Kyra Elzy building more confidence entering year 3 as Kentucky WBB head coach

Kyra Elzy’s motto for Kentucky women’s basketball this season is short and sweet: Built Different.

It’s a phrase you might already be familiar with. It’s become an Internet “meme” of sorts, meant to describe someone who is on another level; someone who goes all in, all the time, regardless of the situation. Elzy has preached this sentiment all offseason long, and she reiterated it time and time again during Media Day earlier this week. If you have to know one thing about this team heading into the 2022-23 season, know that they won’t get outworked. They’ll be built differently than their opponents.

“Our foundation is the same. It’s rooted in our Power 5: family, hard work, discipline, accountability, and servant leadership,” Elzy said on Wednesday at Media Day. “Our motto this year: Built Different — I’ll give you a preview of my shirt here. Built different. Whatever deficiencies this team has — we’ve been talking all summer — we have to overcome it with a built different mentality. That’s a work ethic, a toughness, a willingness to do what others aren’t willing to do to win, and a competitive spirit.”

Now entering year three as head coach at Kentucky, Elzy certainly hasn’t had an easy path. She was suddenly promoted to head coach a couple of weeks before the beginning of the 2019-20 season. A 9-11 start to the 2021-22 campaign had some calling for her job, but a 10-game win streak to finish the season and an SEC Tournament title shut down that talk rather quickly.

Now, Elzy is confident. While the first two years have seen plenty of ups and downs, she saw firsthand how her approach can lead to success in the end. Beating No. 1 South Carolina on a buzzer-beater to win the conference championship for the first time in 40 years was the reassurance she needed.

“It’s changed me,” Elzy said of winning the SEC Tournament. “I think it was confirmation. It was a rough go at the beginning of last year. I was confident in the decisions I had to make, and they were tough decisions as you move over (to head coach) and you don’t want to have to make them, but sometimes during those tough times, you do second-guess yourself. But I’ve said it before, this administration is unbelievable.”

Elzy went on to tell a story about a phone call she received during the middle of last season. Kentucky was in the midst of its midseason losing streak, which meant the last person she wanted to hear from was her boss. Athletic director Mitch Barnhart called her up late one night, but instead of demanding action, he instilled confidence in his head coach.

“I did receive a call, it was probably after our fourth or fifth loss and it was about 11:00 at night and it was Mr. (Mitch) Barnhart, so I was like eh… This can’t be good,” Elzy said with a laugh. “But you know, he just said, you are my coach, I’m confident in you, and we’re building this to last. No quick fixes. And that really gave me a lot of comfort and confidence in what I was doing. To have him behind me meant a lot, along with this administration. It just reassures you that you’re doing the right thing, even when it will go astray — it’ll go astray again this year — but just stay on the path and stay focused and confident in what you’re doing.”

A very candid answer from Kyra Elzy on how winning the SEC Championship helped her own confidence.

She remembers receiving a late-night phone call from Mitch Barnhart in the midst of last year's losing streak. She assumed the worst but was surprised by Barnhart's kind words. pic.twitter.com/29d1Fgne8R

— Zack Geoghegan (@ZGeogheganKSR) October 7, 2022

Blair Green, now in her fifth season with the Wildcats, has seen Elzy’s progress as a head coach closer than anyone. Elzy was the one who recruited Green out of Harlan County when the former was an assistant under former head coach Matthew Mitchell. Green, who is one of the team’s leaders this season, has noticed Elzy’s growing confidence, too.

“She’s definitely grown as a head coach,” Green said during Media Day. “She knows what she wants, she knows how she wants to run things and she’s huge on keeping people accountable. You don’t mess with Coach Elzy. She knows what she wants and I think it’s just awesome she has that player-coach relationship and she really wants to help us not only as players but as people and be the best we can be.”

Elzy is building confidence in herself, and it’s building more confidence throughout the program as a result.