Kentucky WBB legends Valerie Still, Patty Jo Hedges-Ward visit John Calipari at practice

When it comes to Kentucky basketball, there are more legendary names and faces associated with the program than anywhere else in the country.

Two of those Kentucky legends, from the women’s program specifically, visited John Calipari and the team at practice on Tuesday. Those two legends were Valerie Still and Patty Jo Hedges-Ward.

Still and Hedges-Ward were in Lexington for Kentucky women’s basketball’s 50th Anniversary Alumni Game on Sunday — where the ‘Cats defeated the Gators 81-77 in front of the Rupp Arena crowd. The two WBB greats were among the many former Wildcats honored during the game. They stuck around for a couple more days to check out Calipari’s group.

Happy to catch up with Valerie Still, who is from Camden, N.J., and was in town celebrating the 50th anniversary of the program, along with Mayor Gorton and Patty Jo Hedges! Valerie, the all-time scoring and rebounding leader in UK history, and Patty Jo, the career assist leader,… pic.twitter.com/orWZLEnnM9

— John Calipari (@UKCoachCalipari) February 20, 2024

Still and Hedges-Ward played together on the legendary 1982 Kentucky women’s basketball team that won the program’s first-ever SEC Championship — which didn’t happen again until 2022. Under the late Terry Hall, that team went 24-8 and finished in the top 15 in the AP Poll.

Individually, Still and Hedges-Ward had remarkable careers that will forever be immortalized in the record books.

Still is the all-time leading scorer and rebounder in UK history (men’s or women’s basketball) with 2,763 points and 1,525 rebounds to her name. Additionally, she is a three-time consensus All-American. As for Hedges-Ward, she is the all-time assists leader for the program with 731 career assists. Still is also a native of Camden, NJ, which is the same area where current men’s players DJ Wagner, Aaron Bradshaw, and Kareem Watkins hail from.

Still and Hedges-Ward paved the way for so many talented players at the University of Kentucky, and without them, much of the program’s storied history would probably not even exist. They walked so the Rhyne Howards of the world could run.

When you get Valerie Still, Patty Jo Hedges-Ward, and John Calipari all in one room, you have yourself quite the legendary group there. Maybe the ladies were able to help Calipari’s freshmen learn the ropes some while they were at practice.