Kyra Elzy, a standout on Tennessee University’s back-to-back NCAA championship teams in 1997 and 1998, has been hired as a full-time assistant by new Kansas University women’s basketball coach Bonnie Henrickson.

Elzy spent the last two seasons as an aide at Western Kentucky. She was previously an administrative aide at Virginia Tech for a year.

A 6-foot-1 guard, Elzy spent five years at Tennessee, missing the 1998-99 season because of an injury. She eventually returned and helped spark the Vols to an NCAA runner-up finish in 2000. A native of LaGrange, Ky., Elzy owns a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from UT.

Henrickson has now filled all three assistant coaching positions — she brought Virginia Tech aides Karen Lange and Katie O’Conner with her. Henrickson also is bringing Trena Anderson, her director of basketball operations at Virginia Tech, to fill a similar position at KU.

Henrickson still has an vacancy for an administrative assistant, leaving open the possibility to hire Jackie Stiles, the former Claflin High and Southwest Missouri State standout.

“If it’s what Jackie wants, we’d certainly be interested,” Henrickson said.

Stiles, the all-time leading scorer in NCAA women’s basketball history, was named WNBA rookie of the year in 2001, but missed much of the 2002 season and all of the 2003 season because of injuries.

Stiles is not currently listed on the Los Angeles Sparks’ 2004 roster.