Last Updated on May 30, 2026 by Mat Diekhake

Richmond women’s basketball has produced stars across multiple eras, but the names that stand out most are the ones who combined elite production with real program-shaping impact. For the Spiders, that means players who either own the record book, led Richmond to major postseason breakthroughs, or set the competitive standard for the generations that followed.

The list below leans on that full picture instead of just raw points. Richmond has had a number of excellent players, but these are the women with the strongest cases as true program legends.

1. Karen Elsner Davey

  • Years with Richmond Spiders: 1981–1985
  • Position: Center
  • Notable achievements:
    • Richmond all-time leading scorer
    • Richmond all-time leading rebounder
    • 2013 Atlantic 10 Women’s Basketball Legend
    • Richmond Athletics Hall of Fame inductee

Karen Elsner Davey is the clearest No. 1 choice in Richmond women’s basketball history. She still sits at the top of the program in both career points and career rebounds, and her scoring average over four seasons was outrageous for any era, let alone one in which Richmond was still building its long-term identity at the Division I level. When one player owns that much of the record book and remains the benchmark decades later, it stops being a debate and starts being history. (University of Richmond Athletics)

2. Brittani Shells

  • Years with Richmond Spiders: 2007–2011
  • Position: Guard
  • Notable achievements:
    • Second in Richmond career scoring
    • Richmond career steals leader
    • Three-time First Team All-Atlantic 10 selection
    • Three-time Atlantic 10 All-Defensive selection

Brittani Shells has one of the strongest modern-era cases on the board because she was not just a scorer, she was a complete two-way problem. She finished her career with 2,042 points, 300 steals, 816 made field goals and 334 assists, which tells you how much of the offense and defense ran through her. Richmond has had very good guards, but Shells gave the program star-level scoring without sacrificing defensive edge, and that combination makes her one of the easiest picks on this list.

3. Pam Bryant Jordan

  • Years with Richmond Spiders: 1986–1990
  • Position: Guard
  • Notable achievements:
    • Two-time CAA Player of the Year
    • CAA Rookie of the Year
    • Led Richmond to its first NCAA Tournament appearance
    • Richmond Athletics Hall of Fame inductee

Pam Bryant Jordan belongs near the very top because she was the centerpiece of one of the biggest turning points in program history. She was a back-to-back CAA Player of the Year, helped drive Richmond to the 1990 CAA title, and led the Spiders into their first NCAA Tournament. Add in 1,762 career points and multiple all-defensive honors, and you are looking at a player who mixed production, winning and program-building importance in a way very few others have matched. (University of Richmond Athletics)

4. Kate Flavin

  • Years with Richmond Spiders: 2001–2005
  • Position: Forward
  • Notable achievements:
    • Three-time All-Atlantic 10 selection
    • Two-time First Team All-Atlantic 10 selection
    • Atlantic 10 All-Defensive Team selection
    • Helped Richmond earn its first NCAA at-large berth

Kate Flavin gave Richmond an elite interior anchor during one of the program’s strongest 2000s runs. She finished her career with 1,770 points and 1,079 rebounds, putting her near the very top of both major categories, and she paired that volume with unusually efficient scoring for a high-usage forward. Her senior season in particular was the sort of year that wins games and changes how a team is viewed nationally, which is why she remains one of the defining frontcourt players in Spider history.

5. Michele Koclanes

  • Years with Richmond Spiders: 1998–2002
  • Position: Point guard
  • Notable achievements:
    • Richmond all-time assists leader
    • Four straight seasons leading the conference in assists
    • 2001 First Team All-CAA selection
    • Richmond Athletics Hall of Fame inductee

Michele Koclanes deserves a spot because no Spider has ever controlled the game as a passer the way she did. She finished with 793 assists, still the program record, and her senior year alone produced 221 assists while she ranked among the national leaders in assists per game. She also crossed 1,000 career points, which matters because it shows she was not a one-dimensional distributor. Richmond has had bigger scorers, but very few players have ever been this central to the way the team functioned night after night.

Sources:

Richmond Spiders — Elsner Recognized As Inaugural A-10 Legend
Richmond Spiders — Karen Elsner Davey (1992) – Richmond Athletics Hall of Fame
Richmond Spiders — Shells Garners All Conference, All Academic Honors
Richmond Spiders — Pam Bryant Jordan (1994) – Richmond Athletics Hall of Fame
Richmond Spiders — 1990 Women’s Basketball Team of Distinction (2019)
Richmond Spiders — Kate Flavin Receives State Recognition
Richmond Spiders — Michele Koclanes Honored As An All-State Selection
Atlantic 10 — 2013 Inaugural Women’s Basketball Legends
Richmond Spiders — Richmond Women’s Basketball Record Book