Bernadette Locke-Mattox (born December 31, 1958) is a former head coach of the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentu ...

women's basketball team. While at Kentucky in 1990, she became the first female to serve as assistant coach for a men's

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of College athletics, intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major ...

basketball team, when she served under

Rick Pitino Richard Andrew Pitino (born September 18, 1952) is an American college basketball coach who is the head coach for Iona College. He was also the head coach of Greece's senior national team. He has been the head coach of several teams in NCAA D ...

. She formerly served as an assistant coach with the

Connecticut Sun The Connecticut Sun are an American professional basketball team based in Uncasville, Connecticut that competes in the Eastern Conference (WNBA), Eastern Conference of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was established ...

of the WNBA.

Coaching career

*1990–1994 Assistant coach -

men's basketball under

*1995–2003 Head coach - University of Kentucky women's basketball *2003–2012 Assistant coach - Connecticut Sun WNBA

USA Basketball

In 1998, Mattox was named an assistant coach of the USA National Team, under head coach

Nell Fortner Nell Fortner (born March 3, 1959) is the current women's college basketball coach at Georgia Tech. She is most well known for leading the 2000 Olympics team to a gold medal. She has received numerous awards including the 1997 National Coach of t ...

. The USA team competed in the World Championships held in three cities in Germany, including

Berlin, Germany Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constituent ...

. The USA team won all six of the preliminary round games, with most games in double-digit margins. The one exception was the opening round game against Japan, which the USA team won 95–89. In the quarterfinals, the USA team beat Slovakia 89–62. In the semifinal match-up against Brazil, the USA team was behind by ten points in the first half, but came back and won by 14 points. The championship game was a rematch against Russia, a team the USA had defeated by 36 points in the preliminary round. However, the gold medal game would unfold very differently. The USA team was behind most of the game, with a nine-point deficit at halftime. When there were under two minutes to play, the USA was still behind, but

Ruthie Bolton Alice Ruth Bolton (born May 25, 1967), known as Ruthie Bolton, is an American former professional women's basketball player. Born in Lucedale, Mississippi, she played at the collegiate, Olympic and professional levels of women's basketball. Bolto ...

hit a three-pointer to give the USA team a one-point lead. After the Russians tied the game, Bolton hit another three to give the USA team a lead they would not relinquish. The USA team won 71–65 to win the gold medal.

Personal life

The former Bernadette Locke is married to Vince Mattox. They reside in

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, Fayette County. By population, it is the List of cities in Kentucky, second-largest city in Kentucky and List of United States cities by popul ...

with their son Vincent, who now attends Murray State University in Kentucky. She and her twin sister Juliette are 1977 graduates of Loudon High School in

Loudon, Tennessee Loudon is a city in and the county seat of Loudon County, Tennessee, United States. Its population was 6,001 at the 2020 census. It is included in the Knoxville, Tennessee Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city is located in East Tennessee, s ...

Head coaching record

Sources: SEC records;

Notes

External links

University of Kentucky Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mattox, Bernadette 1958 births Living people African-American basketball coaches Connecticut Sun coaches Georgia Lady Bulldogs basketball players Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball coaches Kentucky Wildcats women's basketball coaches People from Lexington, Kentucky 21st-century African-American people 21st-century African-American women 20th-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American women