UK recruit explains to ESPN why she bolted Mitchell’s program
McDonald’s All-American Lindsey Corsaro painted a picture of the turmoil within the University of Kentucky women’s basketball program not so different from the way head coach Matthew Mitchell explained things recently.
Corsaro, in an interview with ESPNW, described a gradual series of changes at UK that led to her decision to ask Mitchell to release her from her letter of intent. The 6-foot-1 combo guard from Indianapolis was expected to be a key contributor for the Wildcats in 2016-17.
“Initially, they were making a culture change,” Corsaro told ESPNW, “and girls who didn’t fall in line with that culture left.”
Corsaro said more change resulted when assistant coaches began to depart, taking with them strong relationships they had built with her and other players.
UK has had eight different assistant coaches on staff in the past three years.
In an interview with the Herald-Leader last month, Mitchell said, “I have thought long and hard about ‘How have you not been able to get this right?’ I promise you I’ve thought about that. If anybody said that, I don’t know how you could argue with that, that I have had trouble meshing a staff together.”
Despite its great success on the court, the Kentucky program has been unraveled off the floor by seven player departures and three assistant coaches leaving since the start of last season. In addition to Corsaro’s change of heart, UK received word this week that Lindsey Duvall, a top-25 national recruit from Bullitt East who committed to the Wildcats last fall, has reopened her recruitment.
Corsaro, who committed to Kentucky as a sophomore, said she appreciates Mitchell letting her out of her letter of intent.
“He wants what’s best for me, and that shows the kind of person he is,” Corsaro told ESPNW. “I believe he’s a great guy. It’s just been bad timing how everyone was leaving.”
This story was originally published May 12, 2016 at 5:05 PM with the headline "UK recruit explains to ESPN why she bolted Mitchell’s program."