Following the conclusion of the 2023-24 season, the future of Kentucky women’s basketball felt uncertain. Kentucky, a program that was once among the best in the SEC, quickly became a bottom-feeder amongst its peers. And at the time, it had no leader.
It was unknown where Mitch Barnhart and UK would go when deciding on who to bring in as the ninth head coach in the program’s history. While some big names surfaced as potential candidates, it seemed that UK may opt with an up-and-coming mid-major coach rather than swinging for the fences and going for the best of the best. However, not only did Barnhart and the administration swing for the fences, but in the eyes of many, they hit a walk-off grand slam.
Just a few days before he was hired, Kenny Brooks ‘ name emerged seemingly out of the blue and sent shock waves across the college basketball landscape. Brooks was at Virginia Tech for eight seasons, and it seemed like he’d never leave Blacksburg. So, when he ultimately arrived in Lexington, it was like a fever dream. Even all these months later, it still feels like one.
Now, with Big Blue Madness taking place this Friday, people are excited about what Brooks’ program can do this season and into the future. A handful of media/internet personalities shared with KSR why they are personally excited about what’s to come in the Brooks era.
We start with KSR’s own, Drew Franklin. In his time with KSR, he’s spent most of his time blogging and talking about the men’s basketball and football teams on campus, as you’d expect. After all, those are the two programs that have dominated the sports scene at UK for decades now.
However, with the acquisition of Kenny Brooks, Drew thinks that the women’s basketball program can take that next step too.
“So far, Kenny Brooks seems to be a home run hire by Mitch Barnhart, and the way Brooks revamped the roster through the transfer portal has Kentucky women’s basketball in a much better place than in years past,” Franklin said. “They still have to play the games, but the quick turnaround in expectations and fan support is remarkable. I can’t wait to see how they look on the court this winter.”
Like a lot of the BBN, Franklin followed the team when they were making trips to the Elite Eight, but the recent struggles turned him off a bit. However, he’s pretty confident that Brooks can turn the ship around quickly.
“I’ve kept up with how they’re doing going back to the earliest Matthew Mitchell days, and I’ve tried to catch at least one game a year until recently. Kenny Brooks had me considering season tickets. I anticipate a lot of fun ahead.”
Of course, along with Kenny Brooks, Kentucky also got a renovated Memorial Coliseum, which has Franklin pumped too.
“I’m excited to see the new Memorial Coliseum and the energy that will come with it,” he mentioned. “The building was in desperate need of a renovation. Now, a new coach and new life in the program will debut with it.”
Next up is Maggie Davis, who actually used to cover the women’s basketball team for us here at KSR. Since then, she’s moved on to producing and anchoring BBN Tonight for LEX18 — Lexington’s NBC affiliate.
One thing about this new era of Kentucky women’s basketball that stood out to Davis is that Kenny Brooks was able to hit the ground running so quickly in the offseason.
“Kenny Brooks means business,” she explained. “From the moment he stepped foot in the Bluegrass, Kentucky’s new coach immediately went to work rebuilding his staff, constructing a new roster, and getting acclimated in a new (and still-changing!) SEC and national landscape. When it would have made sense for Brooks to ‘go dark’ once things settled down over the summer, he continued to promote his program and engage with the community. His personal dedication helped keep the momentum from his hiring, which happened way back in March, alive and well into the fall.”
With the sport of women’s college basketball booming in recent years, there are going to be more eyes on what the Cats can do moving forward. Something else that’ll draw more eyes to Kentucky? Elite talent.
“I’ve covered this program since the end of the Matthew Mitchell era, and this year’s group has the fanbase as excited as I’ve seen it. A new coach, new roster and new-look arena are certainly key pieces in that equation, but the sport’s popularity as a whole has undoubtedly grown over the past few years, and Coach Brooks seems ready (and suited) to capitalize on the moment.”
Davis added, “ Georgia Amoore ‘s decision to follow her coach to Lexington initially caught the eyes of Big Blue Nation, but other newcomers – including ‘The Claras’ ( Strack and Silva ) – may reignite that curiosity as the season continues to inch closer.”
