Kyra Elzy is finding her recruiting legs ahead of year two

It can’t be said enough: Kyra Elzy was not given a fair shake when handed the interim head coaching position just two weeks before the 2020-21 season tipped off. Matthew Mitchell’s surprise retirement shook the Big Blue Nation and forced Elzy into a unique position. Throw in the COVID-19 pandemic and she experienced something no other head coach in the history of basketball has gone through before–and she still won Rookie Coach of the Year after being awarded the full-time gig following a 6-0 start.

Heading into year two, which will technically be her first full season as head coach of the Kentucky Women’s Basketball program, Elzy is finding her footing. She now has a full offseason under her belt with far less isolative restrictions than last season, and she will see 70 percent of the team’s scoring return. Boasting the preseason SEC Player of the Year in Rhyne Howard sure does help her cause, as well.

But where Elzy has truly come into her own as the new head coach is in the world of recruiting.

Late Monday night, Elzy and her staff received a massive commitment from four-star, in-state product Amiya Jenkins, a 5-foot-10 slashing guard from Anderson County who chose the ‘Cats over Tennessee, Virginia Tech, and several others. Jenkins is arguably the top player in the Bluegrass State this coming season and is one of the top 100 seniors in the country. Preventing her from leaving the state was a big deal, especially when rival Tennessee was also in serious contention.

The state of Kentucky WBB recruiting under Kyra Elzy

But it’s not just Jenkins. Elzy is putting together an incredibly talented 2022 recruiting class. Jenkins is one of four commits from a group that also includes two four-star prospects in Tionna Herron and Saniah Tyler, along with another in-state talent, Cassidy Rowe.

Herron is a 6-foot-4 post player from DeSoto High School (TX) who chose the ‘Cats in December 2020 while Tyler is a 5-foot-6 point guard out of Incarnate Word Academy (MO) who committed to UK in late July. Herron is a top 70 player in the country while Tyler is not far behind.

As for Rowe, she’s been a future Wildcat since all the way back in the summer of 2018. And who was Rowe’s lead recruiter at the time and still is to this day? Kyra Elzy, of course.

In total, Elzy has already put together a 2022 class that features three four-star commits and a fourth in Rowe, who would probably be sharing the same limelight had injuries not derailed her early high school career. Not a bad way for Elzy to start her head coaching career on the recruiting trail.

But with college recruiting, the grind never stops. While her 2022 class might be close to complete, Elzy has her eyes set on the future.

She brought in a slew of young talent to Friday’s Big Blue Madness, including two rising stars in her own backyard with ZaKiyah Johnson and Leah Macy, who are both tabbed by ESPN as top 25 freshmen (class of 2025) in the country. Then you have class of 2023 recruits such as Sole Williams, a four-star guard, and Abigail Holtman, another impressive in-state player, also in attendance.

Even Ariyana Cradle, who is currently in eighth grade, was in Lexington for BBM, too. Elzy isn’t limiting her search for recruits but does appear to place an emphasis on keeping tabs of Kentucky natives. Both are important for finding recruiting success at this high of a level.

All that being said, Elzy might not be done quite yet adding to the next batch of recruits. She has four committed for the class of 2022, but with four seniors also on the current roster. Only Rhyne Howard should be a foregone conclusion to leave after 2021-22. Technically, the other three seniors (Blair Green, Robyn Benton, and Jazmine Massengill) could all come back for a fifth season thanks to new rules implemented as a result of the pandemic.

But back to the class of 2022. Sources close to the situation tell KSR that Kentucky is also focusing on a pair of ranked recruits: five-star guard Ruby Whitehorn (who was at Big Blue Madness) and four-star forward Amiya Evans. A third prospect, five-star post player Ashlyn Watkins, who dunks on a regular basis, included Kentucky among her top four back in August.

Elzy played a key role in securing a commitment from a vastly underrated Rhyne Howard, which has worked out quite well for Kentucky thus far. She’s been flexing her recruiting muscles since her time as an assistant and it’s now starting to pay off as head coach.

First, she rappelled down from the Big Blue Madness rafters and danced with her son, then she snagged a four-star Kentucky prospect. Next, she’ll look to lead her 13th ranked Wildcats into her first official full season as the Kentucky head coach. The #ElzyEra is fully upon us.