Duke women’s basketball announced on Monday that former Kentucky head coach Kyra Elzy would join the program as an assistant.
Elzy spent the last five seasons as the Wildcats coach, and she became the first coach in school history to reach the NCAA Tournament in each of her first two seasons. She recruited and coached Rhyne Howard, the No. 1 pick in the 2022 WNBA Draft, and guided the Wildcats to the SEC Tournament title in 2022.
“We are thrilled to welcome Kyra Elzy to The Sisterhood,” head coach Kara Lawson said in a release from the team about the hire. “She will immediately raise the level in our program.”
She is one of the best relationship builders I’ve been around,” Lawson continued. “I look forward to pursuing championships together again!”
Elzy has roamed SEC sidelines since 2008 when she joined the Wildcats staff. She’s spent every year with the program since save for a four-year trip to Tennessee from 2012-16 as an assistant.
The Sisterhood just got stronger!!!
👊🏽👊🏽💙 @CoachLZ pic.twitter.com/Y0F3FwnMwM
— Duke Women’s Basketball (@DukeWBB) June 10, 2024
Elzy and Lawson overlapped as teammates from 1999-2001 with the Lady Vols.