Valerie King, a veteran collegiate coach at the Division I level was tabbed as the next women’s basketball coach at East Texas A&M by Director of Athletics Jim Curry in April 2023. She is the ninth head coach in program history.
She is entering her third season at the helm of the women's basketball program in 2025-26.
King and the Lions recorded marquee wins over Texas Southern during non-conference play in the 2025-26 season, which was King's second season at East Texas A&M. During conference play, the Lions swept Nicholls and recorded road wins over Nicholls and McNeese. Following the season, Jordyn Newsome was named to Southland All-Academic first team.
In her first season in Commerce, King guided the Lions to a 15-16 record, which included a trip to the Southland Conference Tournament Semifinals. The 15 wins recorded by the Lions set a new program record for most under a first year coach and Mia Deck was named to second team all-Southland, while King's first recruit in Commerce, Jordyn Newsome, was named the SLC Newcomer of the Year.
King came to Commerce after spending the last seven seasons on the coaching staff at New Mexico, including serving as associate head coach for the Lobos in 2022-23.
King has had success at every level during her career as a player and coach. During her time at New Mexico the program went 141-78 (.644) and earned a postseason berth five times.
New Mexico won 20 games or more four times and won the on 2020-21 regular season title. The Lobo teams were exceptional on offense during her time in Albuquerque as UNM finished in the Top 20 nationally in three-pointers made in each of the last three seasons, finishing third in 2021-22.
Prior to New Mexico, King also worked with coach Mike Bradbury at Wright State for six years. Success came quick as Wright State notched its first two NCAA Division I postseason tournament wins and the program’s first 20 win season as a Division I program. The Raiders made five postseason appearances with King on the staff, including the NCAA Tournament in 2013-14.
Prior to Wright State, King spent three seasons on the staff at Morehead State and helped turn the Eagles into one of the best shooting teams in the country. In 2009-10, Morehead State led the NCAA in three-pointers made per game (10.3). That year Morehead State finished 22-11.
As a player, King was a four-year starter for the University of Cincinnati from 2000-04. She ended her Bearcat career as the all-time leader in three-pointers made with 338, which was also the Conference USA record at the time and is second now.
To this day, she is second all-time in free-throw percentage, fourth all-time in scoring, and fifth in three-point percentage in the Conference USA record book. She was selected to the Conference USA All-Decade team for the 2000s.
King garnered many honors as a player as she earned first-team all-conference honors twice and was named the 2001 and 2002 Conference USA Tournament MVP. She signed as a free agent with the Sacramento Monarchs of the WNBA.
A native of Washington Court House, Ohio, King graduated from Cincinnati with a degree in communication and earned a master’s degree from the University of Louisville in sports administration. King and her husband Brandon welcomed their first child, Camden, in July of 2021, and their second daughter, Emersyn, in July of 2022.
