LEXINGTON, Ky. — In a stunning move, Matthew Mitchell resigned as University of Kentucky women's basketball coach and announced his retirement Thursday night.
Mitchell cited health issues as the reason. UK announced that associate head coach Kyra Elzy will serve as UK's interim head coach for 2020-21.
In March, Mitchell fell and hit his head while hiking with his family on a vacation trip to Mexico.
After returning to Lexington, Mitchell experienced headaches that did not cease.
Eventually, the recurring headaches sent Mitchell to UK's Albert B. Chandler Hospital, where he was diagnosed with a subdural hematoma, a build up of blood on the brain.
In June, doctors at UK performed brain surgery on Mitchell. Post-surgery, the coach's return to full health and a normal schedule had been slow.
"This was a difficult decision and I know the timing is not ideal, but I do not feel I can give the job what it requires at this time," Mitchell said in a UK news release. "As has been much publicized, I have had an eventful offseason with my injury and subsequent surgery.
"I have been open about the fact that the surgery and recovery process has been life-altering for me and my family. Through that, my priorities towards my family and my faith has grown even larger than before and that has led me to make this decision."
Over 13 seasons, Mitchell, 49, led UK women's basketball to its greatest heights.
The winningest coach in school history, Mitchell went 303-133, led Kentucky to nine NCAA Tournament trips and took the Wildcats to the round of eight three different times.
Mitchell's 2011-12 team won the SEC regular-season championship, only the second time in school history Kentucky had claimed a women's hoops league title.
A Mississippi native and a graduate of Mississippi State University, Mitchell first came to Kentucky in 2003 as an assistant on the coaching staff of Mickie DeMoss.
After two seasons in Lexington, Mitchell was hired as Morehead State head man. Over two seasons (2005-07), he went 30-29 at MSU.
When DeMoss unexpectedly stepped down after the 2006-07 season, Kentucky Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart tapped Mitchell as her replacement.
Mitchell's first two seasons as Kentucky coach were so-so, yielding a 17-16 mark in 2007-08 and a 16-16 record in 2008-09.
Before his third season, Mitchell decided to employ an up-tempo, pressure defense style.
Boosted by the development of then-junior forward Victoria Dunlap into a star-caliber player and the recruitment of Louisville high school star A'dia Mathies, the Kentucky program stunned the SEC by going 28-8, 11-5 in the league, and finishing second in the conference.
In the NCAA Tournament round of 16, UK upset No. 1 seed Nebraska and reached the round of eight before falling to Oklahoma.
That launched a stretch when Kentucky made the elite eight three times in four years, falling to eventual NCAA champion Connecticut in region finals in 2012 and 2013.
UK's 2020-21 team, led by National Player of the Year candidate Rhyne Howard, was expected to be one of Mitchell's best.
Kentucky was ranked No. 11 in the Associated Press preseason Top 25.
Elzy, a former Oldham County High School star who played collegiately for Pat Summitt at Tennessee, will be serving as a head coach for the first time.
She has served as a NCAA assistant coach since 2002, including associate head coach titles at Kentucky and Tennessee.
UK Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart and Elzy will hold a news conference Friday at 9:30 a.m. ET.
