Kyra Elzy has a lucrative new contract and a recruit, Kennedy Cambridge, who cannot wait to play for her. (Photo by Vicky Graff)
Kyra Elzy’s new contract at Kentucky that now runs through June 30, 2027 has the same $400,000 base salary but she’s going to make a lot more from media deals and endorsements than the current $175,000 she made on her original contract.
She will get $350,000 in extra money in the 2022-23 year and it will go up $25,000 more each year until it reaches $450,000 from July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2027 to boost her total package to $850,000 in the final year of her contract.
Elzy will also continue to get tickets to UK men’s and women’s basketball games along with UK football games, a car for personal/official use and membership to Keene Trace Golf Club in Nicholasville.
While some questioned why UK athletics director Mitch Barnhart decided to extend Elzy’s contract after just two seasons as head coach, one person happy to see the extension was UK commit Kennedy Cambridge of Nashville.
Her high school coach, Mary Taylor Cowles, is a former head coach at Western Kentucky who had Elzy on her staff. That was Elzy’s first college coaching job.
“Coach Elzy just had a feeling of home. Her big thing is family and that’s big with me,” Cambridge said. “My head coach (Cowles) and I have the best relationship. You never see my head coach without me beside her. I am in her office every day.”
“I need that type of connection with my head coach. If I needed to call Coach today, she would answer. Coach Elzy is the same way. Even back in eighth grade when I talked to coach Elzy, she had that energy. Blood does not make family and she is family. She gave me what I needed to go there.”
What did Cowles tell her about Elzy?
“She told me Kentucky was the only place for me. She said coach Elzy is going to give me her all no matter what,” Cowles said. “She told me she is another her.”
A visit to Mississippi during the season actually convinced Cambridge that Kentucky and Elzy were right for her.
“As soon as I got back the next day I committed right away to Kentucky,” Cambridge said.
Cambridge is not concerned that four players, including three starters, have entered the transfer portal since UK’s season ended.
“I believe everything happens for a reason,” Cambridge said. “I am good friends with (transfer) Treasure (Hunt). I support them but we have a really good freshman class coming in. Even if we don’t get more players, we have enough. We are going to be fine.”
One Response
Ky Ladies Blue is going to be as good as they can, as a ky Blue fan 💙 family is what its about in life I believe if you treat each other like family and believe in whatever you’re doing you can be great. It take time to be good but as long as these young ladies listen they can be good and if you’re good you have room for greatness. A day wasn’t made in 12 hrs but 24 hrs. GO 🐈 GO