‘I was never a Tennessee fan.’ Nashville native who became UK star has no regrets.
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We Meet Again
The Lexington Herald-Leader and Kentucky.com are publishing a series of stories catching up with former University of Kentucky athletes. Click here to read all of the installments published previously.
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Editor’s Note: This article is part of a series in which the Herald-Leader is catching up with former University of Kentucky athletes.
When Victoria Dunlap left her home state of Tennessee in 2007 to become part of Matthew Mitchell’s first basketball team at the University of Kentucky, she had no clue her journey would eventually lead to the UK Athletics Hall of Fame. She just knew she wanted to get out of her comfort zone and help build something special.
“One of my main goals was to go to a program where I was able to make a change and make a difference in some way,” Dunlap told the Herald-Leader in a recent phone interview. “I remember talking with Amber (Smith) and Carly (Morrow) about how our goal was to be difference-makers in the program for years to come.”
Dunlap, Smith and Morrow entered the program together as freshmen. Over the course of their careers they built a bond that still endures, nine years after they parted ways. Those friendships were forged during the infancy of Mitchell’s Kentucky tenure, and the chemistry that resulted played a huge role in a historic breakthrough.
With Dunlap as the spearhead, the trio led UK to its first NCAA Tournament Elite Eight appearance in program history. Kentucky has twice since returned to the regional finals, but that 2009-10 squad was the one that vaulted the Wildcats onto the national stage and proved they’d no longer be pushovers in the Southeastern Conference.
“We wanted to do something that would be remembered, and I think that’s what we did,” Dunlap said. “I’m proud I’m part of that legacy.”
‘Homebody’
Since 2014, Dunlap has been living in Newport, Kentucky. She spent three years as head coach of the girls’ basketball team at Shroder High School in Cincinnati before stepping down prior to last season. Already raising a young daughter with her husband, Teddy Connley Jr., and with another baby on the way, Dunlap decided she wanted to take a step back and focus on her family for a bit.
As it turns out, the timing was fortuitous. When the coronavirus pandemic struck and shut down much of public life in America, Dunlap had already spent several months at home with newborn son Teddy Connley III and 2-year-old daughter Winifred. Her husband has been working from home during the pandemic and Dunlap said while the circumstances are not ideal, plenty of positives have come from being quarantined with her young family.
“It’s been really good so far. My husband has been working from home since the end of March and it’s been nice having him around to help with things,” Dunlap said. “When our daughter was really young he wasn’t able to see things during the day where she was learning new things. Since this happened, he’s been able to see all that with our son now and it’s been special.
“It’s been fun to see how the kids are growing and each doing their own thing. And, I was already a homebody-type person so I don’t mind being in the house.”
Though she’s been enjoying this new experience, Dunlap’s lifelong love of basketball has not waned; and she knows it will soon call her back to the court.
“Before this pandemic happened I was looking into other high school jobs and potentially college jobs for this coming year. As of now, though, that’s on hold, so we’ll just have to see where everything goes,” Dunlap said. “But I’m definitely getting back into coaching. I don’t know if it’s going to be high school or college but that’s my goal.”
The color orange
With two parents who were athletes at Tennessee State and an older brother who was a star football player at Auburn while she was in high school, Dunlap was well-prepared for the college recruiting process. Kentucky assistant coach Niya Butts, during her first stint with the Wildcats, courted Dunlap on behalf of then-UK head coach Mickie DeMoss.
Fortunately for the Cats, they never had to compete for her services with a certain SEC juggernaut.
“I was never a Tennessee fan. It wasn’t really a goal of mine to play there even though I’m sure it would have been nice to play for Pat Summitt,” Dunlap said. “Also, I don’t really like the color orange.”
Vanderbilt was the first program to offer her a scholarship.
“My high school coach went to Vandy, too. So Vandy and my coach were both on me pretty hard to go there, but I wanted to go somewhere a little bit further away from home.”
It wasn’t that Dunlap wanted to run from her roots, she was worried remaining too close to her comfort zone would stunt her growth.
