettered from 1979-83 and ushered the women’s basketball program from new varsity status to NCAA title hopeful, remains the “Top Cat” in UK women’s basketball annals. Dan Issel (1968-70), UK men’s top Cat, owns records for that program’s most points scored (2,138) and most rebounds (1,078) in a career. Still eclipsed both of those marks. Like Issel, she was a consensus All-American.
Still’s name is etched throughout the UK record book. She led the program in scoring four straight seasons with a career average of 23.2. At one point during the 1981-82 season, she led the nation in both scoring and rebounding before finishing second in both categories (25.0 ppg and 14.3 rpg). She led the Cats to their highest national ranking (4th) in 1983 and helped UK roll up a 31-game home court win streak from 1980-82. In 1983, Still led the sixth-ranked Cats to an 80-66 upset over powerhouse Old Dominion before a record crowd of 10,622 in UK’s Memorial Coliseum.
After leaving Kentucky, Still had a successful career in the Italian Professional League. While in Italy, Still was a television actress and hosted her own TV show, “Still Basket.” She is also an accomplished print model and a professional caliber jazz, pop and concert pianist.
Upon her return to the United States, Still became a charter member of the American Basketball League for Women and was a two-time MVP of the ABL Championship Series. Still later played for the Washington Mystics of the WNBA before retiring from basketball. She returned to hardwood last season as an assistant coach for the Orlando Miracle.
Still now lives in Powell, Ohio, with her husband Rob Lock, a former Kentucky basketball player, and their son, Aaron. She runs The Valerie Still Foundation, a not-for-profit organization that works to ensure that girls are encouraged and instructed to develop their talents.
-UK-
