What’s next for UK women’s basketball? A list of potential replacements for Kyra Elzy.
Now that Kyra Elzy is out as head coach of Kentucky women’s basketball after four seasons at the helm, Mitch Barnhart is tasked with his third head coaching hire for one of the biggest brands in college basketball — 906 victories and counting.
Barnhart, who worked in an athletics administration role at Tennessee from 1986-98, has never made a women’s basketball head coaching hire outside of the Pat Summitt coaching tree. Barnhart hired Mickie DeMoss, an assistant coach to Summitt from 1985-2000 and her associate head coach from 2000-03, as a replacement for Bernadette Locke-Mattox in 2003.
When DeMoss resigned as head coach in April 2007, Barnhart hired Matthew Mitchell away from Morehead State, where he was in charge for two seasons. Mitchell, prior to his time in Morehead, served as an assistant coach to DeMoss at UK from 2003-05 and a graduate assistant to Summitt at Tennessee for the 1999-2000 season. As head coach, Mitchell led the Wildcats to three NCAA Tournament Elite Eight appearances (2010, 2012, 2013) and an additional pair of Sweet 16 trips (2014, 2016). He won the SEC regular season title during the 2011-12 season, and announced his retirement from coaching in November 2020.
Elzy was elevated to the position in an interim capacity from her role as associate head coach, which she held from 2010-12 and 2016-20. Barnhart removed Elzy’s interim tag in December 2020. Elzy played four seasons at Tennessee for Summit from 1996-2001, and served as an assistant at Tennessee from 2012-15 before she was promoted to associate head coach for the 2015-16 season, both positions served under the leadership of Holly Warlick. Elzy also served as an assistant coach at Kentucky from 2008-10.
Under Elzy, the Wildcats won the 2022 SEC Tournament championship after an impressive, upset-filled run. It marked the program’s second-ever tournament trophy, and first since 1982. The program graduated its first-ever No. 1 pick in the WNBA Draft and WNBA Rookie of the Year in Kentucky legend Rhyne Howard in 2022. In her first two seasons, Elzy led the team to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances: in 2021 as a No. 4 seed, when the team made a second-round exit after falling to No. 5 seed Iowa, and in 2022 as a No. 6 seed, when UK lost in the first round to No. 11 seed Princeton.
UK’s last appearance in the AP Top 25 came in the final rankings of the 2021-22 season. Since then, Elzy led the team to a 24-39 overall record, including 6-26 in conference play, over two seasons. The Wildcats never won more than nine conference games in four seasons under Elzy.
With Barnhart’s announcement that a national coaching search is underway, here is a look at several potential candidates who could replace Elzy.
Mid-major success stories
Current: Marquette head coach (fifth year).
Why it makes sense: Notre Dame alumna and former WNBA player Megan Duffy, 39, has the best winning percentage in the history of Marquette women’s basketball, earning more than 100 wins in five seasons as head coach. Capable of recruiting the Midwest and beyond, Duffy can flat-out develop, with players like Liza Karlen, Jordan King and Mackenzie Hare — each of whom averaged at least 13.0 points per game this year — to show for it. Though on the bubble, the Golden Eagles are projected to make this year’s NCAA Tournament, which would push the number of appearances during her tenure to three. Duffy took over the program after assistant roles at St. John’s, George Washington (associate head coach) and Michigan, and two seasons at the helm of Miami (Ohio).
Why it might not work: Despite still searching for an NCAA Tournament win, Duffy’s Golden Eagles teams are no stranger to the national stage, with four 20-plus-win seasons and program-best victories over No. 3 Texas and No. 4 UConn during the 2022-23 season. With now eight straight Big East Tournament semifinal appearances, Duffy continues to build Marquette’s status within a conference long-dominated by UConn. At Kentucky, a rebuild would be in order.
Current: Columbia head coach (eighth year).
Why it makes sense: Last season, Griffith, 38, led the Lions to the first Ivy League regular season title in program history, first appearance in the AP poll (receiving votes) and won a program-best 28 games. She also coached star guard, captain and Columbia’s all-time scoring leader Abbey Hsu to a 2023 All-America honorable mention by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association. Now in her eighth season as head coach, Griffith was hired in 2016 after six seasons at Princeton; she served as the Tigers’ assistant coach and recruiting coordinator from 2012-16 after two seasons as their director of basketball operations. This season, the Lions upset No. 25 Princeton, knocking the Tigers out of the AP poll and handing them their only conference loss of the regular season.
