Kentucky WBB digs for motivation in downward spiral

Coaches do more than X’s and O’s. They motivate, even when that motivation is more difficult than ever.

After falling to Ole Miss in demoralizing fashion, 74-52, on Monday night, the Kentucky women’s basketball team looked defeated. I can’t blame them. The team is now 2-10 in conference play and will likely be among the First Four in the SEC Tournament.

Devil in the details

In the Monday evening loss, the ‘Cats led for a grand total of 10 seconds. Worse, starting point guard Maddie Scherr missed the second half due to severe headaches. With more and more weight being piled on, head coach Kyra Elzy is determined to find a way for the team to finish on its feet.

“Not what we wanted, not what expected, and we got to bounce back from here,” Elzy said during the postgame press conference. “Go back to the small things that we can control that we did not do today.”

These small things resulted in massive problems. Kentucky shot 26% from the field and 21% from beyond the arc in the loss to the Rebels. These numbers are a far cry from just two games ago when the ‘Cats had seemingly hit a turning point.

Monday night basketball. 😻👌#GameOn pic.twitter.com/k6b5i5kZaT

— Kentucky Women’s Basketball (@KentuckyWBB) February 13, 2023

Kentucky shows regression after signs of growth

In late January and early February, Blair Green stepped up, Kentucky found its touch from deep and the frontcourt players found their role. In Kentucky’s most recent loss, Blair Green had zero points, Kentucky couldn’t hit the ocean from the beach and the frontcourt grabbed 21 fewer boards than the Rebels.

As a coach who demands constant progress, the backslide is a stab in the heart.

“For the first time in a long time, I thought we regressed and let our offense affect our defense,” Elzy said. “Obviously, we needed to do more pressure releases. But, at the end of the day, we didn’t get it done tonight and that’s on me.”

All season, Elzy asked for “progression, not perfection” from her team. However, with four games left in the regular season, perfection is the only hope left for the ‘Cats to be playing in March. Elzy believes her team will step up to the challenge.

“They’re competitors and they’re resilient. We battled adversity all year and the next game will be the most important game,” Elzy said. “We don’t have any quit in us.”