1 - University of Kentucky Athletics

H e a d
C o a c h
Matthew Mitchell
Seventh Head Coach in UK Hoops History
Matthew Mitchell, who engineered a remarkable turnaround as head
coach of the Morehead State University Lady Eagles the past two seasons,
made a triumphant return to UK Hoops when he was named head
coach of the Kentucky women's basketball team on April 23, 2007. Mitchell,
who replaces Mickie DeMoss, had been the top UK assistant under DeMoss
from 2003-05. Before that, he was an assistant at Florida from 2000-03 and a
graduate assistant at Tennessee from 1999-2000. Most recently, he guided
Morehead State’s Lady Eagles to two of the program’s finest ever back-toback
seasons in his first two years as a collegiate head coach.
Mitchell’s mentor, DeMoss, had stunned the Big Blue Nation in the
spring of 2007 when she resigned as head coach after four head-spinning seasons,
including postseason play the last three years.
So when Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart went about the daunting task
of finding a coach whose skills, personality and charm could build on the
success and excitement that DeMoss had brought to the program, he immediately
thought of Mitchell, who had played a key role in UK Hoops landing
four brilliant prep performers in the fall of 2004 – a class ranked No. 6 by the
All-Star Girls Report.
In his first season at UK, Mitchell helped lure Chanté Bowman, Samantha
Mahoney, and Eleia Roddy away from Big Ten powers Michigan State
and Ohio State, and convinced Sarah Elliott, a Kentucky high school legend,
to stay at home and out of the eager clutches of legendary Tennessee coach
Pat Summitt.
A whirlwind salesman, Mitchell presented a vision of UK Hoops as a
powerhouse program… and a warm and loving family. His pitch resonated
with recruits and their families as he exuded his own special charm that
could, in Elliott’s uniquely-phrased words, “sell logs to a log man.”
Mitchell then became a key factor in the development and improvement
of UK's young post players. Elliott ranked in the top 10 in two Southeastern
Conference statistical categories and was named to the 2004-05 SEC All-
Freshman team. Forward Jennifer Humphrey – then a sophomore - also
flourished under Mitchell's direction, leading the team in rebounding and
ranking 15th in that category in the SEC in 2004-2005. She finished her college
career as UK's second all-time leading rebounder.
When Barnhart hired DeMoss in 2003, he was looking for an architect to
build UK Hoops into one of the country’s elite women’s programs. Along
What They’re Saying About Matthew Mitchell
“I am excited for Matthew and for the program. Having worked with Matthew at Tennessee
and Kentucky, I know what he’s capable of and he is very talented. I am confident
that he can continue guiding the program on the right track with his leadership.
Matthew’s knowledge of the game, his communication skills, his relationships with players,
and his strong ability to recruit makes him the total package. The players will
respond well to him and he will be able to relate well to the community. The Kentucky fan
base will continue to grow under his leadership.”
- Mickie DeMoss, former Kentucky women’s basketball coach
“I’m so excited for Matthew. He made it clear to me at Tennessee that he wanted to be
involved in the women’s game and I really enjoyed having him on our staff. I know he
enjoyed working with Coach DeMoss at Kentucky as an assistant but I think it was good
that he went away for his first head coaching job. It’s great to have him back in the
league.”
- Pat Summitt, Tennessee women’s basketball coach
“Matthew Mitchell is a great hire for Kentucky. He can continue the great tradition that
Mickie DeMoss started there. He has similar qualities to Coach DeMoss as he is outgoing,
has high energy and a positive attitude. He is not only going to be great for Kentucky
but for the SEC as well.”
- Carol Ross, former Ole Miss and Florida women’s basketball coach
“Watching Matthew as an assistant coach at Kentucky and Florida, I knew it wouldn’t be
long until he became a head coach at a big-time program. It’s great to get a person with
his energy, passion and knowledge of the game back in the SEC.”
- Dave Neal, play-by-play announcer for SEC women’s college basketball
74 • 2007-08 Women’s Basketball