Why it might not work: Like a few others on this list, a lack of NCAA Tournament and Power Five experience serves as an argument against Griffith’s ability to win big at a bigger stop — provided she’s looking to leave her alma mater behind. Griffith, a three-time captain for Columbia from 2005-07, is one of just nine players in program history to score at least 1,000 points.
Current: Jackson State head coach (sixth year).
Why it makes sense: Jackson State hired Reed, a former head coach at Hinds Community College (2015-18) and former assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Louisiana Tech, Southern Mississippi, Louisiana-Lafayette and New Orleans, as head coach in 2018. It marked her return to Jackson, where she served as the Tigers’ assistant coach and recruiting coordinator from 2006-09. Reed has had a hand in every Tigers’ NCAA Tournament trip since 2006, and strung together five straight SWAC regular season titles (2020-24). Under Reed, Jackson State graduated its first WNBA Draft pick in program history — Ameshya Williams-Holliday (2022) — and, this season, tied a program-high with 23 wins. Also notable? Reed’s current contract expires March 31.
Why it might not work: Reed, 42, has found a way to win at Jackson State, and successfully recruited and developed players en route to the top of the SWAC; the team also received its first AP vote in program history this week. Though her contract is up at the end of this season, she has demonstrated exactly why the Tigers would want to retain her — and why larger programs should take a hard look.
Up-and-comers
Current: UNLV head coach (fourth year).
Why it makes sense: La Rocque may not come from the Summitt coaching tree, but she does come from that of Stanford’s Tara VanDerveer, who was recently minted as the winningest coach in the history of college basketball, men’s or women’s. La Rocque played guard for the Cardinal from 2008-12, during which time she won four regular season conference titles and four conference tournament championships, and reached the NCAA Tournament championship game in 2010. She later served as a graduate assistant at Oklahoma under longtime coach Sherri Coale from 2013-15 and an assistant coach at Belmont from 2015-17 before returning to Stanford as an assistant coach in 2017. Since her arrival in Las Vegas in 2020, La Rocque has led the Rebels to Mountain West regular season titles and tournament titles in both 2022 and 2023, and was named the Mountain West Coach of the Year in 2021 and 2023.
Why it might not work: La Rocque, 34, is the first Las Vegas native to ever lead the UNLV women’s basketball team, and she’s stated how much it means to her to lead a program in her hometown. Though it’s likely that La Rocque — whose previous experience took her all over the country — will find a Power Five opportunity soon, if Barnhart does make her an offer, he certainly won’t be the only one.
Current: Grand Canyon head coach (fourth year).
Why it makes sense: At just 37 years old, Miller has guided the Antelopes to four straight winning seasons, including this year’s 24-7 (16-4 Western Athletic Conference) campaign. She entered her 10th season of coaching this year (the first six seasons with Division II Drury University) with an .846 winning percentage. GCU hired Miller two years after the conclusion of its NCAA-mandated probationary period following its initial jump from D-II to D-I in July 2013, and she took the opportunity in stride. Miller is a defensive-minded coach ripe for a larger opportunity.
Why it might not work: Miller excelled at Drury, and has continued to succeed since her arrival in Phoenix ahead of the 2020-21 season. However, her postseason experience is limited to the Division II level; and though she led Drury to a Final Four appearance in 2019, the two-time WBCA D-II Coach of the Year’s next trip to the D-I NCAA Tournament would be her first. The Missouri native has also, notably, not recruited a single player from the Eastern time zone since her hiring at Grand Canyon.
Current: Fairfield head coach (second year).
Why it makes sense: Thibault-DuDonis is making history. Last week, Fairfield broke into the AP Top 25 for the first time in program history, coming in at No. 25. This season, the Stags posted a regular season record of 28-1, including 20-0 in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play. Prior to Fairfield, Thibault-DuDonis served as an assistant for four seasons at Minnesota after stints as an assistant and recruiting coordinator at Mississippi State (under now-Texas head coach Vic Schaefer) from 2016-18 and an assistant at Eastern Michigan from 2014-16. The daughter of Mike Thibault, the winningest coach in the history of the WNBA, and the brother of current Washington Mystics head coach Eric Thibault, Thibault-DuDonis has witnessed what it takes to succeed in women’s basketball at every level.
