Kyra Elzy's first Kentucky WBB recruiting class sign NLI on Wednesday
Kyra Elzy hit the recruiting trail with fury during her first offseason as head coach of Kentucky Women’s Basketball. She secured commitments from four-stars Tionna Herron, Saniah Tyler, and Amiya Jenkins over the last 11 months, and that doesn’t even include Kentucky native Cassidy Rowe who has been committed since Aug. 2018.
It’s an impressive collection of young talent for Elzy, who was known as an ace recruiter before sliding over from assistant to head coach at the start of the 2020-21 season. She’s kept her momentum rolling as the head woman in charge and it’s resulted in a talented batch of future Wildcats.
On Wednesday, the official beginning of the early signing period, three of Elzy’s four commitments signed their National Letters of Intent. Herron, Tyler, and Rowe all put ink to paper as they are now officially Kentucky Wildcats.
The only Kentucky WBB commit of the four who did not sign her NIL on Wednesday was four-star guard Amiya Jenkins. The Anderson County superstar chose the ‘Cats back in October. Despite not singing today, Jenkins is expected to do so by the end of the week. The early signing period runs from Nov. 10-17.
Here’s the lowdown on all three of the signed commits, along with comments from Coach Elzy, courtesy of UK Athletics.
Tionna Herron, 6-4, Post, DeSoto, Texas (DeSoto High School)
A four-star prospect by ESPN.com, ranked as the 11th-best post and 69th overall player in the 2022 class … Evaluated in June of 2020 at the Yellow Rose of Texas event by ESPN as a “athletic front-court prospect impacts in the low-post; footwork, rises over the defense and delivers in traffic; a defensive stopper, shot blocker; mobile in transition game; a stock-riser in the class of 2022” … Helped DeSoto go 28-2 last season and win the Texas Class 6A State Championship … The impressive season led DeSoto to be ranked preseason No. 1 in the 2021-22 Preseason MaxPreps Top 25 … Was named a Texas Association of Basketball Coaches All-State selection last season averaging 12 points, eight rebounds and three blocks per game … Plays on a high school team with several other division I prospects … Chose Kentucky over Louisville, Ole Miss, Arizona, Florida State and Florida.
Elzy on Tionna Herron: “Her nickname is Tree and it is a worthy nickname for her. She is tall and runs the floor well for her size. Her footwork is very impressive for her frame. When she touches the ball in the paint, it is an automatic two points. Then you factor in her ability to protect the rim and she really is a dynamic two-way player. Bottom line, Tionna is a winner. She is coming from a championship pedigree and her high school puts a big emphasis on defense. We are very fortunate that we were able to create a good relationship with Tionna and her family. She’s going to have a successful career here at Kentucky.”
Cassidy Rowe, 5-6, Guard, Virgie, Kentucky (Shelby Valley High School)
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An in-state prospect that has been committed to Kentucky for several years … Shined as a junior at Shelby Valley High School after playing just six games as a freshman and 19 as a sophomore due to injuries … Helped her team last season win the 15th Regional All “A” Classic as Shelby Valley went 12-11 overall and 11-6 in its region … Plays at Shelby Valley for her father, Lonnie Rowe … Averaged 12.9 points per game last season, hitting 44 3-pointers … Shot over 45 percent from the field overall, including 41.1 percent from long range … Also averaged three rebounds per game last season … In limited time as a sophomore due to injury, she averaged seven points per game and hit 36.5 percent from long range … Helped the team to the 59th district championship her sophomore season, while they also advanced to the 15th region championship game before losing by one point … Played in 65 total high school games as a seventh and eighth grader … As an eighth grader, she averaged 9.9 points per game and hit 53 3-pointers, shooting 36.8 percent from long range … As a seventh grader, she averaged 7.5 points per game and hit 35 percent from long range … Has been committed to Kentucky since she was a freshman in high school.
Elzy on Cassidy Rowe: “Cassidy in a Kentucky kid that has decided to join BBN and we are excited that she’s a Wildcat. Cassidy is a blue-collar player that is committed to doing whatever it takes to be successful. She has dealt with some injuries and fought hard to get back to 100 percent. We have never doubted her, and they have never doubted us. Cassidy has the intangibles that we need; coachable, high motor and a phenomenal work ethic. She will impact the game on both ends of the floor with her hustle and scoring ability.”
Saniah Tyler, 5-6, Guard, Florissant, Missouri (Incarnate Word Academy)
A four-star prospect by ESPN.com, which ranks her as the 22nd best point guard in the 2022 class … ESPN.com evaluated Tyler at the Raatz-Fence-O’Sheas Classic as an “athletic floor leader with a scoring punch in the back court; physical off the dribble, drives and delivers in traffic; mid-range offensive threat extends to the arc; defends, disrupts” … Had an incredible junior season for Incarnate Word in 2020-21, averaging 12.7 points, 3.2 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 2.2 steals per game … Hit over 70 3-pointers as a junior, shooting 35.7 percent from the 3 … Led her team to an undefeated 29-0 record and state championship last season … Was named to the 2021 St. Louis American “Fab Five” Girls All-Star Team as a junior … Shined in the postseason, scoring 21 points in the state quarterfinals … As a sophomore, she averaged 11.8 points, 4.3 assists and 2.6 steals … Hit a last-second 3-pointer in the state quarterfinals as a sophomore to help her team to the semifinals of the event before it was canceled due to COVID … Chose Kentucky over Arizona State and Tennessee. https://twitter.com/UKCoachLZ/status/1458576386315141130
Elzy on Saniah Tyler: “Explosive, versatile and leader are the three words that come to mind when I think about Saniah Tyler’s game. Her game is very balanced when it comes to getting her teammates involved and looking to score herself. She has a toughness and competitive spirit about her that you notice right away. It’s a combination that we look for in recruiting and she fits the description of a Kentucky women’s basketball player. She will bring the heat defensively. We are so excited she is a Kentucky Wildcat.”
Welcome to the Big Blue Nation, girls.
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