Athlete – Basketball
Belitta “BeBe” Croley was born in Lexington, Ky., to the late Anna Regina and John Croley. She is the youngest of five children — two brothers, John and the late Lenyai, and two sisters, Jemensia and Alcendia.
BeBe began playing organized basketball in the 7th grade. She attended Henry Clay High School and it was there she earned All-State honors as a junior and senior. During her senior year, BeBe was a consensus All-American, selected to the Adidas, Converse, USA Today, and Parade All-American teams. In 1984, she was voted Athlete of the Year in the state of Kentucky.
After receiving hundreds of college offers, BeBe selected the University of Kentucky to continue her academic and athletic career. BeBe had a successful career at UK. She led the team in scoring and rebounding in her junior and senior years. By the numbers, BeBe was fifth in career scoring average (14.2); 10th in career rebounding average (6.4); 10th best season scoring average (17.7); and 19th on UK’s all-time scoring list (1,339).
While at the University of Ky, BeBe was selected twice to represent the United States, playing on the 1985 Jones Cup team that won the gold medal, and the 1987 Select Team.
After her playing career, BeBe continued to stay involved with the sport by coaching AAU, conducting basketball clinics, camps, and mentoring.
In 1988 Bebe earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Communications and in 1991 went on to earn her Master’s degree in Counseling, also at UK.
BeBe’s career in human and social services includes various management, supervisory, and direct practice roles. For the last 23 years, she has worked as the social worker coordinator for Sycamore Community Schools in Cincinnati, Ohio.
In addition to her work, she has served her community on several boards, most recently the YMCA, Exclusive Services, and Cincinnati Hope Coalition. BeBe currently resides in Northern Kentucky with her partner of 20 years, Randall Espy.
