The personal rivalry you missed in the Kentucky vs. Louisville game

When Kentucky plays Louisville, it’s a rivalry game. When Kyra Elzy coaches against Jeff Walz, it’s a personal matter.

On Sunday, Kentucky Women’s Basketball lost for the sixth-straight time to the Louisville Cardinals. While thousands of fans read the final boxscore, few people knew the subtext. Walz isn’t simply an opposing coach to Elzy, he is her former coach.

“I love Coach Walz,” Elzy said after the loss. “I tell him, we gave him his great start with the Kentucky Hustle. So, he learned from a great group of young ladies.”

A great group of young ladies is an understatement. The Hustle, an AAU program, consisted of Ukari Figgs, the 1999 Final Four Most Outstanding Player; Marrita Porter, two-time First-Team All-Big Ten; Jaime Walz, Jeff’s sister and the second-leading scorer all-time in Kentucky girls basketball history; and Elzy, of course.

It was an honor and a privilege to play infront of #BBN at @Rupp_Arena.

Thank you. 💙 pic.twitter.com/YAMCseTP5Q

— Kentucky Women’s Basketball (@KentuckyWBB) December 12, 2022

Walz didn’t have to do much for that AAU team to win, and he’s the first to admit it.

“I really can’t say I did a whole bunch of coaching,” Walz joked. “I just stayed out of the way and the few games we lost, I got in the way.”

Walz certainly doesn’t stop his team from winning now. The 51-year-old has had immense success during 16 years as the Cardinals’ head coach. Under Walz, Louisville has 11 trips to the NCAA Sweet 16, seven visits to the Elite Eight, four appearances in the Final Four and two in the NCAA Championship.

While Elzy admires her former coach’s accomplishments, she doesn’t let them intimidate her.

“At the end of the day, we’re competitors. It’s a rivalry game we’re trying to win, we came here to win obviously very disappointed that we didn’t. And all you can do from here is learn, grow, get ready for the next game.”

Although the two coaches are competitors, Walz gave Elzy props after the game.

“I’m excited for Kyra. She has done a great job. I’ve got a ton of respect for her. She’s a good person and that’s — in this profession, you can hang your hat on that,” Walz said. “I’m trying to win this game. She’s trying to win this game. But, at the end, I’ve got the utmost respect for her because of how she does things and who she is.”