Why it might not work: Thibault-DuDonis hasn’t yet completed her second full season as a Division I head coach. Plus, if she’s breaking into the rankings as a second-year head coach, she might not be done at Fairfield just yet.
Touted assistants
Current: Georgia Tech associate head coach.
Why it makes sense: An SEC basketball graduate turned Power Five associate head coach with recruiting experience in the Southeast and years of experience under a highly decorated head coach? That’s Alverson. A four-year contributor at Auburn from 2009-13 and two-time SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Alverson checks a lot of valued boxes. Not only does she have SEC experience as a player, she’s also served as an assistant coach all over the country. From beginning as a graduate assistant at Texas Tech from 2014-16, to spending a season as an assistant at New Mexico State during the Aggies’ undefeated conference season that resulted in both a Western Athletic Conference title and an NCAA Tournament berth, to a pair of seasons as an assistant coach at Southern California, Alverson joined Nell Fortner’s (her former head coach) staff in 2019. She was promoted to associate head coach prior to the 2022-23 season, and also serves as the Yellow Jackets’ recruiting coordinator. Alverson has played a part in recruiting at each of her assistant coaching stops, and she knows how to connect with recruits.
Why it might not work: There’s a lot of pressure on whomever takes over as the Wildcats’ next head coach. And while there would be no lack of support for the program’s new era from the administration, there is a certain amount of risk assumed when giving a young coach their first head coaching opportunity. That argument could be used against anybody listed in this category and isn’t specific to Alverson but, at just 33 years old, some may be quick to point out a lack of experience.
Current: Ohio State associate head coach.
Why it makes sense: Morrow brings a unique blend of playing experience and time spent coaching in the high school, college and WNBA ranks. The first player in Tulsa women’s basketball history to record 1,000 points and 600 rebounds in her career, Morrow went on to coach at Tulsa Central High School during the 2002-03 season before stints as the director of basketball operations at Missouri State and Colorado. Her first assistant coaching position lasted 11 seasons at Xavier, where she helped the Musketeers to six Atlantic-10 titles and four NCAA Tournament appearances, including a 2010 Elite Eight. She then spent three seasons with the Chicago Sky, where she worked with WNBA All-Stars Diamond DeShields, Allie Quigley and Courtney Vandersloot. In 2019, she reunited with former Xavier coach Kevin McGuff at Ohio State and helped develop the Buckeyes’ program to reach their first Elite Eight (2023) in three decades.
Why it might not work: Morrow can evaluate and develop talent at every level, and she’s played a major role in Ohio State’s recent success. It makes all the sense in the world why McGuff chose to reunite with his former assistant coach, with Morrow’s resume speaking for itself. But that connection may make all the difference, too; McGuff promoted her to associate head coach in 2021, and, despite UCLA, USC, Oregon and Washington joining an increasingly competitive Big Ten next season, Ohio State will probably be a favorite to repeat as conference champions.
Current: UCLA associate head coach.
Why it makes sense: Since her hiring in 2011, UCLA head coach Cori Close has gradually built the Bruins into a multi-headed monster with highly touted recruiting classes and strong transfer-portal pickups, lifting the program this season to some of its highest highs this century. Perry-LeBeauf has played an integral role in that upward trajectory every step of the way. An assistant to Close since her hiring, Perry-LeBeauf was promoted to associate head coach ahead of the 2019-20 season. Also the Bruins’ recruiting coordinator, Perry-LeBeauf has helped reel in nine top-50 recruits since 2020. Not to mention huge transfer portal pickups like 6-7 sophomore center Lauren Betts, the No. 1 recruit in the class of 2022, who joined the Bruins ahead of this season by way of Stanford and now leads the team in scoring, rebounding and blocks. Under Perry-LeBeauf, UCLA has become a regular on top recruits’ finalist lists, including that of Sacred Heart Academy’s ZaKiyah Johnson (No. 5 overall recruit in 2025). Prior to her hiring at UCLA, Perry-LeBeauf was an assistant coach at Duke, USC and Iowa, where she played — and won a pair of Big Ten regular season titles and one conference tournament championship — from 1995-98. At Duke, Perry-LeBeauf spent a few seasons as an assistant under Gail Goestenkors, who joined the Wildcats as an assistant coach in 2021-22 and served as special assistant to the head coach from 2022-24.
