From its founding in 1891 as the State Normal and Industrial School, the school now known as UNCG emphasized physical activity and personal health. Curriculum in the first year of the school’s existence (1892-1893) included the Department of Physiology and Heath, which had two objectives: instruction in hygiene and an individualized program of exercise. A course in Physical Culture was actually required of all students. The work included gymnastics, calisthenics, and other exercises that were meant to promote the student’s general health and strength.
Around the same time, basketball for women was beginning to gain popularity across the nation. Basketball rules for women were first introduced in 1892 at Smith College. These rules were modified specifically for the women’s game, as it was feared that the women could not physically or mentally handle the strain of the men’s rules. The court was divided into three areas with three players from each time in each area (nine total players per team). The ball moved from section to section by passing or dribbling. Players were limited to three dribbles and could hold the ball for three seconds. No snatching or batting the ball away from a player was allowed.
Students at State Normal gravitated towards the game and actively sought opportunities for athletic competition. In 1900, the campus Athletic Association was formally established (15 years before the student government was founded). In a space that is now the site of the Petty Science Building, the women of the Athletic Association cleared and prepared playing grounds, marked the fields, and installed nets on four tennis courts and basketball goals. A primary goal of the Athletic Association was to support competitions between the classes (freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors). They held their first basketball tournament in 1900, and in 1902, they adopted their official motto: “Athletics and active college work go hand in hand.”
Competition continued to be solely among State Normal students until 1928, when the school (at the time, known as the North Carolina College for Women) hosted the first annual intercollegiate Play Day in North Carolina. Students from seven schools from around the state came to play a variety of sports (including basketball), but they were not competing for their particular schools. Instead, teams mixed students from the different institutions in order to discourage over-competitiveness.
Permanent facilities were also constructed to allow space for basketball and other competitions. In 1922, a 50 x 90 foot outdoor gymnasium was constructed, and it hosted many of the Athletic Association competitions. The structure consisted of little more than a floor and a roof supported by posts. Rosenthal Gymnasium was completed in 1925. Boasting a swimming pool, basketball court, and other amenities, it was praised as one of the best facilities of its kind in the country.
In the 1940s, Woman’s College began experimenting with a few low-key intercollegiate matches at Play Day. In March 1944, the Carolinian was happy to report victories by the WC basketball teams over Guilford and Greensboro Colleges at the recent Winter Sports Play Day in Rosenthal Gym. This experiment, however, only lasted a few years. Intercollegiate competition didn’t resume with any frequency until 1963.
In 1963, the final year before WC became UNCG and admitted male students, the school began its first full schedule of intercollegiate women’s basketball competition. The 1963 team was coached by Ellen Griffin, a 1940 graduate of Woman’s College, an instructor in the physical education department, and a nationally renowned golfer. The team won three of its four games against nearby colleges.
Women’s basketball on campus continued to grow as intercollegiate competition increased. Rita Wiggs led UNCG to an Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) regional appearance in 1972. She led UNCG in scoring in all four of her seasons (1971-1975). Under new head coach Lynne Agee, the 1981-1982 UNCG women’s basketball team compiled a 25-3 record, finishing second in the NCAA Division III championship tournament. This team began a run of seven consecutive 20-win seasons for the women’s basketball program. The squad was led by Carol Peschel, UNCG’s first basketball All-American.
Lynne Agee served as the UNCG women’s basketball coach from 1981 through her retirement in 2011, amassing 602 career wins (556 as a Spartan). She led UNCG to nine NCAA berths and a WNIT bid in 2003. UNCG won 13 regular-season conference titles and seven league titles under Agee’s leadership. With a win over Western Carolina on February 7, 2011, Agee became only the 21st NCAA Division I coach ever to amass 600 career wins. She also was the first women’s basketball coach to lead a team to the NCAA tournament in all three divisions.
In 2025, the UNCG women’s basketball team won both the Southern Conference regular season and championship tournament titles, earning head coach Trina Patterson her first trip to the NCAA Tournament.
Head Coaches:
Jan Donahue 1977 – 1979
Robin Joseph 1979- 1980
Lynne Agee 1980 – 2011
Wendy Palmer – 2012-2016
Trina Patterson 2016 – Current