Kentucky WBB looks to clean up foul trouble issues
Most people blame the referees when their team gets into foul trouble. Kentucky Women’s Basketball head coach Kyra Elzy blames her team when the referees call the fouls.
The Wildcats are currently recovering from the Baha Mar Hoops Pink Flamingo Championship. In the two-game trip, the ‘Cats narrowly fell to No. 11 Virginia Tech and handily defeated the Dayton Flyers. Although the two games had wildly different outcomes, they shared a common thread: foul trouble.
Kentucky had two players foul out and an additional three players with four fouls against Virginia Tech. In UK’s win over Dayton, starting backcourt members Jada Walker and Maddie Scherr had to play extremely carefully as they finished the game with four fouls.
Elzy doesn’t believe the violations are the result of bad referees, but instead a lack of discipline.
“We definitely can work on it,” Elzy said after Kentucky’s most recent win over Dayton. “We have to adjust to how they’re calling it. If we get a touch foul here and there, we must adjust. And, we can do a better job in practice of forcing the intensity, but also probably calling more fouls so they have a better feel for it.”
Intensity is the keyword. While most teams take fouls because they’re out of breath or position, Kentucky takes them because they’re inevitable with their play style. This year’s ‘Cats are reminiscent of the Matthew Mitchell era — running a 94-foot-press for 40 minutes.
The hard work has paid off. Kentucky is forcing 25.8 opponent turnovers per game. Whether you’re the Pikeville point guard or a preseason All-American, don’t expect room to breathe. Elzy knows the fouls are a product of their game, but she believes there is a happy medium.
“We must be extremely aggressive, but we also have to be disciplined and adjust to how they’re calling it,” Elzy said on Nov. 23.
With an 11-day break between their last contest and the next game, Kentucky has ample time to make the necessary adjustments.
“We’re not looking for perfection. We are looking for progression,” Elzy said.
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