Why it might not work: Perry-LeBeauf is one of the most respected assistant coaches in women’s college basketball, but she’s a Southern California native and, with more than a decade spent in Westwood, she clearly enjoys her setup. With the Bruins steadily maintaining a top-10 standing this season and showing no signs of slowing down, the Bluegrass may not be greener.
Big splash contenders
Current: Princeton head coach (fifth year).
Why it makes sense: Berube, a member of the 1995 Connecticut NCAA championship team and 1,300-plus point scorer for Geno Auriemma from 1993-97, took over the reins at Princeton following Courtney Banghart’s move to UNC in 2019. Since then, the Tigers have continued their run as the Ivy League’s team to beat — clinching their sixth straight conference title with Saturday’s 72-55 victory over Penn. Now in her fifth season leading Princeton, Berube has led the Tigers to a pair of Ivy League Tournament championships and NCAA Tournament appearances, including a 2022 first-round victory over Kentucky and a 2023 first-round win over North Carolina State.
Why it might not work: Berube, 48, moved to Princeton after 17 seasons with Division III Tufts University, an opportunity that came after two seasons as an assistant coach at Providence. The Massachusetts native’s experience is limited to the Northeast, and Princeton only continues to surge.
Current: Gonzaga head coach (10th year).
Why it makes sense: Anybody wondering if it’s possible for both a university’s men’s and women’s programs to consistently work their way into the national rankings, conference championship-contention and the NCAA Tournament need only look at Gonzaga. Fortier, 42, has a winning formula, with nine 20-win seasons in her first 10 seasons leading the Bulldogs. Seven of those resulted in trips to the big dance, including a Sweet 16 appearance in 2015. Fortier has a knack for identifying talent, keeping Gonzaga in the national conversation without the draw of a Power Five opportunity. Following a regular season that rewarded the Bulldogs with four of the five total West Coast Conference individual honors (including Fortier’s sixth WCC Coach of the Year win), Fortier owns an 81.1% career winning percentage.
Why it might not work: Fortier, a California native, only has West Coast experience. While she’s proven she knows how to create a winning culture and defeat some of the sport’s biggest names, her time spent as a player at Cal State Monterey Bay from 2002-04 and as an assistant at Northern Colorado (2006-07) and Gonzaga (2007-14) means her recruiting expertise lies two-to-three time zones away from Central Kentucky. And with the Wildcats’ recent difficulties recruiting, that may be an issue. Fortier has also spent the better part of two decades in Spokane — having spent two seasons as the Bulldogs’ coordinator of basketball operations prior to her time at Northern Colorado — and her husband joined the staff as an assistant coach when she was hired; all that to say, she may not want to leave.
Current: Oregon State head coach (14th year).
Why it makes sense: Immediately prior to Barnhart’s arrival at UK in 2002, he served as Oregon State’s athletic director beginning in 1998. Even though his tenure was long before Rueck’s arrival, it’s difficult to ignore the winning program Rueck has built: three regular season titles (2015-17), four Sweet 16 appearances (2016-19) and a 2016 trip to the Final Four while navigating the Pac-12. Rueck and the Beavers spent the 2023-24 regular season shocking the country, finishing the season with a 23-6 record and five ranked conference wins after the media voted them 10th in the preseason conference rankings. The Beavers reached as high as No. 9 in the AP Top 25 this season, and earned Pac-12 Sixth Player of the Year, two All-Pac-12 team selections and an All-Freshman team honoree, not to mention Rueck taking Coach of the Year. And, with Oregon State and Washington State standing alone as misfits in the wake of conference realignment, a steady spot in a competitive league such as the SEC might not be the toughest of sells.
