‘We have to find a cure.’ UK’s Elzy working to end disease that felled her mentor.
When the University of Kentucky women’s basketball team faces Tennessee in Knoxville on Sunday, it will mark the first time Kyra Elzy has returned to her alma mater as a college head coach.
The former Oldham County High School star dreamed of playing in college under Tennessee’s legendary coach, Pat Summitt. Elzy got her wish — and she made the most of it by becoming a four-year letter winner and capturing two national championships with the Volunteers.
Elzy left her associate head coach role at Kentucky in 2012 to become an assistant at Tennessee in the first season following Summitt’s announcement that she’d been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease and subsequent retirement. Summitt died at age 64 in 2016, the same year Elzy returned to Kentucky to help former coach Matthew Mitchell rebuild the program.
Following Thursday’s win at Auburn, Elzy spoke of her enduring affection for Summitt.
“Rest in peace, Coach Summitt,” Elzy said. “We love you and we continue to honor your legacy.”
Following Summitt’s retirement, she created a foundation to generate money for Alzheimer’s research and worked to raise awareness of the disease. Elzy and her husband, Dexter, have also worked for years to fight Alzheimer’s. In 2013 they established an initiative called the SEC Win Challenge as part of the Pat Summitt Foundation to help raise research funding and awareness.
“It’s very important to me,” Elzy said when asked about her work to end Alzheimer’s. “I lost my coach, my mentor and friend … It’s very important to find a cure, it affects so many people. My grandmother, Mary Elzy, battled the disease and lost her life because of it. So, I want to use my platform to raise awareness. We have to find a cure to end this disease.”
Turning tides
Tennessee has dominated Kentucky through the years, owning a 55-14 advantage in the all-time series. But the Wildcats have flipped the script of late, having won three straight over the Volunteers. UK defeated UT in Lexington last season, 80-76, then dominated the rematch in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament 86-65.
Kentucky (11-3, 4-2 SEC) will have its hands full Sunday. Tennessee (9-3, 3-1 SEC) has won seven of its last nine games and on Thursday went toe-to-toe with No. 3 Connecticut in Knoxville. The Volunteers led by four points after three quarters but the Huskies opened the fourth with a 7-1 run and held on for the win.
Rae Burrell, a 6-foot-1 junior wing, is Tennessee’s leading scorer at 16.8 points per game. She had a team-high 18 points and eight rebounds in the UConn loss. Rennia Davis, a 6-foot-2 senior wing, averages 13.9 points and 8.3 rebounds. No one else averages double figures in scoring for the Vols, but six other players contribute at least five points per game.
“It’ll be a great game in Knoxville,” Elzy said. “Once again, another grind-it-out, talented team … We’ll be ready for Sunday.”
Kentucky is in for a fight in the paint. The Volunteers are outrebounding their opponents by more than 14 per game (45.9-31.8) while Kentucky is averaging just over three more boards than its foes (38.4-35.1). The Wildcats have been outrebounded in four straight contests, going 2-2 in that stretch.
“We’re going to have to rebound better,” Elzy said when asked about the formula for leaving Knoxville with a win. “I didn’t think we did that consistently (against Auburn).”
Elzy is not the only Wildcat who’ll be returning to her old stomping ground against the Vols. Junior guard Jazmine Massengill played two seasons at Tennessee before transferring to UK in April. As a starter for the Volunteers last season, Massengill averaged 6.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game and scored six points in each loss to the Wildcats.
In six games for UK this season since being granted an eligibility waiver by the NCAA, Massengill is averaging 4.2 points, 2.5 assists and 20.0 minutes per game.
Benton big off bench
The Tennessee game will be the second straight in which a Kentucky transfer will take the court against her former team. Junior guard Robyn Benton played two seasons at Auburn before joining the Cats along with Massengill in April.
Following Thursday’s victory over the Tigers, Elzy said neither the team nor Benton assigned the game any added importance because of those circumstances.
“This is a team win … Any win in the SEC is tough, it’s the top conference in the country,” Elzy said. “For Robyn, it’s another game. I told her to come in, stay level-headed, compete. Don’t be too high, don’t be too low, just do what you do.”
Benton did, in fact, do against Auburn what she’s done the entire season — provide a potent punch off the bench. Benton put up 10 points and three rebounds, knocking down a pair of shots from outside.
Sunday
No. 12 Kentucky at No. 25 Tennessee
When: 2 p.m.
TV: ESPN2
Radio: WLAP-AM 630
Records: UK 11-3 (4-2 SEC); Tennessee 9-3 (3-1 SEC)
Series: Tennessee leads 55-14
Last meeting: Kentucky won 86-65 on March 6, 2020, in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament
