UK coaches Elzy and Butts, Tennessee’s Harper forged a ‘sisterhood’ under Pat Summitt
When the University of Kentucky women’s basketball team faced Tennessee in Knoxville last Sunday, several pieces of Pat Summitt’s legacy were together again on the same court where the legendary Volunteers’ coach molded eight national championship teams.
UK head coach Kyra Elzy, assistant coach Niya Butts and Tennessee head coach Kellie Harper were teammates in college under Summitt. Butts and Harper were part of the Volunteers teams that won three consecutive national titles in 1996, 1997 and 1998. Elzy also played on the 1997 and 1998 championship squads.
Following the Volunteers’ 70-53 victory over the Cats, Harper and Elzy discussed the bonds they forged in college along with Summitt’s coaching-tree legacy.
“Somebody grabbed a photo of us before the game. I love those girls, I love them,” Harper said of Elzy and Butts. “They were awesome teammates and people that I pull for. I pull for them, and I want them to do well; other than maybe two or three times per year. They’re fantastic people and Lady Vols for life.”
Elzy said she relishes every trip to her alma mater.
“It’s a place that I love, and reminds me of Coach Summitt,” Elzy said.
Asked how it felt to be back on the Thompson-Boling Arena court along with Butts and Harper, Elzy said, “It’s extremely special ... Kellie has done a great job at Tennessee. We all have the sisterhood and love for each other.
“I know Coach Summitt is smiling down to have ... head coaches in the SEC represented from Tennessee, and then all the assistant coaches that are in the business. We’re everywhere, so the sisterhood and the legacy of Coach Summitt continues.”
LSU Coach Nikki Fargas also played at Tennessee from 1990-1994.
With Sunday’s win, Tennessee snapped a three-game losing streak to Kentucky. The Wildcats are scheduled to host a rematch with the Volunteers in Rupp Arena on Feb. 11.
Tide time
Next up for the Cats is a meeting with Alabama in Rupp Arena on Thursday night. The Crimson Tide defeated Auburn 67-55 on Sunday for their fourth win in five games.
Kentucky (11-4 overall, 4-3 SEC) fell three spots to No. 15 in the latest AP Top 25 poll following the loss at Tennessee. Facing a critical stretch when it comes to the race for a top-four finish in the SEC standings and subsequent bye in the conference tournament, the Wildcats get three of their next four games at home.
With a win over Alabama, the Cats would move into a tie for fifth place along with the Crimson Tide. Georgia and Alabama are one game ahead of UK. Alabama is scheduled to host Georgia on Feb. 4.
South Carolina leads the SEC with a 7-0 league record. Texas A&M is second at 5-1 and Tennessee is third at 4-1.
Alabama (11-2, 4-2 SEC) has had a bit of a Jekyll-and-Hyde look of late. On Jan. 17, the Tide were routed by Tennessee, at one point trailing by 29 on their way to an 82-56 home loss. Three days earlier the Tide defeated No. 14 Mississippi State on the road 86-78.
Alabama Coach Kristy Curry believed the effort against Tennessee was an anomaly.
“We made things really hard on ourselves offensively today,” she said after the loss. “That’s uncharacteristic of who we’ve been.”
Alabama bounced back in a big way against Auburn on Sunday. Senior forward Jasmine Walker had put up four straight double-doubles heading into the game and against the Tigers had 17 points and nine rebounds. She’s the SEC’s third-leading scorer at 19.6 points per game and is the league’s fourth-leading rebounder (10.1). Walker was voted to this year’s preseason All-SEC Second Team.
Senior guard Jordan Lewis (17.1) and senior forward Ariyah Copeland (15.0) also average double figures for the Tide. They each scored 19 points in the Auburn win.
Patterson makes watch list
UK senior guard Chasity Patterson was named to the 2021 Naismith Women’s Defensive Player of the Year Watch List on Tuesday.
Patterson leads the nation with 60 steals through 15 games. The Houston native is the only player to start every game for Kentucky this season and is averaging 12.2 points per contest on 46-percent field-goal shooting.
In UK’s 61-point rout of Wofford on Dec. 19, Patterson recorded the first double-double of her career with 17 points and 10 steals, becoming the second player in program history to record 10 or more steals in a game. Leslie Nichols holds the program record with 11 steals against Louisville on Feb. 14, 1986. Patterson and Nichols are also the only players in school history to record eight or more steals in three or more games in a season. Nichols did so during the 1985-86 season.
Patterson had eight steals against both Murray State and DePaul. She had seven against Samford, four apiece against Texas A&M and Auburn and five against Tennessee.
This season, Patterson has led Kentucky in steals 11 times, assists seven times and scoring four times.
Last season, Patterson was named the 2019-20 Southeastern Conference Sixth Woman of the Year, despite playing just 19 games. She made her Kentucky debut at California on Dec. 21, 2019, after sitting out for one year because of the NCAA transfer rule. Patterson averaged 11.5 points and 2.2 rebounds per game last year.
Thursday
Alabama at No. 15 Kentucky
When: 6:30 p.m.
Where: Rupp Arena
TV: SEC Network
Radio: WLAP-AM 630
Records: UK 11-4 (4-3 SEC); Alabama 12-2 (5-2 SEC)
Series: Kentucky leads 33-17
Last meeting: Kentucky won 66-62 on Feb. 6, 2020, in Memorial Coliseum.
