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Ogden resident and former Weber State women's basketball player Kathy Miller poses next to the banner commemorating her retired number Saturday, Feb. 12, 2022, at the Dee Events Center in Ogden.

Photo supplied, Robert Casey

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Kathy Miller, center left, poses with, from left, Weber State athletic director Tim Crompton, associate AD Meagan Thunell, and Miller's husband, Ralph Rees, on Saturday, Feb. 12, 2022, at the Dee Events Center, after Miller's No. 44 was retired.

Robert Casey, Weber State Athletics

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OGDEN — It seems if you didn’t already know, one might never learn that Kathy Miller, the soft-spoken accountant, might be the best women’s basketball player in Weber State history. At least not from her.

But Weber State University gave Miller the rarest honor Saturday afternoon that might change that just a little, even more rare or prestigious than her 1989 induction into the school’s first-ever Hall of Fame class.

Miller’s No. 44 jersey was retired at halftime of the WSU women’s game against Idaho. She unveiled a large banner that reads “44 Kathy Miller 1976-79” that will hang in the rafters at the Dee Events Center with men’s basketball alums Damian Lillard, Bruce Collins and Willie Sojourner.

Those four, along with former football quarterback Jamie Martin, are the only five WSU athletes to be so honored. That makes Miller, a native and lifelong resident of Ogden, the first woman to have her number retired at Weber State.

“It’s very special,” Miller said after the halftime ceremony. “I obviously love Ogden, lived here my whole life … it was an honor to play for Weber State.”

Miller played from 1976-79 and is still the program’s all-time record holder in career scoring and scoring average despite playing before the 3-point line was instituted. She totaled 2,745 career points at an average of 27.5 points per game. She also still holds program records for career rebounding average at 13.0 per game and is first in career field goals made with 1,082.

She set several single-game and single-season records that still stand, including scoring 50 points in a game against Utah State on Dec. 16, 1976. She scored 40 or more points nine times and 35 or more points 14 times.

She averaged 31.5 points per game as a sophomore, still a WSU record for single-season scoring average.

During the halftime ceremony, Miller talked about how she and point guard Anne Avondet Gilbert helped lead a team that was well undersized, but loved to run, run, then run some more.

When she spoke to the crowd at halftime, she spent most of her time talking about her teammates and coaches, listing them by name.

“Had they kept assists, (Avondet Gilbert) would have led the country in assists,” Miller said. “No doubt.”

Miller was presented with a basketball signed by current players, several sets of flowers, and a framed, smaller version of the banner that now bears her name atop the Dee Events Center. A short video played with Avondet Gilbert and former WSU coach Carla Taylor speaking about Miller.

“Very smart. She didn’t talk much, but when she did, you knew it was important,” Taylor said.

Miller was a multi-sport star at Ogden High School and continued that at Weber State, where she also played volleyball and softball. She was a four-time all-conference player in softball.

Miller related that at Ogden High, before girls basketball was a sanctioned sport, her team often wore white T-shirts showing numbers added with electrical tape.

“So to get to come to Weber State, have uniforms, travel, it was just so much fun,” she said. “You don’t realize at the time how special those times are. You get older and look back, and you just treasure it.”

IDAHO 82, WSU 73

In Saturday’s game, the Weber State women (8-16, 4-11 Big Sky) saw another competitive game slip out of their hands and moved to 1-10 in their last 11 games.

A Kori Pentzer 3 put WSU up 54-49 with two minutes left in the third quarter. But over the space of 2 1/2 minutes in the fourth, the Vandals hit four consecutive 3-pointers, capped when Louise Forsyth made a 3 and was fouled on another, making her free throws for a 15-2 Idaho run.

That made it 70-58 midway through the fourth and the Vandals didn’t relent after that.

Daryn Hickok led Weber State with 18 points, eight rebounds and four steals. Emma Torbert scored 17 points, adding four rebounds and five assists. Jadyn Matthews totaled 13 points and seven rebounds.