Why it might not work: Rueck, a 54-year-old Oregon native and Oregon State graduate, has only ever coached in his home state. He was a high school assistant coach at Santiam Christian from 1989-93 and an assistant at Division III George Fox from 1993-96. From 1996 until he was hired by his alma mater in Corvallis in 2010, he was head coach at George Fox, leading the Bruins to a 2009 D-III national championship. After more than a decade in Corvallis, Oregon State gave Rueck a contract extension in February 2022. Despite the Beavers’ unfortunate draw in conference realignment, Rueck’s contract, per The Oregonian, will keep him at OSU through 2031 and grant him more than $10.8 million plus bonuses if he completes the agreement.
Outside-the-box candidates
Current: Transylvania head coach (10th year).
Why it makes sense: Fulks has spent the past few seasons as the most successful college basketball coach in the state of Kentucky. This season marks the NCAA Division III team’s third straight trip to the Elite Eight and second straight to the Final Four as the Pioneers aim to win back-to-back national championships. Fulks is not only the architect of three consecutive perfect regular seasons, but also of the NCAA’s longest-active win streak (64). In her 10 seasons at Transylvania, Fulks is yet to record a losing season. She’s made a name for herself both in Lexington and the college basketball coaching ranks beyond.
Why it might not work: A reigning D-III national championship-winning coach on the hunt for another, Fulks has everything she could want at Transylvania — without any of the hoops Division I coaches have to jump through. Fulks is beloved by her athletic director, her team and her community. Why leave? It’s also difficult to predict how a coach’s abilities may translate from a lower division of a sport; it’s been done successfully, but it’s never a surefire deal.
Current: Retired.
Why it makes sense: Mitchell spent nearly 15 seasons as a UK coach in some capacity, and even Elzy said he was often her first call when she needed to talk something through. The winningest head coach in program history made the decision to step down after more than 10 seasons leading the Wildcats, but the longtime coach is only 53 years old.
Why it might not work: Mitchell chose to step away from coaching mere days before the start of his 14th season at the helm. At the time, he had recently undergone surgery and a period of recovery after suffering a subdural hematoma as a result of a hiking accident. He stated that he was physically cleared to return to his coaching duties, and his exit had nothing to do with his health, but everything to do with a change of heart taking his life in a different direction. In 2021, Mitchell started The Winning Tools, a company described on its website as “a simplified operating system for life and business that serves as the foundation for launching world-class athletes, executives and leaders at large,” and hasn’t held a collegiate coaching position since he retired.
Note: Following Barnhart’s announcement Monday that Elzy had been relieved of her duties as head coach, USA Today Sports enterprise reporter Lindsay Schnell tweeted that UK was expected to re-hire Mitchell. When the Herald-Leader reached out to UK Athletics for comment, a spokesperson said, “We will have no comment on the process until the search is complete.”
Current: Louisville head coach (17th year).
Why it makes sense: Admittedly, this is probably the longest shot on the list. However, the Fort Thomas native is the son of former UK and University of Cincinnati quarterback Roger Walz, indicating at least a slight connection to the Wildcats. Walz has only missed the NCAA Tournament twice, including the 2019-20 season when the tournament was canceled due to COVID. Walz is the winningest coach in program history, with an average of 27.6 wins per year in his first 16 seasons, and took the Cardinals to four Final Fours, eight Elite Eights, 12 Sweet 16s and led the program to national runner-up finishes in 2009 and 2013. Though he has not achieved a national championship, Walz is a proven winner — especially in March. Year after year, Walz attracts some of the sport’s top talent, whether it be out of high school or via the transfer portal. And after years of dominating the commonwealth, he may be the best bet to securing in-state talent.
Why it might not work: With a resume like Walz’s, it would be difficult to top what Louisville has offered, and will continue to offer, to the decorated coach. In March 2022, Louisville announced a contract extension that would keep Walz through 2028-29. He has the resources, the stability, the popularity and currently stands as the highest-paid women’s basketball coach in the state. Per a copy of Walz’s contract obtained by the Herald-Leader last fall, Walz will be paid $1.75 million in base salary this season, with that amount increasing by $50,000 each year throughout the duration of his contract. During the final season of his extension, Walz will make $2 million as base pay. None of this, of course, includes incentives, which factor in when it comes to ACC titles (regular season or tournament), reaching the NCAA Tournament and advancing with each round. In the event of a Louisville national championship under the current agreement, Walz would be rewarded with $250,000. Barnhart’s pitch to Walz would have to be immaculate — and include an enticing enough contract.
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