UK ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC RELATIONS
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL POSTGAME QUOTES
KENTUCKY VS. AUBURN
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2022
MEMORIAL COLISEUM – LEXINGTON, KY.
Kentucky Head Coach Kyra Elzy
On how comfortable she is with the team at this point…
“Our team is playing with a lot of confidence right now. So I like that. Obviously we still have work to do. We’re never satisfied. We’ll go back and watch the film. But at the end of the day, what we needed to do today was get the job done. We’re on a six-game winning streak. We’re still going to stay humble and hungry and our eyes are on the prize. We’re gonna stay focused.”
On how much this streak represents what she knew the team could be…
“I’ve always been confident in this team. I knew we had enough with our talent and our team chemistry. Obviously we went through a lot of adversity, but I want to give a shout out to this coaching staff, we hit tough times and the coaches remained resilient. These assistant coaches, Nyah Butts, Amber Smith, Coach G, worked relentlessly on getting our players better, watching film, scouting, and the real MVP Courtney Jones, our athletic trainer, for getting everybody back to the floor and healthy. But this team always had great potential and we are peaking at the right time. “
On Rhyne Howard Day…
“I’m so happy for her. She has worked so hard. Rhyne (Howard) came to us when a lot of people thought we were not going to get her and she has put her mark on Kentucky Basketball forever. Her loyalty to this program will always be special to us and it’s just fitting. It’s been a journey of ups and downs and tonight to see her go out on top the last time in memorial- I want her to take that shooting with us, but I love that she finished it here like she did.
On if the winning streak has given the team life…
” Yeah, it has given us life. I think we’re one of the hottest teams in the SEC right now. I want us to keep playing with confidence. But I think it has shown the world that when we’re healthy and ready to go, what we’re capable of.”
On Rhyne wearing Blair Green’s Jersey…
“Blair was like ‘Coach she needs to wear my jersey more often it has special powers.’ And I said yeah, whatever works. I told Rhy (Rhyne Howard), I was like ‘maybe you need to wear it again.’ And she said ‘you know Coach, it does have special powers. But notice I didn’t shoot the ball from the corners, because when Blair shoots from the corners one or two times, the first or second shot, she usually hits the side of the backboard.’ So she’s like ‘I stayed away from the corners.’ But that goes to show you the type of kid and person that Rhyne is. For her to honor Blair Green tonight, her senior teammates came together, they’ve been through good and bad at Kentucky and for her to pay honor to her tonight on senior night, I thought that was fitting in and said a lot.”
#10 Rhyne Howard, Senior, Guard
On wearing number 5 today…
“I knew I was going to wear Blair’s [Green] jersey for a long, long time and I told her probably not long after she got hurt, I said, ‘I’m wearing your jersey for senior night.’ She’s always been there. That’s my sister. We came in together. We’ve lived together all four years and she wasn’t able to play my last home game with me, but her jersey deserves to be worn.”
On if she has thought about what her Kentucky career will mean after the postseason…
“Not really, I mean, I have an idea of what it’s going to be like, but I’m just staying focused on what’s going on right now, especially with tournament coming up, like you said.”
On being the lone senior celebrated today…
“It was great seeing those fans. ‘Crown her’ has been a thing for a couple of years now, everyone being a part of it, was just great. But, I do want to give a shout out to my other seniors. It was Rhyne Howard Day but we have Robyn [Benton], Jazmine [Masengil], and Blair who are also seniors. So, it was just great though overall, but I have love for them, too.”
#44 Dre’una Edwards, Redshirt Junior, Forward
On Rhyne Howard as a teammate and a person…
“Man, she’s a great person, I don’t even know where to start. Off the corner, she’s so bubbly, so fun to be around. On the court, she’s a dog, she’s going to go fight. In the same way as she said, she told me go get a bucket, if I tell her to go get a bucket, she’s going to go do the same thing. So, it’s definitely fun to play with, to play with her all the time.”
On how she viewed Rhyne Howard’s senior day…
“It was amazing. I’ve been here for three years and just seeing her. So as a freshman, I seen her, but I didn’t know who she was. And I came here, I met her and everything, and it’s been great to see her rise to the top and it’s been amazing to see everything. I’ve been seeing her for three years and it’s amazing. It was fun. It was cool to see.”
On Rhyne Howard’s impact will be on next year’s team…
“I think most definitely everybody just want to keep that same energy, and keep that dog energy, that fight energy at all times, knowing who’s been here and now it’s got to be somebody else’s turn. So, just keeping that same energy.”
