Get to know South Carolina transfer, Eniya Russell

Championship talent is on its way to Lexington.

On Monday evening, Kentucky Women’s Basketball announced Eniya Russell will be a Wildcat for the 2022-23 season and beyond. Russell will join fellow transfers Ajae Petty and Adebola Adeyeye, along with six freshmen, as another fresh face for the ‘Cats.

🥷🏽 BBN… it’s littttt!!!! pic.twitter.com/OmMdnz5czr

— Eniya Russell (@eniyar1) May 2, 2022

A history with Kentucky

Russell played her first two collegiate years at South Carolina, helping the team win the 2022 NCAA championship. Coming out of high school, Russell was a five-star guard and ranked No. 43 overall in the Class of 2020 by ESPN.com. Moreover, the versatile star was a 2020 McDonald’s All-American.

As expected, Kentucky was on the recruiting trail for Russell. Nonetheless, the Baltimore native took her talents to the Gamecocks. Now, Russell is ready to play under Elzy, and, more importantly, Elzy is thrilled to coach Russell.

“Eniya is a player that we absolutely loved when we recruited her in high school and we are excited that she has decided to join the Wildcat program this time around,” Elzy said in a press release.

Eniya Russell’s deceiving statistics

Despite her immense talent, Russell struggled to find a role at South Carolina. The 6-foot-1 talent averaged just 2.5 points and 1.1 rebounds per game in 49 contests with the Gamecocks. In fairness, Russell only played 7.1 minutes per outing.

Although Russell doesn’t have ample experience on the court, she has promise. On Jan. 2, Russell scored a season-high eight points and four rebounds against Mississippi State. In no coincidence, this performance came in the only game Russell played for more than 15 minutes.

Elzy believes in Russell’s skillset.

“Eniya has great size on the perimeter, has elite athleticism and is very skilled offensively. She can score at all three levels and her ability to score out of the ball screen action will open up our offense,” Elzy said.

Looking toward the future

Sound familiar? Elzy and Co. are known for their ability to develop versatile guards. With players like Russell, Amiya Jenkins and Zennia Thomas incoming, Kentucky could be sneakily dangerous next season. A player South Carolina undervalued could be Kentucky’s next star.

Elzy is hopeful about Russell’s future with the ‘Cats.

“We have obviously followed her first two years collegiately at South Carolina and think her style of play is going to fit our program perfectly. We cannot wait to see what her future holds at Kentucky.”