Kentucky WBB honors Matthew Mitchell in style at Rupp Arena

Matthew Mitchell’s sudden retirement from coaching never saw him receive a proper send-off ceremony. On Thursday night, nearly 13 months after he stepped down as head coach of Kentucky Women’s Basketball, he was finally able to say his goodbyes to the Big Blue Nation.

During halftime of Kentucky’s matchup against the DePaul Blue Demons at Rupp Arena, an energetic crowd welcomed Mitchell back with plenty of applause. There weren’t any funky dance moves, but there sure was a lot of hugging.

“Thank you so much Big Blue Nation, from the bottom of my heart,” Mitchell told the Rupp Arena crowd. “I’ll never be able to put it into words how special it is to be a part of the Big Blue Nation. The love and support you gave our family has been incredible and we thank you for that.”

A teary-eyed Mitchell then thanked God and his former players, who were all lined up a few feet away from him, clapping and smiling along the way. While UK wound up falling to DePaul in a high-scoring bout, every fan in attendance made sure to cheer for the former head coach.

“These players down here made it all happen. Love you guys so much.”

Matthew Mitchell's retirement celebration in Rupp 💙 @KentuckyWBB pic.twitter.com/NiwvK0r1LD

— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) December 10, 2021

Mitchell stepped down after a hiking incident eventually required him to undergo brain surgery during the 2020 offseason. As the ultimate precaution, he left his post to spend more time with his family and enjoy the fruits of his labor. After 13 successful seasons in Lexington that included three trips to the Elite Eight, Mitchell decided to call it a career.

He left the program in terrific shape though. Mitchell is one of just three Kentucky head coaches, men’s or women’s, to win over 300 games. Adolph Rupp and John Calipari are the others. His 303 wins are the most in WBB program history. He took over a team that had just three NCAA Tournament appearances from 1987-2007. By the time he left, Kentucky made the postseason in all but one of his 13 years in charge.

Mitchell’s heir to the throne, Kyra Elzy, is a product of the Pat Summitt coaching tree just as he is. When Elzy was instated as the interim coach in place of Mitchell and eventually awarded a full-time contract, it was a passing of the torch. Elzy was a UK assistant under Mitchell on two separate occasions across eight years before sliding over a seat.

“It was great to honor coach tonight,” Elzy, who is in her first full season as Kentucky WBB head coach, said on Thursday. “It was good to have him back in the house. He deserves it, he’s done so much for Kentucky Women’s Basketball–he put this program on the national scene.

“He has taught me so much, coaching-wise, as far as sticking to your standards, how you run a practice, and surrounding yourself with great people. I love him, he’s my brother, friend, mentor, and I’m forever thankful for him and he’ll always be a Wildcat.”

Mitchell was a player’s coach, first and foremost, and he constantly brought that loving–yet stern–energy to work with him. It’s how he was able to maintain so much success at a program that wasn’t used to it. All-time Kentucky greats such as Victoria Dunlap, Evelyn Akhator, DeNesha Stallworth, A’dia Mathies, Makayla Epps, Maci Morris, and even current great Rhyne Howard, all don’t come to Kentucky without Mitchell at the helm.

Mitchell was able to pitch a product of being a top 25 team all year long with impressive fan attendance to boot. His personable attitude and approachable aura attracted people to watch him coach.

Even the people who only knew him for a short amount of time can vouch for that. Senior guard Robyn Benton, who transferred during the 2020 offseason from Auburn, said as such. Benton didn’t get to play under Mitchell, but he sure did help convince her to become a Wildcat.

“Well as you know, I am a transfer. I definitely talked to Coach Mitchell before I made my decision to come here,” Benton said on Thursday. “I liked the way that he ran his program and the way he was with the girls. It just made my decision real easy to come to Kentucky. Coach Mitchell, he’s a legend; most winningest coach in the history of UK. I’m thankful for him, thankful for what he’s done for the program.”

The Big Blue Nation would agree. Mitchell is Kentucky through and through–he was even born in the city of Louisville, just the one located in Mississippi. On Thursday, he was finally able to float off into the Bluegrass sunset.