BOONE, N.C. – Appalachian State University women's basketball will welcome back one of its former greats when it faces UNC Greensboro on Saturday in the annual Play 4Kay game.

The Mountaineers will be joined by Valorie Whiteside, who will serve as the team's honorary coach for the contest against the Spartans.

Whiteside, who ended her career as the all-time leading scorer in Appalachian history, is one of just two former players to have their numbers retired.

A Southern Conference and Appalachian Athletics Hall of Fame member, Whiteside scored 2,944 points during her career and ranks ninth in NCAA history in career scoring.

She also ranks seventh in NCAA history in scoring average (25.4 ppg) and still holds 42 ASU records and nine Southern Conference records.

Whiteside was a four-time all-SoCon selection and a three-time all-SoCon Tournament selection. She earned SoCon Player of the Year honors in 1988 and was the SoCon Tournament MVP in 1987 and 1988, when the led the Mountaineers to consecutive league titles.

A three-time All-American, Whiteside graduated from Appalachian State with a degree in communications before embarking on a professional playing career. She played professionally in Europe with stints in Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and Italy until 2003. 

She has been an ESOL instructor in District 6 and founded and coached the I-Town Ballers 13-and-under boys travel team, which won a national title in 2008.

Whiteside is currently in her first season as the head girl's basketball coach at Dorman High School (Roebuck, S.C.) where she has led the Cavaliers to a 19-2 record. She and her husband, Joaquin, have two children, JJ and Keenan.