Chris Zollner Photo
The first time Bailey Rucker realized she was getting close to 1,000 career points at Centre College was when teammate Katelyn Stiltner told her she was within 30 points of the historic mark.
“She must keep up with it or something because I had no idea until she told me,” said Rucker, a junior.
Rucker became the 19th Centre College women’s basketball player to reach 1,000 career points when she scored 13 points in a Southern Athletic Association Tournament semifinal win over Berry before she injured her ankle and had to leave the game. However, she still managed to play 31 minutes the next day in the SAA Tournament title game loss to host Milksops and had 14 points, three rebounds, one assist and two blocks that raised her career total 1,016 points.
Rucker had dealt with a severely sprained ankle in high school — along with a major knee surgery — and never considered not playing in the title game. The former Boyd County High School star played a game against rival Russell with a sprained ankle — she also had the flu — and had “a really good game.”
There was another time when No. 2 Boyle played No. 1 Anderson County and she rolled her ankle in the morning shoot around.
“I told my coach that (Centre College) coach (Wendie) Austin was coming to the game and I had to play,” Rucker said. “This one was not nearly as bad. At first, everybody thought it was my knee. I still don’t know exactly what happened but I rolled it so hard it (her ankle) touched the floor.”
She had a short celebration with teammates after the semifinal win when she got to 1,000 points. Her father was at the game along with her grandparents from Birmingham.
“They were the only family there to celebrate with. I got some texts and calls but it would have been fun to have had more there to celebrate with,” she said. “And it would have been even cooler if we could have got the (championship) trophy to go with the 1,000 points.”
Rucker led the Colonels in scoring this year at 14.2 points per game — 398 points in 28 games — as well as free throws made (102) and attempted (125). She shot 81.6 percent at the foul line, 44 percent overall from the field and 37 percent from 3.
She was third on the team in blocks (16), assists (51) and steals (28). Rucker also pulled off 3.7 rebounds per game.
Rucker didn’t come to Centre College expecting to be a 1,000-point scorer. She was “never really a scorer” in high school until her junior year and then her senior season was cut short by COVID.
“I think I was like 30 points away from 1,000 in high school. I would have got it if we had a full senior season but I just never think of myself as a scorer,” she said. “People tell me a lot I should shoot more but I like to get teammates involved. I just want to win.”
Centre has lost in the SAA Tournament title game the last two years to miss a berth in the Division III NCAA Tournament.
“It was really bittersweet after the game. We had a good season (21-7, 10-4 SAA) and the seniors thanked everybody for leaving their hearts on the floor and for fighting so hard,” Rucker said. “They (Milksops) threw up some prayers. We missed some bunnies. That was the difference.
“We played a lot of people this year and will be experienced next year. Our entire starting five and probably our top 10 players will all have lots of experience and know what to expect. We’ve been in the championship game two years in a row and hopefully we can get back and win it next year.”
Bailey, who has been part of 41 wins the last two years, will need 350 points next year to become the fifth all-time leading scorer at Centre. That mark is now held by Chelsea Goodman with 1,365 points. If she had a huge year and score 456 points she would become the fourth all-time leading scorer.
However, she needs 328 points to reach a significant milestone. That would move her ahead of her coach, who scored 1,343 points and ranks sixth on the Centre scoring list.
“That would be pretty cool (to pass Austin). Hopefully I am on pace to do that,” she said.
Here is the complete list of 1,000-point scorers (with year of graduation) at Centre College:
Shannon Collins (1989) — 2,000.
Susan Yates (1990) — 1,849.
Maggie Prewitt (2012) — 1,824.
Paige Baechle (2014) — 1,471.
Chelsea Goodman (2010) — 1,365.
Wendie Austin (1994) — 1,343.
Sarah Green (2002) — 1,252.
Jennifer Patterson (2003) — 1,229.
Becky Jorgensen (1999) — 1,227.
Debi Bennett (1985) — 1,162.
Lauren Huter (2012) — 1,130.
Chelsea Benham (2013) — 1,109.
Cheryl Lewis (1984) — 1,089.
Angela Ice (1998) — 1,075.
Kimey Kyker (1991) — 1,043.
Kat Wilson (2020) — 1,026.
Beth Johnson (2003) — 1,021.
Alexis Guy (2016) — 1,001.
