🧠 From Scottie…

We need your help.

We are starting "She Scores Goes On The Road” and we want to meet with coaches, players, parents, and admin and get to know them by asking them a series of questions about their involvement in women’s college basketball. We’re not your boring journalists, we’re going to keep it entertaining just like our emails.

We have a couple of people lined up that we are excited for you to hear from, and we want more!

So if you fall into any of these categories, fill out our 3 question form below and we’ll be in touch.

In today’s blog we're diving into Kentucky’s women’s basketball team. What’s happening over there? They are 3-5.

LAST WEEK TODAY
💯 MVP’S

Player of the week: Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame

One of the many freshman taking over this season, Hannah Hidalgo is not slowing down. Notre Dame is a franchise team so i don’t mean any disrespect with this, but this girl is carrying this team on her tiny little back. She’s netting 20+ points and has racked up accolades such as ACC Rookie of the Week, ACC Player of the Week, and USBWA Freshman of the Week 3x in a row. The best part about Hidalgo is that this is how she has been playing without Olivia Miles, a key player for Notre Dame who was out mid-season last year due to an injury. When Miles is back that will be a fun back court.

Coach of the week: Erika Lambert, University of North Florida

University of North Florida Head Coach Erika Lambert scores her first collegiate win at UNF! The game was a wipeout116-44 victory against Trinity Baptist in the Ospreys' home opener. This win marked the team’s largest margin of victory during a home opener.

With 15 years of experience, Lambert has former coaching experience with Abilene Christian University, where she played a large role in recruiting and additional experience with Bethel University, Ohio Wesleyan, Charleston Southern and College of Charleston, her alma mater as a student athlete.

Team of the week: University of Wisconsin Green Bay Phoenix

Yes that’s their real name. I was confused too. During tournament play last week, GPB upset TWO Top 25 teams, #22 Creighton and #24 Washington State. Usually Creighton’s the “up-setter” in these scenarios but GBP, a team many have never heard of, really put on a clinic. Green Bay Phoenix’s next reputable opponent is DePaul on 12/5, so if you don’t mind paying $30 for the worst streaming quality, you can catch their game on FloHoops.

TODAY’S STORY
💥Team Spotlight: Kentucky

Season Recap

Kentucky Kentucky Kentucky. Tough roads ahead for this team, but I believe this team will look drastically different than how they have looked so far this season.

💡 Let me interject my judgment with an interesting fact about Kentucky. They have been recently selected as a Mamba Program this season, a partnership initiated by Vanessa Bryant, Kobe Bryant’s wife, and Nike. What does this look like? The team will wear exclusive Kentucky-themed Kobe sneakers and apparel and receive special uniforms featuring the Mamba logo.

Back to fair, rational judgment below.

Who can forget the iconic moment three years ago when Kentucky pulled off the upset of the year at the SEC Championship? The echoes of that triumph still resonate as the Wildcats embark on a journey to reclaim their glory. This season, they face challenges, but for this team, adversity is just another word for opportunity.

If you don’t remember the viral moment from Dre’una Edwards after this win, check this out.

Shortly after their exciting run a couple of years ago, they lost their 2 biggest players Rhyne Howard to the WNBA with the Atlanta Dream and Dre’Una Edwards transferred to Baylor University. Other players immediately hit the transfer portal. These girls didn’t wait a second. The moment they were out of the NCAA tournament, they gave the coaches, their teammates, and the school the peace sign. Because of this, they have now been taking advantage of what the transfer portal offers: experienced kids looking to get minutes for a reputable program (and a fat paycheck).

However, patiently waiting in Kentucky’s arsenal bag is a god-send for this team for the future: 4 star California recruit, Jordy Griggs.

Coaching Staff (some)

You know what? For a women’s basketball program, they have a lot of women on that team. I’ve never seen anything like it. Due to diversity and inclusion, equal opportunity purposes, I am going to have to mention one of the man on the coaching staff so they can feel represented.

Another thing that sticks out to me is the resume of each coach and the amount of time that they have been Kentucky. I’m telling you right now, this coaching staff is bad ass. They are destined to create a NCAA Championship team soon enough if the transfer portal can just relax for a season or two.

Head Coach Kyra Elzy: If you want to be exhausted even more after work, just look at Coach Elzy’s job history. Dear lord. Kyra Elzy, a Kentucky native, has transformed the women's basketball program into a national powerhouse during her 12-year tenure, serving as head coach since 2020. Her coaching prowess is highlighted by back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances and securing the program's second SEC Tournament title in 2022. Elzy, a former player under legendary coach Pat Summitt at Tennessee, brings a rich basketball legacy, contributing to two national championships and three SEC Tournament titles. I wonder if the reason for so many transfers from Tennessee is because of this. I want to know what her relationship is like with Head Coach Kellie Harper. Bad blood? Or under the table type of deals?

