Shea Sydney Ralph (born 12 March 1978) is an assistant coach for the University of Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team. She has returned to the team she played for in college, where she helped win a National Championship in 2000.

High School

Shea Ralph grew up in Fayetteville, North Carolina, where she attended Terry Sanford High School. She was named Athlete of the Year by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association. The Terry Sanford High School graduate is best-known for her basketball prowess, but she also lettered in soccer, cross-country, and track. At the time of the award, she held 17 state basketball records, including 39.1 points per game as a junior, a 71.6 percent shooting percentage from the floor as a junior, and 18 assists in one game. A scholar as well as an athlete, the National Honor Society member was a recipient of the 1995 Dial Award presented annually to the top male and female high-school athlete/scholar in the United States.

In 1996, she was named the USA Today National High School Player of the Year.

While in high school, Shea began a multi-year battle with anorexia nervosa. It began with an offhand comment by a teammate, telling her she looked a "little thick." She cut down her eating so significantly she dropped from 145 pounds to 108, a very low weight for a six foot tall person. Despite barely eating, she still managed to score 3002 points in her high school career.

College

She attended the University of Connecticut from 1996-2001, graduating with a B.A. in Exercise physiology.

She wore number 33, a number worn previously by Jamelle Elliott, current UConn sports announcer Meghan Pattyson Culmo and subsequently by Barbara Turner.

She was enrolled at the university for five years, with a medical redshirt in her second year, 1997-98. During the four years she played a full or partial season, the team had a record of 130-10. In Big East play, the team only lost two games in four seasons for a combined record of 66-2. The team won the Big East Regular season Championship and the post-season Big East Tournament Championship all four years. The team went to the NCAA Tournament all four years, making at least the Sweet Sixteen each time. In her last two years, the team made the Final Four. In 2000 Shea Ralph captained the team to the National Championship. Shea was named the Tournaments Most Outstanding Player.

In her first year(1996-97), she won the Big East Rookie of the Year award. She currently holds the All-time Record 3-point shooting for a single Big East Season (.517) 1998-99. She was named to the Big East First team for the 2000-01 season and earned the Big East Player of the Year in the 1999-00 season. In 1999 her performance in the Big East Tournament earned her the Most Outstanding Performer 1999 award.

Shea was named the Sports Illustrated for Women Player of the Year in 2000 , was the recipient of the Honda Award in Basketball 1999-00, and named to the Kodak All-America team. She competed with USA Basketball as a member of the 2000 Jones Cup Team that won the Gold in Taipei. Shea was a member of the inaugural class (2006) of inductees to the University of Connecticut women's basketball "Huskies of Honor" recognition program.

Shea's battle with anorexia continued in college. Her condition wasn't known to Connecticut at the time of her recruitment, but soon became apparent. Playing basketball was her first love, so benching her from playing did get her to eat. But that only lasted until her first ACL tear. Not able to exercise while rehabilitating, she worried about gaining weight and reverted to poor eating habits. A second ACL tear caused her to miss the entire 1997-1998 season. That year off convinced her that she needed to overcome her anorexia, if only out of responsibility to her teammates.

She finished her college career with 1,678 points.

WNBA

Shea Ralph was drafted in the third round (40th pick) by the Utah Starzz (now the San Antonio Silver Stars) She opted to sit out the first year, so her knees could recover, but she never ended up playing in the WNBA.

Lifetime

Shea is a 2008 inductee into the Fayetteville Sports Club Hall of Fame. on the basis of her high school, college and coaching accomplishments.