ROANE STATE LEGEND BERNADETTE LOCKE-MATTOX SELECTED FOR NJCAA HALL OF FAME

A group of nine people dressed in formal attire stands in front of a blue NJCAA Foundation Awards backdrop. Four award recipients hold plaques, while Bernadette Locke-Mattox stands at the right of the group smiling. NJCAA officials stand on either side of the recipients during the recognition ceremony. — Roane State's Bernadette Locke-Mattox (right) poses with fellow NJCAA Foundation award recipients and NJCAA officials during an awards ceremony in front of an NJCAA Foundation Awards backdrop. Photo courtesty of NJCAA.

July 14, 2026

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Former Roane State Raider Bernadette Locke-Mattox was inducted into the NJCAA Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2026 during a ceremony on Thursday, June 18, at the Hilton Charlotte University Place in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The NJCAA honored Locke-Mattox as a player inductee, recognizing a career that began at Roane State and led to groundbreaking achievements in NCAA Division I and professional basketball.

"(I'm) grateful to be recognized alongside so many great legends - legendary names who paved the way for me," Locke-Mattox said during her acceptance speech. "This honor reflects not just my journey but the coaches, my teammates, and supporters who believed in all of us."

Locke-Mattox began her college basketball career at Roane State, graduating in 1979 before continuing at the University of Georgia. She later became one of the most influential figures in women's basketball.

In 1985, she joined Georgia's women's basketball program as a full-time assistant coach for her former Roane State head coach Andy Landers.

"When (Coach Landers) walked in today, I looked down at my feet and I said, 'Do I have my tennis shoes on? Because I know we might have to do sprints," Locke-Mattox joked as she recognized her former teammates and coach in attendance.

Five years after joining the Georgia coaching staff, Bernadette made NCAA history as the first woman to serve as an assistant coach for a men's Division I program under Rick Pitino at the University of Kentucky.

She spent four seasons with the Wildcats before becoming head women's basketball coach at Kentucky in 1995. Over eight seasons, she helped revitalize the Lady Wildcats program, including a 20-win season and NCAA Tournament appearance in 1998-99.

Locke-Mattox continued her coaching career at the professional level with the WNBA's Connecticut Sun as an assistant coach starting in 2003.

"I share this recognition with my extended family who is here with me today, whose constant encouragement and belief carried me through many challenges," she said. "I'm especially thankful for my husband and son, whose love and sacrifice made every step of this journey possible."

For Roane State, the induction highlights the opportunities provided by community college athletics and the lasting impact of its student-athletes.

"She has the kind of story that we all strive to have and to accomplish in our careers," Roane State Athletic Director David 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."

Locke-Mattox's induction adds another milestone to a remarkable journey that started at Roane State and extended to influential positions in the sport. Her career stands as a testament to perseverance, leadership, and the impact of community college athletics.

"Bernadette is a legend at Roane State," Lane added. "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."