‘Eager to begin this journey.’ Former Kentucky boss Matthew Mitchell returns to coaching
Former Kentucky women’s basketball coach Matthew Mitchell is back in the game.
And he’s taking on quite a reclamation project.
Mitchell, a two-time SEC Coach of the Year at UK between 2007 and 2020 before taking an extended break from the game, has been named the eighth coach of University of Houston women’s basketball, pending a board of regents approval, vice president for athletics Eddie Nuñez announced Thursday.
“We are thrilled to welcome Matthew Mitchell and his family to the University of Houston,” Nuñez said. “I am fully confident that Coach will build a nationally competitive basketball program composed of outstanding young women who will be proud to wear the Cougar uniform, who will earn their degrees and who will be wonderful representatives of the university in the community. He has a tremendous track record of success at every step in his career and leads with high character and integrity. Our women’s basketball program is in great hands and with continued support, we will soon be competing for championships!”
Mitchell replaces former head coach Ron Hughey, who stepped down in early March after 11 seasons, during which the Cougars went 140-195. This season, Houston finished with 5-25 (1-17 Big 12).
Mitchell served as the head coach at Kentucky from 2007-20, during which he posted 10 seasons of 20 wins or more, including seven seasons of 25 wins or more. He led the Wildcats to nine NCAA Tournament appearances, including five Sweet 16 berths and three trips to the Elite Eight.
Mitchell announced his retirement, somewhat surprisingly, just ahead of the 2020-21 campaign after sustaining a brain injury while on vacation with his family earlier that year. Kyra Elzy, his associate head coach, was named the interim head coach in his absence, and had the interim tag removed in December 2020. Mitchell is the winningest head coach in UK women’s basketball history, having recorded 303 victories during his 13 seasons in Lexington.
Mitchell also served as the head coach at Morehead State from 2005-07, after assistant stops at UK and Florida, and a graduate assistant role for one season at Tennessee under the late Pat Summitt.
The Houston Chronicle reported Thursday that Mitchell was selected from a group of three finalists for the job, and that “Mitchell will receive a five-year deal that pays about $600,000 annually, a source said, which is more than double the amount paid to” Hughey.
Mitchell’s final contract at Kentucky paid him about $1.25 million annually.
“I am incredibly excited and deeply grateful for the opportunity to become the women’s basketball head coach at the University of Houston,” Mitchell said in a press release. “This is a true honor — stepping into this role in a city with such a rich basketball history. I want to begin by extending my heartfelt thanks to President Renu Khator and Eddie Nuñez for their belief in me to elevate this program to compete at the highest level in the country. Their trust in me means the world, and I’m eager to begin this journey alongside them.”
When Mitchell announced his unexpected departure from Kentucky, it was widely assumed to be for health reasons. He had suffered a subdural hematoma, a buildup of blood on the brain, as a result of tripping over a rock while on a family hiking trip in Mexico.
Though the surgery and the time needed to recover from it had an impact on how he thought about his future, Mitchell said a year after the injury that he did not resign for health reasons.
“I am physically fine. I was physically cleared to go back to work,” Mitchell said at the time. “I could have coached the team this year. Physically and mentally, I could have done it.”
He said the decision to depart was more about shifting priorities in his life at that time, which included grandchildren and aging parents.
During his time away, Mitchell, now 54, launched a business teaching leadership skills and wrote multiple books on the topic.
