‘On their toes and ready.’ Kentucky women’s basketball prepares for its next chapter.

Kentucky women’s basketball is standing at a crossroads.

Entering her fourth season leading the charge for the Wildcats, head coach Kyra Elzy has built an overall record of 49-40 (.551). Her next mission? Continue to elevate a program that was once expected — year in and out — to not only make the NCAA Tournament, but to make a run.

The program’s history has been at the forefront of promotional materials ahead of this, the Wildcats’ 50th year of varsity status. At Big Blue Madness, Elzy was introduced to Big Blue Nation at the end of a line of retired UK women’s coaches: Sue Feamster, Sharon Fanning, Bernadette Mattox, Mickie DeMoss and Matthew Mitchell.

For the coach currently at the helm of the program preparing to embark upon a 2023-24 campaign featuring seven opponents ranked in the preseason AP top 25 and a conference that boasts the two most recent national champions, this much is clear:

The time is now.

Starting five

UK’s roster features 12 players — 11 healthy, as senior Nyah Leveretter continues to rehab from spring ACL repair surgery — and, if Wednesday’s exhibition starters hold for Tuesday’s season opener, it’ll be relatively inexperienced players leading the way.

In UK’s 88-71 victory over Kentucky State, Elzy chose to, unsurprisingly, start last season’s third-leading scorer Maddie Scherr. But paired with Scherr, the Wildcats went with four players who’d never started a college game before: Brooklynn Miles, Saniah Tyler, Ajae Petty and Zennia Thomas.

After the exhibition win, Elzy discussed her path to landing on the starting five. And, at least against the Division II competition, things seemed to work.

Miles, the 2021 Kentucky Miss Basketball honoree, recorded nine points, three rebounds, one steal, three turnovers and a team high-tying five assists in her UK debut. Had the game been official, it would have been one of her best showings — topping most of her performances in two seasons with Tennessee.

“I really like Brooklynn Miles at the point guard,” Elzy said. “Her ability to push the basketball, push the pace and help us extend our defense.”

Miles’ commitment in the summer following the transfer of last season’s second-leading scorer, Jada Walker — who largely split point guard duties with Scherr during last year’s 12-19 (2-14 SEC) campaign — meant a fresh start for the Kentucky backcourt. One that, best-case scenario, could allow the Wildcats to move forward without worrying about a facilitator.

“Maddie is an unbelievable point guard,” Elzy said. “But to have two point guards on the floor allows me to move Maddie around to bring her off some screens for open shots, and not have to carry the point guard for 40 minutes.”

Adding to the backcourt refresh is Tyler, a sophomore who nearly matched her freshman season minutes in the exhibition. On Wednesday, Tyler clocked 24 minutes and 58 seconds of playing time. During the entirety of her freshman season, Tyler played just 25 total minutes. She finished with 12 points, two rebounds, two assists and zero turnovers in the exhibition win.

According to Elzy, Tyler faltered early in her freshman year and needed a reboot in confidence. Her growth, Elzy said, is a result of the work she put in to come back stronger.

“I’m so proud of Saniah,” Elzy said. “You know, she lost her confidence last year. One of the most highly recruited players coming out of high school. And then it was a big transition for her and a shock to her system, lost her confidence early, never regained it. And one of the things she and I talked about was go back to work. She’s like, ‘Coach, I don’t have any confidence.’ I was like, ‘Go back to work, get in the gym, put some shots up.’ And she did that, to her credit, and playing with so much more confidence now.”

Thomas, one of four now-sophomores — alongside Tyler, Amiya Jenkins and Cassidy Rowe — with no choice but to prepare for a substantial increase in playing time, represents a particular area of inexperience for the Wildcats. Thomas, standing at 6-foot-2, is now the Wildcats’ second-most experienced (healthy) big behind Petty. She finished with nine points, four rebounds, one steal and a turnover in Wednesday’s exhibition.

“I just decided to go with our two bigs,” Elzy said. “Z has played well up into this point in practice (with) her ability to finish and rebound.”

The Petty show

The clear standout in Wednesday’s exhibition, Petty dropped a double-double of 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting and 13 rebounds in a team-high 28 minutes and 15 seconds of playing time. Elzy said the 6-3 forward – who led the team to 56 points in the paint — had been the “MVP all summer.” And if the Wildcats have their sights set on drastic improvements this season, Petty seems to be the key.

Last year, Elzy and the coaching staff had to institute a goal for the post group — a combined 12 points and 15 rebounds per game as a way to even out the backcourt-driven offensive attack. After the exhibition, Elzy noted that she “hadn’t went to that quite yet” this season because there’s not been a need. And, with the ideal cushion of leaning on Petty inside, the guards will have the opportunity to shoot from long range.

“We’ve been scoring inside,” Elzy said. “Ajae has really stepped up and owned the paint, so our ability to score inside-out keeps the defense honest. You know, I just feel like if we can pound the ball inside, obviously people will bring the double to us, our ability to kick out. We have to be able to hit open threes.”

Scherr, last season’s resident sharpshooter at a team-best 33.6 percent from three-point distance, had a relatively underwhelming afternoon against KSU with seven points, two steals and five assists.

Bench help

Though depth may not be the first word that comes to mind for this 12-player roster, flashes from a pair of guards Wednesday bode well for the Wildcats’ season, should they remain consistent.

