Hall of Fame
Immediately effective and consistent with steady improvement would be an apt athletic description of Traci Cox, one of the finest post-players in Vulcan women’s basketball history.
Originally from St. Mary’s, West Virginia, and St. Mary’s High School where she was an All-State scholastic selection in basketball, volleyball, and track and field, Cox was a four-year starter for Cal from 1990-91 through 1993-1994. Cox received collegiate recruiting letters from 180 schools and played under head coach Paul Flores, who is also a 2003 Cal U Hall of Fame inductee.
“Both of them came to a game during my senior year and, I really felt comfortable with them,” said Cox. “They saw a potential in me that other coaches did not seem to. Cal was not such a big place where I thought I would not get lost. It just seemed like the perfect size.”
Being a part of the same Hall of Fame class that includes their former coach enhances the honor for Cox.
“It is kind of neat to be going in with the guy who taught me and went along with me during my college days,” Cox said. “Getting inducted with Coach Flores makes it sweeter.”
Nine years after her career, Cox remains the school’s all-time career leader in rebounds with 960. She still ranks third on the career-scoring list with 1,523 points and career field-goal percentage (56.7%). She still ranks among the top three in eight different career or single-season school records. Her career field-goal percentage remains the fifth best in PSAC history. Cox also produced 60 career blocks and 104 career steals.
During Cox’ brilliant career, the Vulcan women compiled single-season records of 20-8, 18-8, 18-8, and 21-8. The 20-win seasons the Vulcans achieved during her freshman and senior years were the first two 20-win seasons in Cal women’s basketball history. In 1990-91, Cal U qualified for the PSAC playoffs for the third consecutive year and the 1993-94 Vulcan team made its first-ever appearance in the PSAC Final Four, PSAC championship game, and NCAA Division II post-season tournament.
“I really thought our team during my senior year could have gone a lot further than we did,” Cox said. “But sometimes circumstances just go the way they do. We had a great team, and I have a lot of good memories.”
Coinciding with Cal’s unprecedented team accomplishments was Cox’s outstanding individual play. A model of consistency, Cox’s scoring and rebounding averages increased each of her four years.
After averaging 10.4 points, 7.5 rebounds a game and shooting 52% from the floor as a freshman, Cox’ numbers increased to 14.4 points, 8.4 rebounds and a 58.5 field goal percentage in 1991-92. She shot a big-time 59.9% from the field in 1992-93 while averaging 15.8 points and 8.9 rebounds a game. Her field-goal percentage that year still ranks ninth in PSAC single-season history.
As a senior, Cox averaged career highs of 16.0 points and 10.6 rebounds a game and shot 56% from the floor. Despite constantly playing hurt, Cox was an all-conference selection and the dominant inside presence on Cal’s 1994 state finalist team that also featured fellow senior teammates Lori Richelderfer and Lara Thornton. “The Big Three” helped Cal women’s basketball compile a .706 winning percentage from 1990-91 through 1993-94.
Cox, who received several PSAC Player of the Week honors, missed just one game in four years. Her 13 defensive rebounds (16 pts, 16 rebs for the game) in Cal’s 85-58 PSAC semifinal home victory over East Stroudsburg remain the third highest single-game total in PSAC playoff history. She is the 10th women’s basketball player to receive Cal U’s highest athletic honor.
Despite the many impressive team and individual accomplishments, Cox does not look back on any one particular game or moment.
“There really is not one thing that sticks out,” Cox said. “Now Lara was the opposite. She would talk about or replay a game from two years ago sometimes. I just kind of got into the game we were in at that time and just wanted to go out and whip the world.”
While the victories far outnumbered the few defeats, Cox also built a reputation as that unique type of player that would play with injuries. She was constantly bothered with bad ankles and an aching back though her statistics steadily increased.
Committed to academics as well as basketball, Cox was a highest honors Dean’s List student and a PSAC Scholar-Athlete. She graduated in 1994 with a 3.9 cumulative grade-point average and a bachelor’s degree in psychology.
The daughter of Roy and Margaret Cox, Traci now resides in Davisville, WV, where she is a fire and casualty claim representative with State Farm Insurance. She is also pursuing her master’s degree in child psychology at West Virginia University and has coached the Parkersburg Christian girl’s basketball team each of the past three years.
“I would like to get back working with children someday which is more in line with my college education,” Cox said. “But what I learned at Cal U still helps me with customer service work I do now in my current job.”
Cox is making her second trip back to her alma mater in the last two months. Last February, she returned and participated in Cal U’s Basketball Alumni Day.
“That was the first one I went to one and it was really a good time,” said Cox. “It was neat coming back and seeing all the changes they have done to the school. Things are much improved.”
She also played on the victorious white-jersey team in the alumnae game.
“A lot of people who played were either before or after me but I got to see two old teammates, Tammy Wood and Cindy Yeager,” Cox said. “The game was also a lot of fun and you got to see how out of shape you are.”
Cox still plays a lot of 3-on-3 basketball with her male boss, Gene Duffield.
“He was impressed when he saw me play and heard I made my school’s Hall of Fame,” Cox said. “Now he takes me along to play in games with his church buddies.”
Flores labeled Cox as one of the premiere post-players in a golden era of PSAC women’s basketball and said she was one of 4-5 players that really helped establish the California program. Just as her playing days, Cox remains modest and workmanlike.
“I honestly don’t like to brag but when I look back I feel good about what I was able to accomplish. I still have my basketball from when I got 1,000 points. I guess every now and then I can reflect and say hey, I was pretty good. I am very excited about this honor. My family members that always came to home games are coming back which makes this even more special.”
