Kentucky WBB putting focus on building a strong culture

Kentucky Women’s Basketball’s foundation is built upon one word: culture.

In two seasons as head coach, Kyra Elzy has cultivated something special. If a player wants to wear the blue and white, they have to earn it. And in case you think Elzy’s bluffing, look no further than last year.

Elzy suspended former Kentucky forward Dre’una Edwards twice last season for a total of five games. Kentucky won just one of those five. However, when assistant coach Amber Smith was asked if the staff regretted their disciplinary actions, she defended Elzy.

“Elzy is setting a standard here. We want things done a certain way,” Smith said in an interview with Sunday Morning Sports Talk on June 26. “We have standards here. That’s always going to be the case. Coach Elzy is very, very clear on how she wants things done and that is for the betterment of our young student athletes.”

Maddie Scherr on Kentucky culture

One of those young student athletes is Maddie Scherr. The Oregon transfer will be a junior this season, but a rookie to Elzy’s system. Nevertheless, it isn’t taking Scherr long to get accustomed to Elzy’s big blue culture.

Grind don't stop.#CommitToIt pic.twitter.com/HawsC9kBvS

— Kentucky Women’s Basketball (@KentuckyWBB) July 7, 2022

“Coach Elzy, we’ve talked about just the culture and how she really wanted to change what it means to be coachable and a player of good culture on this team,” Scherr said in an interview with KSR this week.

Jada Walker spreads the vision

While Scherr is still learning how Elzy runs her ship, Jada Walker is helping steer it. The sophomore guard is the leading returning scorer from last season. In her freshman campaign, Walker averaged 10.4 points per game.

Walker’s style on the court was an embodiment of Elzy’s vision for the program. The 5-foot-7 star picked up 94 feet on defense, dove for balls on offense and relentlessly cheered for her teammates from the sidelines. Now in her second collegiate season, Walker is educating her new teammates on Kentucky Women’s Basketball culture.

July Recruiting Day 1:

A GOOD attitude is a MUST! If you want to have success as a team, it can’t be about you! #JulyRecruiting pic.twitter.com/lY349795hc

— Kyra Elzy (@UKCoachLZ) July 6, 2022

“This year is both like leading up [in age] and leading down because I’m still learning how to lead in certain ways, but just using what I know or what I have learned from last year and passing that on to the younger people,” Walker said in an interview with KSR.

Despite Walker’s humility, her leadership seems to be working. Walker discussed a moment from a recent scrimmage that perfectly illustrated Elzy’s culture.

“I don’t even remember what the score but it was like somebody threw the ball, everyone dives on it. They threw it back. Everyone dives on it. I was like, ‘Oh my gosh. If we make it out of practice alive, I will be surprised.'”

Music to Kentucky fans’ ears. The season can’t come soon enough.