The first major domino has fallen in the coaching carousel. Kentucky announced Monday morning that Kyra Elzy was fired following her fourth season in Lexington. The Wildcats, who won the SEC tournament in 2022, had gone 6-26 in the last two seasons.
The move by Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart is interesting because it comes at a significant cost to the Wildcats. Elzy signed a contract extension after winning the 2022 SEC tournament that would keep her as head coach through the 2026-27 season. By removing Elzy now, Kentucky’s athletic department will be paying out the remainder of her contract — $2.475 million — unless both parties agree to different terms or she is hired elsewhere before the end of her contract in June 2027. Kentucky is also completing an $82 million renovation of Memorial Coliseum that is expected to be ready for the 2024-25 season — in time for a new women’s basketball era.
Barnhart isn’t messing around. He sees what’s going on in the women’s basketball world and doesn’t want his program to be left behind. Kentucky is paying significant money to get rid of Elzy, so expect the Wildcats to swing for the fences here to return to relevancy in a deepening SEC and national landscape.
Names to watch
Jeff Walz, Louisville head coach
Even if…
