Roane State Press Release:
Former Roane State Raider Bernadette Locke-Mattox has been selected for induction into the NJCAA Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2026, recognizing a career that broke barriers in college basketball and helped pave the way for future generations of coaches and student-athletes.
The NJCAA announced its sixth annual Hall of Fame class, which honors individuals who have created lasting opportunities and made significant contributions to the two-year college level and beyond. Locke-Mattox is being recognized as a player inductee following a career that began at Roane State before taking her to historic achievements at the NCAA Division I and professional levels.
“Bernadette is a legend at Roane State,” said Roane State Athletic Director David Lane. “Her career accomplishments should be a motivator for everyone. She took the opportunity and success she worked for at Roane State and showed the world that there are no excuses, only results.”
Locke-Mattox began her college basketball career at Roane State, graduating in 1979 as a Raider before continuing her playing career at the University of Georgia. Her success on the court eventually led her into coaching, where she established herself as one of the most influential figures in women’s basketball.
In 1985, Locke-Mattox became a full-time assistant coach with the Georgia’s women’s basketball program. Five years later, she made NCAA history when she became the first woman to serve as an assistant coach for a men’s Division I basketball program, joining Rick Pitino’s staff at the University of Kentucky.
Locke-Mattox spent four seasons as an assistant coach with the Wildcats before becoming Kentucky’s head women’s basketball coach in 1995. During her eight seasons leading the Lady Wildcats, she helped revitalize the program, including the 1998-99 season when Kentucky earned its first 20-win campaign and NCAA Tournament appearance in nearly a decade.
Following her time at Kentucky, Locke-Mattox continued her coaching career at the professional level, joining the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun as an assistant coach in 2003.
For Roane State, Locke-Mattox’s induction represents more than a celebration of athletic accomplishments. It highlights the opportunities created through community college athletics and the impact one student-athlete can have after leaving campus. Locke-Mattox was also inducted into Roane State’s Athletics Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2025.
“She has the kind of story that we all strive to have and to accomplish in our careers,” Lane said. “What she did coming from a small community and a community college and going on to do incredible things with her life, that’s what we try to pass on to our players.”
The NJCAA Hall of Fame ceremony will take place Thursday, June 18, 2026, at the Hilton Charlotte University Place in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Locke-Mattox’s induction adds another milestone to a remarkable basketball journey that started at Roane State and extended to some of the most influential positions in the sport. Her career stands as a testament to perseverance, leadership and the impact of community college athletics.
