Throughout 44 seasons of WKU Women’s Basketball, Lady Topper red has been synonymous with success in conference play and the NCAA tournament.
In a perfect world, all players listed below would have played on the same team. This hypothetical starting five consists of the best players in the last 25 years.
There are several current or graduating players on the 2024-25 roster that could also qualify for this list as well, but this list will exclude this current season.
PG – Kendall Noble (2012-17)
Kendall Noble donned the red and white from 2012-17, racking up several achievements, including program all-time leads in minutes played and steals (343). Additionally, she is second in assists (577) and top 10 in points (1,737), blocked shots (81) and rebounds (820).
In Noble’s junior season, she earned the first triple-double in program history, with 17 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists against Charlotte.
Noble’s junior year was her most productive season, averaging 18.1 points and 5.6 assists, playing 37.7 minutes per game. Her production earned her the 2015-16 Conference USA Player of the Year and one of her two CUSA Defensive Player of the Year honors. Noble also earned All-CUSA honors for three straight years from 2015-17.
Noble was a key piece in the Lady Topper offense, ranking third in offensive production within CUSA while playing an important role in a first-ranked defense in the conference.
Noble helped lead the Lady Toppers to the NCAA tournament in her final season, along with a CUSA regular season and tournament title.
G – Tiffany Porter-Talbert (2002-06)
Tiffany Porter-Talbert played from 2002-06, averaging 16.0 points and 7.8 rebounds a game. The four-year guard was a three-time All-Sun Belt and four-time All-Sun Belt tournament recipient.
Porter-Talbert is one of only four Lady Toppers to score 2,000 career points and ranks sixth in rebounds with 995. The guard was a force on the defensive end, ranking third all-time with 257 steals.
In her freshman year, she helped lead the Lady Toppers to the NCAA tournament. Her senior campaign finished one game short of the NCAA tournament.
Porter-Talbert had her best season in her junior year, averaging 17.9 points and 2.6 assists while shooting 54% from the field. She was drafted 36th overall in the third round of the 2006 WNBA draft, selected by the Los Angeles Sparks.
In 2016, Porter-Talbert was inducted into the WKU Athletic Hall of Fame. Just two years later, she was announced as an assistant coach for the Lady Toppers, a job she’s held for the last six seasons.
F – Leslie Logsdon (2001-05)
Leslie Logsdon played for the Lady Toppers for four seasons from 2001-05, averaging 15.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists a game across her career.
Logsdon was a three-time All-Sun Belt and 2003 All-Sun Belt Tournament recipient. She dominated in her sophomore season, averaging 17.5 points and 4.2 rebounds a game while helping the Lady Toppers to the NCAA tournament.
Her 2002-03 season was impressive, totaling the most 3-pointers in a season (96) and the highest 3-point field goal percentage (.41) in Lady Topper history.
F – Crystal Kelly (2004-08)
Crystal Kelly was a Lady Topper from 2004-08, averaging an unreal 21.6 points and 9.7 rebounds per game in her career.
Kelly earned the Lady Topper single-season records for points (770), points per game (24.1) and true shooting percentage (.711). Overall, Kelly holds 10 records on both ends of the floor, including in offensive and defensive win shares.
The forward earned All-Sun Belt honors in all four seasons of her career, along with All-Sun Belt tournament honors for two seasons. In 2005, Kelly was awarded the Sun Belt Freshman of the Year Award, and in 2008, Kelly received the Sun Belt Player of the Year award
In her senior season, Kelly helped lead the team to an NCAA tournament appearance, the first in five seasons for the Lady Toppers.
Kelly was drafted 31st overall in the third round of the 2008 WNBA draft by the Houston Comets, playing three seasons total in the league, highlighted by stints on the Sacramento Monarchs, Detroit Shock and San Antonio Silver Stars.
In 2023, Kelly was hired as an assistant coach for University of Kentucky Women’s Basketball.
C – Raneem El-Gedawy (2017-21)
Raneem El-Gedawy joined the Lady Toppers in the 2017-18 season after playing in several international competitions, including the FIBA World Championships and the 2015 Afrobasket championships.
In her career on the Hill, El-Gedawy averaged 14.9 points and nine rebounds and shot nearly 50% from the field.
Her freshman season earned her several honors, including 2017-18 CUSA Player of the Year, thereby earning All-CUSA Freshman honors. Her great season powered the Lady Toppers to an NCAA tournament appearance.
El-Gedawy built off her strong freshman season with three straight years of All-CUSA honors, including a strong senior season, averaging a monster 21.5 points and 12.3 rebounds a game.
She holds several Lady Topper single-season records, including offensive rebound percentage (17.1), total rebound percentage (23.2) and defensive rebound percentage (29.7).
In her senior season, El-Gedawy topped the 1,000 rebound mark, putting her fifth in the WKU record book for total rebounds.
Sports Reporter Austin Rice can be reached at [email protected]
