The Kentucky Wildcatswomen'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. Through the end of the 2009–10 season, the team's all-time varsity record was 603–455, the team had won the SEC Women's Basketball Tournament, and appeared in the NCAA Tournament fourteen times with a tournament record of 7-7. 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.
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 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 Total: 65-30-1 Conference tournament winners noted with # Source