“I just knew if I was somewhere closer I would be at home every day and probably not where I needed to be and doing what I needed to do to grow.”
Middle Tennessee State also went after her hard.
“They’re a little bit outside of Nashville but not far enough. UK was perfect because it was close to home, but not too close,” Dunlap said.
A perfect fit it certainly turned out to be. Dunlap finished her career at No. 3 on Kentucky’s all-time scoring list (1,846) and ranks second in games started (133), rebounds (1,099) and blocks (178). She’s one of just two players in program history with more than 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds.
Dunlap was a two-time SEC Player of the Year and a First Team All-American as a junior, averaging 18.1 points and 8.4 rebounds. She was inducted into the UK Athletics Hall of Fame in 2018.
Dunlap parlayed her college success into a brief professional career, playing two years in the WNBA after being selected No. 11 overall in the first round of the 2011 draft by the Washington Mystics.
Reflecting on that historic Kentucky squad which defeated Nebraska in the NCAA Tournament to reach the program’s first Elite Eight, Dunlap said its success was predicated on chemistry and coachability.
“I think one of the things that made us so good was our chemistry. Early on in the preseason with workouts we decided as a team that we had to buy into what Coach Mitchell was telling us to do. That’s when we started our whole full-court defensive pressure thing,” Dunlap said. “We just bought into it and accepted that this was the best way for us to be successful. I think what was so special about that team was that the coaches did a great job of identifying that that’s what we needed to do.
“We had a small roster height- and size-wise, but they were able to tailor our game to our athletes. We realized that’s how we could win, so we ran with it and made it fun for ourselves.”
Q & A
What do you remember most about Matthew Mitchell?
“He just had so much energy and intensity. We fed off that. He always brought that intensity to practice and to games. There were times when we didn’t necessarily want it, but we didn’t have a choice. And it was something that helped us be successful.”
If you hadn’t gone to UK where would you have gone?
“Probably (Middle Tennessee State) because it was close to home but not too close.”
“My high school coach made a joke about my choices when she saw my list, because I really had just three schools: UK, MTSU and North Carolina. So my coach made a joke that those schools were all ‘blue’ schools, which is funny to think about now.”
Was there ever a time when you questioned why you went to UK?
“I never questioned. Because of my family, I kind of knew the whole background of how college sports were going to be intense. So I was ready for that. So I never questioned it.”
Favorite on-court memory at UK?
“Any time we beat Louisville that was always fun. But, if I had to pick one it would probably be beating Nebraska in the NCAA Tournament to get to the Elite Eight. That was a memorable moment, probably my biggest for sure.”
What’s the most recent UK event you attended?
Dunlap was in Memorial Coliseum for Kentucky’s upset of No. 6 Mississippi State this past season.
“I was the ‘Power of Women’ person for that game. I came on the court and they gave me a basketball. That was a fun day.”
Who has been your favorite UK player to watch in recent years?
“Rhyne Howard, obviously, because she’s just an amazing player. She’s so fun to watch. I also love to keep up with and watch Tatyana Wyatt. Seeing how far she’s come from her freshman year to now has been fun. I keep in contact with her every now and then. It’s been great to watch how she’s developed.”
Biggest regret?
“Not working on my shot more earlier in my career. Looking back on my freshman and sophomore year, I wasn’t the best free-throw shooter. Actually, I was probably the worst in the country, if not the SEC.”
Which of your former teammates do you stay in contact with?
“I try to stay in contact with all of them, but most consistently I’m in touch with Carly Morrow and Amber Smith, because we went in together and graduated together and became really close.”
Who was your sports hero growing up?
“Rest in Peace, Kobe Bryant. Outside of playing basketball with my brothers, one of the reasons I wanted to play basketball was Kobe. He turned me into a Lakers fan.”
What do you wish someone had told you before your college career?
“I wish someone had told me that I needed to try to score more early in my career. I think maybe I was too passive my first two years. I wish someone had told me to work on my jump shot more and attempt to score more because I think I would have developed a little earlier.”
This story was originally published June 1, 2020 at 7:41 AM.
