‘A big puzzle.’ UK women’s basketball and international recruiting in the social media age.

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Social media makes the world feel small.

It’s a sentiment that rings true globally, affecting relationships, communities and industries. It makes sense, then, that the convenience and accessibility of social media extends to college basketball recruiting, as well; providing players who might previously have gone undiscovered the opportunity to put themselves out there, and capture the attention of college coaches.

Amid the current landscape of college athletics, relationships are everything. At least that’s the perspective held by first-year Kentucky women’s basketball head coach Kenny Brooks. Based on his resume, it’s hard to argue with his approach.

Dating back to his tenure at James Madison, Brooks has coached eight WNBA draft picks, including All-America center Elizabeth Kitley — the most decorated player in the history of Virginia Tech women’s basketball and a second-round pick in this year’s draft. Whether in Harrisonburg or Blacksburg, Virginia, Brooks and his stalwart coaching staff have identified — and successfully signed — talent across the globe in order to advance his programs.

Why limit a roster to the best players in the United States? Or even in North America? Kentucky assistant coach Radvile Autukaite , who’s worked on Brooks’ staff in some capacity since 2017 and now serves as UK’s recruiting coordinator, told the Herald-Leader that international recruiting has always existed in Division I basketball, both within and outside the power conferences.

“But there were only a few coaches, few programs, that really dug deep into it and invested a lot of time,” Autukaite said. “And money (and) resources, you could say. Because you got to travel, you got to do a lot of things that go into this.”

In Autukaite’s mind, social media has brought significant change to international recruiting in the past five or six years. Not every coach chose to devote resources to pursuing international prospects. But those who did — and still do — have found great success.

College standouts like South Carolina alumna Kamilla Cardoso (Brazil) and UConn alumnae Nika Muhl (Croatia) and Lou Lopez-Senechal (Mexico/France) not only became fan favorites, but played crucial roles in their teams’ deep NCAA Tournament runs.

Brooks’ inaugural 13-player Kentucky roster features five from outside the United States — All-America point guard Georgia Amoore (Australia), junior college transfer forward Amelia Hassett (Australia), former Oregon State standout freshman Dominika Paurova (Czechia) and incoming freshmen Tanah Becker (Canada) and Clara Silva (Portugal).

Amoore, a graduate transfer from Virginia Tech, and Silva, a former Hokies’ commit playing professionally in Spain who opted to follow Brooks to Lexington, each lived overseas immediately prior to enrolling.

According to Autukaite, before social media became a major player, American college coaches had relationships with certain coaches across Europe and beyond. Areas of interest that produced high-level talent and players with potential became “little specialties” for those who chose to dedicate time and energy to international recruiting.

“There was no Instagram, right?” Autukaite said. “So they specifically would travel, let’s say, in Italy. And they knew who they have to talk to. They saw those kids, they got what they needed, they would come back. And those kids wouldn’t come here and take five visits to pick a school. It was like, ‘hey, this is who I trust.’”

With the boom of social media, Autukaite said, “the world became small and access to players became big.”

Gone are the days where a coach’s only option was to book an international flight and physically meet a prospect. Fortunately — for the budget — coaches can watch film online and read up on a player’s stats and strengths thanks to FIBA and other resources.

Social media benefits the players, too. The sheer number coming from other countries to play college basketball in the States has increased because of greater access. Any prospect is able to put her highlights online, explore potential teams’ facilities and learn some semblance of what a program may have to offer.

“Before, a lot of players didn’t know that that was an opportunity for them to come to America,” Autukaite explained. “Unless you were in certain areas or countries where people had connections, you didn’t know that. So now, these players are being reached out to and they get exposure. They’re entertaining these opportunities because, again, due to social media, they see what’s going on here.”

For coaches, this increased access is a double-edged sword — especially for those who previously benefited from going the extra mile to find prospects. Though not everybody was willing to fly to Australia or Portugal or Spain, it takes seconds for coaches to follow a potential recruit on Instagram, and it’s not hard at all to send a Direct Message expressing interest.

“And it’s unfair, but that’s the game,” Autukaite laughed. “You gotta play the game. But that’s the beginning. And, obviously, there’s a lot of other things that go into it to make sure you seal the deal.”

‘A beautiful thing’

There is no perfect balance to strike between using the transfer portal or recruiting out of high school domestically or internationally, especially in today’s game. Chemistry is paramount, but might be challenging to achieve with so much roster movement from season to season. However, Autukaite said Kentucky’s staff looks at a diverse roster — composed of players of varying ages, backgrounds and perspectives — as a “big puzzle,” creating the opportunity for chemistry to build upon a foundation of learning and mutual respect.

“Even within the United States people come from different backgrounds, different areas,” Autukaite said. “We have some that are sixth-year kids and we have baby freshmen. So overall, and not just international kids, our roster is very diverse. … I think it’s a beautiful thing. You allow them to really grow and be together around other people that they learn from each other. It’s very awesome for them to listen to each other’s stories, get to know each other’s different perspectives. Make sure they know you don’t have to agree with something, but you have to respect.”

Brooks’ Virginia Tech rosters in recent years demonstrated this concept well; players spanning myriad interests, backgrounds and skill sets. The 2023 Final Four team, for example, enjoyed a clear chemistry, but those players each brought something vastly different to the court. Kitley’s dominance in the post was made better by Amoore’s innate ability to create. Forward Taylor Soule’s keen eye and quickness gave the Hokies a sharp defensive edge, while guard Kayana Traylor’s fierce willingness to drive to the basket disrupted many a thought-out game plan.

Autukaite said the staff takes pride in bringing different types of players together, and successful recruiting in general — international or otherwise — comes down to finding the right fit. Though the season is still months away, and not every player has arrived on campus yet (Paurova and Silva are with their junior national teams), Autukaite believes that this inaugural UK roster is a promising group.

Certain players might have had bigger opportunities with other programs — more minutes, a greater spotlight, a different focus. Kentucky women’s basketball, with all its resources and new staff, is in the midst of a monumental shift. New faces, new perspectives, new everything. But the rise of this program, should it happen, will be rooted in togetherness and a clear plan.

“We’re here for a common goal, which is to win basketball games, get them education,” Autukaite said. “And, in between, they’re going to get what they want. If you want to get drafted, you’re gonna get drafted. You want to go play overseas, you’re going to go play overseas. You want to become a doctor, you’re going to become a doctor. But in between that, there’s a lot of sacrifice. I think the most special group that we had so far together as a staff when we were at Virginia Tech, you saw a lot of sacrifices that they made individually for the betterment of the team. And when that happens, that’s when the beautiful things start to happen. And I think here, you can see the same things.”

International flavor in the SEC

▪ Southeastern Conference rosters for 2024-25 include 30 international players from 23 different countries.

▪ Kentucky and Arkansas lead the SEC with five international players each. LSU, Mississippi State and Missouri have three apiece.

▪ Only Alabama, Oklahoma and South Carolina do not have an international player rostered for next season.

▪ The SEC’s international players come mostly from Europe, with representation from Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

▪ Africa is represented by Kenya, Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria and Senegal.

▪ Other countries with players in the SEC this coming season are Australia, the Bahamas, Canada, the Dominican Republic and Japan.

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