Kyra Elzy made it clear to Maddie Scherr how much she was needed at Kentucky

Maddie Scherr knew she was ready to leave Oregon after two years but didn’t want to rush to make a college choice.

She was a five-star recruit out of Ryle High School, Miss Kentucky Basketball, a McDonald’s All-American, two-time Gatorade Player of the Year and a state champion who was heavily recruited by Kentucky before heading west.

Now she’s back at Kentucky — one of 10 new players on coach Kyra Elzy’s roster.

“I don’t know if there was a key moment that made me think I finally know (to pick Kentucky). It was more just slowly getting to the point I was buying into this,” Scherr said at UK’s Media Day.

She knew Kentuckians Blair Green and Emma King, both seniors, and incoming freshman Cassidy Rowe.

“I am big friends with them and I knew they would be honest with me about what is going on,” Scherr said.

So was Elzy.

“Maddie, in particular, I was like listen, ‘The people of the state of Kentucky want to see you at Kentucky, wearing blue. I don’t know what we need to do but we are going to make it happen,’” Elzy said at Media Da. “I told her if I had a quarter for everyone that asked me if we were going to get Maddie Scherr, I’d be rich.”

Scherr could be a priceless addition. She played 53 games at Oregon and started 32 games while averaging 3.7 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.3 steals per game. She had 10 points, five assists, two steals and two rebounds against eventual national champion South Carolina last season. She also had five or more assists in 10 games last year.

“I want to produce. I have a lot to give that I did not get to do (at Oregon) and that’s one reason I transferred,” Scherr said. “I have been working on getting my confidence and mental game stronger. I just did not feel like I was the player I knew I could be.”

But now she’ll get to be the player Elzy has always felt she could be.