Senior Eniya Russell and fifth-year Emma King each contributed 12 points in the victory. Had the game been official, King’s point total would have registered as a career high. She added three rebounds, two assists, two blocks, one steal and one turnover in 21 minutes.

“Emma King, fifth year, senior glue piece for us,” Elzy said. “You know, I tell her, ‘When you come in, your job is to make open shots. You have the green light, the three is open, let it fly.’ She’s put in the work. She always has and then, you know, make hustle plays to keep us together.”

Russell, who didn’t see the floor until early in the second quarter, played just 12 minutes. Her 12 points came on 6-of-8 shooting, and she also had one rebound, one steal and two assists while totaling three turnovers. Russell told the Herald-Leader at UK’s media day that she’d finally started to feel like herself on the court again for the first time since high school, and that she’s ready to impact this team.

Another necessary piece to the Wildcats’ success is Jenkins, who Elzy said “came on at the end of last year and she continues into this year.”

“I thought Mimi came in and gave us a big spark, you know?” Elzy said. “Her ability to score, she can get downhill and finish at the rim with the best of them. Her ability to play multiple positions offensively and defensively makes her a vital weapon for this team. So excited about her.”

Jenkins, the 2022 Kentucky Miss Basketball honoree, played just 230 total minutes across 30 games during her freshman season. She and King were the first players off the bench in Wednesday’s exhibition. Jenkins finished with seven points, four rebounds, two assists, one steal and three turnovers in 12 minutes.

Freshmen faces

The Wildcats’ two freshmen, 6-4 Janae Walker and 6-2 Jordy Griggs, made their unofficial college debuts in Wednesday’s exhibition. At this point, it’s unclear whether or not they will receive substantial playing time, as Elzy regularly notes their continued work toward finding their footing.

Walker entered late in the third quarter and played a total of nine minutes, finishing with one point and two fouls. She appears to be working toward a larger role in the frontcourt.

“Janae brings us another big body,” Elzy said. “She can rebound, she can score around the rim. The game is moving really fast for her, but that’s most freshmen at this time.”

Griggs didn’t see the floor until the final two minutes of the game, and did not show up on the stats sheet. Griggs, who played on the wing in high school at Montverde (Florida) Academy, is transitioning to a new position in college.

“Jordy is still adjusting,” Elzy said. “Swinging her to the 4 as of right now, so still trying to adjust to a new position.”

According to Elzy, she’s allowing her freshmen to take the time to figure out both the Wildcats’ system and themselves as college players.

“I just told them, you know, ‘Go in, one play hard. There’s no experience until you get some,’” Elzy said. “So tried to give them some game experience today. Both are still trying to get in elite-level shape as they were kind of in and out this summer. But we’re gonna need both of those freshmen and it just takes time to learn. It’s a learning curve for every freshman.”

Lower expectations

After tying for last in the SEC last season with Texas A&M — the Wildcats’ worst finish under Elzy — expectations for UK have lowered. In the 2023-24 SEC coaches preseason poll, UK was picked to finish 14th. In the media poll, Kentucky was picked 13th — above only Vanderbilt. In neither voting did the Wildcats have any representation on the preseason All-SEC Team selections.

And, though, expectations aren’t as high as they have been in the past, the only way to go is up. With many questions surrounding this year’s roster — Can the Wildcats find a way to come out on top in close games? Will UK be able to maintain a consistent offensive attack? Which under-the-radar players, if any, will emerge as playmakers? — this uncertainty creates opportunities to go above and beyond.

Elzy mentioned after the exhibition that this season will be a journey, and the Wildcats will certainly face adversity in the form of a difficult schedule. However, Elzy said she learned a lot about her team in an Oct. 28 closed scrimmage against preseason Associated Press No. 7 Ohio State, noting the strength of Tyler’s play against the Buckeyes and her roster’s success in shooting from long range.

With the first few opponents — East Tennessee State, USC Upstate and Austin Peay — seeming to be winnable matchups, the training wheels come off in Kentucky’s first road game against reigning ASUN champion Florida Gulf Coast on Nov. 19. FGCU beat UK 69-63 in the first half of their home-and-home series last December in Lexington.

The 2023 Paradise Jam, a Thanksgiving week tournament in the U.S. Virgin Islands, won’t prove any easier. The Wildcats have to face AP preseason No. 20 Colorado, plus AP vote-receiver North Carolina State and nearby rival Cincinnati.

With Boston College coming to town on Nov. 30 for the inaugural ACC/SEC Challenge and the annual Louisville rivalry game taking place this season at the KFC Yum Center, things don’t get any easier for the Wildcats — and that’s all before SEC play begins.

Though the specific path to success remains murky, its importance — as well as the lofty expectations from Big Blue Nation — weighs heavily. One thing’s for sure, Elzy said, it’s going to take everybody.

“We talk about every day in practice,” Elzy said. “’You have to be ready. When your number is called, you have to be ready.’ It’s going to take all of us doing our job and everyone playing to their strengths. And in order to play the pace that we want to play offensively and defensively, you are going to need breathers, so the next man up. So they know they have the opportunity to play, which I think keeps everybody on their toes and ready.”

UK season opener

East Tennessee State at Kentucky

When: 7 p.m. Tuesday

Where: Transylvania University’s Clive M. Beck Center

TV: SEC Network Plus (online only)

Radio: WLAP-AM 630

Series: Kentucky leads 2-1

Last meeting: Kentucky won 73-56 on Dec. 15, 2013, in Lexington

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