Special Assistant to the Head Coach Gail Goestenkors: Don’t let her last name confuse you. Serving as Elzy's sidekick, Goestenkors wields power, predicting the future and playing a crucial role in decisions about recruits and current players. Notably, she brings a diverse background, having owned a coaching consulting business called Coaching Full Circle and worked as an ESPN Analyst.

Assistant Coach Jen Hoover: Hoover is a former Head Coach at both Wake Forest and and Duke University. To have this experience and take this job, somethin’s a brewin!

Associate Head Coach Niya Butts: 13 years at Kentucky shows true loyalty and respect. Butts has played a mssive role with recruiting for this program. She was previously the Head Coach at Arizona until Adia Barnes replaced her.

Jenny Huth, Jaamal Rhodes, and Crystal Kelly were each hired this season. Lot’s of newbies 👀 

Players (some)

#0 Brooklyn Miles: Transferred from Tennessee this season after 2 years so she comes from a well respected and disciplined program, which is probably why she is a starter. With a team going through a rebuilding phase, Brooklyn’s experience will add depth on both sides. + She’s got some wheels on those feet

#2: Saniah Tyler: Only a Sophomore who had very limited minutes last season, she will be a vital role in development for this program. She is respected by her coaches and is most known for her defense. As most developing newbies are.

#13 Ajae Petty: Spending 2 years at LSU, Ajae brings her dominant post skillset to the starting 5. Kentucky should leverage her more, she knows how to get open, she’s got a great size that allows her to be active on the boards but pose a threat outside as well for opponents.

#20: Amiya Jenkins: Similar to teammate Saniah Tyler, Jenkins is a great development player from her Freshman year. She got a lot of minutes last year and she’s continuing to grow into a big contributor for this team. She’s very fun to watch on both ends of the court.

#22: Maddie Scherr: The Scorer. The Designated White Baller on the team. Stereotypes aside, Maddie is the team leader, the team needs her to have an A+++ game in order to stay in the game or win.

BONUS #3 Jordy Griggs: The freshman everyone has been talking about! Keep your eyes on this one, she is a 6 foot 2 guard expected to do what JuJu Watkins is doing at USC.

Final Thoughts

When your women's basketball program exists under the looming shadow of a highly acclaimed men's basketball counterpart, the journey ahead seems arduous. Institutions like Kentucky, Kansas, Duke, and North Carolina face perpetual uphill battles in fostering thriving women's programs.

Head Coach Kyra Elzy has demonstrated her capabilities on multiple occasions, prompting me to extend the benefit of the doubt. I believe she's earnestly working with her staff to reconstruct her team to reach a Champtionship, a task exacerbated by the upheavals caused by the transfer portal changes two years ago. Navigating these challenges has undoubtedly complicated coaching efforts.

Watching Kentucky tank right now is brutal, but looking at the coaching staff and players, they’ll be a fun one to track over the next few years.

Overall team score for Colorado: 58.8

NEWS
👂️This Week’s Locker Room Drama

What’s been going on in the world of women’s college basketball recently? We’ve got you covered.

• Basketball players can now wear numbers greater than 5 on their jerseys. Thank god. I’ve been waiting for a #69 to appear (Defector)

• Azzie Fudd from UConn, KK Dean from Ole Miss, and Sa’Myah Smith are all out for the rest of the season with knee injuries

• This week, both Angel Reese and Kateri Pool are absent from the Caymen Islands Tournament. I need LSU to take a backseat to headlines for at least a week (ESPN)

• Mississippi State Head Coach Sam Purcell is unable to coach due to an unknown illness (Yahoo Sports)

MEDIA
🤳Video of The Week

Behind The Scenes With Columbia Women’s Basketball Program Through The Lens of Aliyah

@aliyahfunschelle

Replying to @Lia forever posting about CUWBB 🤷‍♀️ #womeninsports #workinsports #wbb #columbia

GAMES
💥Spotlight Games This Week

Duke v Georgia

• Thursday 11/30

• 5:00 PM EST on SEC Network

• This will be a well-matched game, both teams are fun to play and Duke has been on a “break-your-ankle” game streak.

#1 South Carolina v #24 North Carolina

• Thursday 11/29

• 7:00 PM EST on ESPN

• Battle of the Carolinas

#7 LSU v #9 Virginia Tech

• Thursday 11/29

• 9:00 PM EST on ESPN

• Deja vu! 2023 Final Four Part 2

#12 Utah v BYU

• Saturday 12/2

• 9:00 PM EST on Pac 12 Network

• Battle of the Mormon State, respectfully

#10 Texas v #11 UConn

• Sunday 12/3

• 3:00 PM EST on ABC

• Texas has great backing by their fans and students so this crowd may play a huge factor in the outcome.

#16 Ohio State v #20 Tennessee

• Sunday 12/3

• 5:00 PM EST on ESPN

• Whenever Ohio State plays, let’s be honest, Jacy Sheldon’s sister with down syndrome is what people are really tuning in to see.