March 9, 2003
Lexington, Ky. –
Bernadette Mattox has resigned her position as coach of the University of Kentucky’s women’s basketball team, she announced late Sunday. Mattox, who coached the Wildcats for the past eight years, compiled a 91-135 (40.3%) record with one NCAA Tournament appearance in 1999.
“As we do with each of our coaches following their respective seasons, Coach Mattox and I met today to review the past season and discuss the future of women’s basketball at Kentucky,” said Mitch Barnhart, the University of Kentucky’s director of athletics. “Since she had reached the end of her current contract, we were at a crossroads to either offer a new contract or to take the program in a new direction. After our discussion, Bernadette felt it would be in the best interest of the UK women’s basketball program to step aside and allow a coaching change.”
Mattox’s decision comes three days after the Wildcats were eliminated by Auburn in the first round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament. Kentucky completed the season with an 11-16 record, 4-10 in league play for a ninth-place finish.
“This was obviously a very difficult decision for me,” Mattox said. “I have served this athletics department for 13 years and have given my heart and soul to this women’s program for the past eight seasons.”
At Kentucky, Mattox has served in three roles in 13 years – as an assistant coach for the men, as an assistant athletics director and as the head women’s basketball coach.
“I know this was a very difficult decision for Bernadette,” Barnhart said. “She is a person of high character and has made many positive contributions to UK athletics and our University community.”
Mattox came to Kentucky in 1990-91 as an assistant coach on Rick Pitino’s staff. She earned the distinction as the first Division I “bench coach” for a men’s team, and served in that capacity for four seasons.
In 1994, Mattox was promoted to assistant athletics director at UK for one year before then-athletics director C.M. Newton promoted her to head coach of the women’s team following the dismissal of Coach Sharon Fanning in 1995.
Mattox’s best season was 1999, when her Wildcats won a school-record seven SEC games and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1991. The Cats beat Nebraska in the first round, their first NCAA Tournament victory in 17 seasons. UK then suffered a second-round defeat to host UCLA. The following season, she led Kentucky to back-to-back winning seasons with a 15-14 record.
“The head coaching position at Kentucky is a great job,” Barnhart added. “Women’s basketball is a premier sport at Kentucky. It competes in the nation’s best conference, it has strong community support and the administration is committed to a first-class student-athlete experience that will compete for championships.”
Barnhart did not indicate a time-frame for having the new coach in place.
“A thorough search is going to be conducted to find the best person to elevate Kentucky women’s basketball to a new level,” he said. “Both head coaches and assistants will be considered.”
Mattox was the program’s fifth coach since women’s basketball at Kentucky reached varsity status in 1974.
Mattox Kentucky Coaching Record
1995-96 8-19 (2-9 SEC)1996-97 8-19 (2-10 SEC)1997-98 13-15 (5-9 SEC)1998-99 21-11 (7-7 SEC) (NCAA Second Round)1999-00 15-14 (5-9 SEC)2000-01 6-21 (2-12 SEC)2001-02 9-20 (1-13 SEC)2002-03 11-16 (4-10 SEC)Overall 91-135 (28-79 SEC) Eight Seasons
