Jeff Judkins, current head coach of the Brigham Young University Cougars women’s basketball team and former NBA player, will speak at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 24 at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 3067 Ooltewah Ringgold Road in Ooltewah. The event is free. All are welcome.
Coach Judkins will also speak at the Chattanooga Hamilton Place Rotary Club at GraceWorks Church on Lee Highway on Wednesday, April 25 at noon, and he will be on sports talk radio WGOW 102.3 FM on Tuesday, April 24 at 5:30 p.m.
Coach Judkins has served as head coach for the BYU Women’s Cougar basketball team since 2001. The team entered the 2018 West Coast Conference as the No.
3 seed. The Cougars finished the WCC regular season tied for third with LMU, with an overall record this year of 16-14. Freshman Sara Hamson earned Defensive Player of the Year. Nationally, BYU was ranked fifth in blocked shots per game; eighth in blocked shots; and 20th in field goal percentage defense.
Career highlights of Jeff Judkins include eleven 20-plus win seasons; eight NCAA tournament appearances; four conference coach of the year awards; three conference tournament crowns; coached six All-Americans; coached seven conference players of the year; coached three conference defensive player of the year; coached two conference sixth player of the year; coached 52 all-conference players; 95 players have garnered academic citations; two players named to the All-Freshman Team; four players named to the All-Defensive Team; three players named Newcomer of the Year; nine players names to respective conference championships all-tournament team; and became BYU’s women’s basketball all-time winning-est coach with his 220th career win when the Cougars defeated Pepperdine on Jan. 12, 2012.
According to his bio, Coach Judkins played with the NBA Boston Celtics, Portland Trailblazers, Detroit Pistons and Utah Jazz. He was drafted in the second round by the Boston Celtics in 1978, the same year the Celtics selected Larry Bird with the sixth pick overall. He was also a member of the 1977 United States World Games team that won the gold medal.
He is married to Mary Kay, has five children and 10 grandchildren. Of his parents, Coach Judkins said, “My parents taught me whenever you do something, give it your all, no matter how difficult it is” (Deseret News, 1/18/2012). That same philosophy applies “not only in basketball, but in life as well,” Coach Judkins says (Daily Universe, 2/29/16).
Coach Judkins is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He will share his experiences and testimony this Tuesday night with everyone in attendance.