In shocking move, Matthew Mitchell resigns as UK women’s basketball coach

In a stunning move, Matthew Mitchell announced his retirement as University of Kentucky women’s basketball coach Thursday night.

Mitchell cited health issues as the reason. UK announced that associate head coach Kyra Elzy will serve as UK’s interim head coach for 2020-21.

In March, Mitchell fell and hit his head while hiking with his family on a vacation trip to Mexico.

After returning to Lexington, Mitchell experienced headaches that did not cease.

Eventually, the recurring headaches sent Mitchell to UK’s Albert B. Chandler Hospital, where he was diagnosed with a subdural hematoma, a build-up of blood on the brain.

In June, doctors at UK performed brain surgery on Mitchell. Post-surgery, the coach’s return to full health and a normal schedule had been slow.

“This was a difficult decision and I know the timing is not ideal, but I do not feel I can give the job what it requires at this time,” Mitchell said in a UK news release. “As has been much publicized, I have had an eventful offseason with my injury and subsequent surgery.

“I have been open about the fact that the surgery and recovery process has been life-altering for me and my family. Through that, my priorities toward my family and my faith (have) grown even larger than before and that has led me to make this decision.”

The start of the 2020-21 season has been delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and UK has not yet announced its schedule. The earliest date the season could begin is Nov. 25.

Over 13 seasons, Mitchell, 49, led UK women’s basketball to its greatest heights.

The winningest coach in school history, Mitchell went 303-133, led Kentucky to nine NCAA Tournament trips and took the Wildcats to the round of eight three different times.

Mitchell’s 2011-12 team won the SEC regular-season championship, only the second time in school history Kentucky had claimed a women’s hoops league title.

A Mississippi native and a graduate of Mississippi State University, Mitchell first came to Kentucky in 2003 as an assistant on the coaching staff of Mickie DeMoss.

After two seasons in Lexington, Mitchell was hired as Morehead State head man. In two years (2005-07), he went 30-29 at MSU.

When DeMoss unexpectedly stepped down after the 2006-07 season, Kentucky Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart tapped Mitchell as her replacement.

Mitchell’s first two seasons as Kentucky coach were so-so, yielding a 17-16 mark in 2007-08 and a 16-16 record in 2008-09.

Before his third season, Mitchell decided to employ an uptempo, pressure defense style.

Boosted by the development of then-junior forward Victoria Dunlap into a star-caliber player and the recruitment of Louisville high school star A’dia Mathies, the Kentucky program stunned the SEC by going 28-8, 11-5 in the league, and finishing second in the conference.

In the 2010 NCAA Tournament round of 16, UK upset No. 1 seed Nebraska and reached the round of eight before falling to Oklahoma.

That launched a stretch when Kentucky made the Elite Eight three times in four years, falling to eventual NCAA champion Connecticut in region finals in 2012 and 2013.

Mitchell “has been a great ambassador for the University of Kentucky, on and off the court, bringing an energy and style of play that made it fun for players and fans alike,” Barnhart said in the UK release. “In addition, Matthew and (wife) Jenna have woven themselves into the fabric of the community with a tremendous generosity of time, treasure and spirit. Matthew, Jenna and their children always will be part of the Wildcat family and we wish them the very best as they enter the next stage of their lives.”

Kentucky men’s basketball coach John Calipari told the SEC Network during its broadcast of UK’s Pro Day that Mitchell “is one of the great guys of all time. During my time here, there’s many times I was going into his gym, watching them press and do stuff or going into his office and we’d talk. Or he’d come into my office and we’d talk.

“The two teams were close. There was none of that ‘well, they’re getting this, we get that.’ .... every program here is treated first class. Our women are and it’s because Matthew Mitchell took everything to another level. What he did here, how he did it, the kind of girls we have, the kind of women that are playing here.”

UK’s 2020-21 team, led by National Player of the Year candidate Rhyne Howard, was expected to be one of Mitchell’s best.

Kentucky is ranked No. 11 in The Associated Press preseason Top 25.

Elzy, a former Oldham County High School star who played collegiately for Pat Summitt at Tennessee, will be serving as a head coach for the first time.

She has served as an NCAA assistant coach since 2002, including associate head coach titles at Kentucky and Tennessee.

“Coach Mitchell means so much to me and I owe him an enormous amount of gratitude for his guidance throughout my coaching career,” Elzy said in UK’s news release. “This is not an easy day for any of us as we come to grips with his decision to retire.

“My immediate focus is on our players and making sure that they are dealing with this change that has happened so abruptly. As you can understand, this has been difficult for them to process. We met with the players and their families this evening and ensured them that this program will stand on the same principles moving forward.”

This story was originally published November 12, 2020 at 8:08 PM.