Brooks saw unprecedented success at Virginia Tech, and he eventually elevated the Hokies into being one of the premier programs in the sport. When you couple that with the additional resources that UK has, there’s no reason why Kentucky can’t reassert themselves back into that national spotlight.
“[I’m most excited for] the program being included in more national conversations,” Davis noted. “A few powerhouse programs have historically dominated the sport’s headlines, but as women’s basketball continues to pick up new fans and more media coverage, more teams will earn their own moments in the spotlight. If Kenny Brooks continues on the trajectory he built at Virginia Tech, coupled with the resources of UK Athletics within an expanded and well-watched SEC, this program should be competing for those moments, once again.”
For those of you who are chronically on X/Twitter (which is almost all of us, truthfully), you’ve probably come across an account named WT (Wildcat’s Tongue). WT is one of four UK fans who run the Rupp To No Good podcast, a podcast about UK sports.
WT really appreciated the fact that even after going to the Final Four with Virginia Tech, Kenny Brooks talked about wanting to achieve even more when he got to Kentucky.
“Kenny Brooks came from a program that made a Final Four under his leadership, but his first reaction when getting to Kentucky was how much MORE potential we have,” WT said. “He knows that we can be built up to a nationally relevant program.”
Additionally, WT is excited to see some high-level talent take the floor at Kentucky. That hasn’t really been the case for the ‘Cats since Rhyne Howard was here.
“I am ready for this season to start! Kentucky women’s basketball has some of the best facilities and resources in the country, but we weren’t bringing in the talent. In fact, the talent we did have transferred away. So, it is awesome to see some of the top players in the country finally choosing to come to Kentucky. I will be following this season closer than I have since at least the Rhyne Howard days.”
Like the rest of the BBN, WT is also really excited to see Georgia Amoore rock Kentucky blue as she starts the trend of superstar players coming to play in Lexington once again.
“I am excited for the talent. We already have at least one projected All-American on the roster in year one, and I don’t doubt that trend will continue over the years.”
Up next we have Tonia Witt, the creator of Rise Up Sports Media, a Kentucky-based media outlet that strives to put a spotlight on female athletes, and in turn, the ‘Cats.
Witt is especially excited about the program’s future because of the level of investment that Mitch Barnhart and UK made in it.
“The Kentucky administration has invested in women’s sports in a way we haven’t seen in recent years,” she noted. “This offseason has been a period of transformation for the UK women’s basketball program from the ground up. Literally and figuratively speaking, from a newly renovated $82 million Memorial Coliseum, a newly constructed roster and a revamped coaching staff.”
Considering that Witt has covered the program for a number of years now, even through the lowest of lows, she was always going to be excited heading into a new season. However, the potential for what this program can do adds to her excitement just a little bit.
“I always have a level of excitement and commitment to the UK women’s basketball program leading up to the start of a new season. Through ups and downs, I think it is important to understand the sweat, work and dedication players have put into their game to reach their dreams of playing at the collegiate level. Going into any season, I think there are always high expectations to perform and there are times that don’t necessarily go the way you hope. So, this year is no different than any other. I’m not new to the program and I plan to champion around the athletes, the coaches and the program in hopes of producing wins and hanging a banner.”
She continued, ending with, “Again, I think if you are a supporter of ‘the program’ nothing changes. You still hope that each and every person associated with UK women’s basketball finds success and the outcomes they have spent their careers working to achieve. GO CATS!”
Unless you live under a rock, you’ve seen the name Alan Cutler a time or two circulating around UK sports. Similarly to the way Alan chased down Billy Gillispie back in the day, he expects Kentucky to chase top recruits moving forward considering how successful Brooks was in the transfer portal this offseason.
“I think Mitch [Barnhart] hit a grand slam with the hiring of Coach Brooks,” Cutler said. “I love the hire. I think he’s a wonderful human being who gets people and has a certain feel, and, my gosh, the job he’s done recruiting is off the charts. And you’ve got to put it together and all that kind of stuff and that kind of thing, but I’m not concerned about him putting it together. I think this is a unique coach, and I think UK is very lucky to have him. I haven’t been this excited about Kentucky women’s basketball in a long time.”
He continued, “I think the future for Kentucky women’s basketball is off the charts. They’re going after top 10 talent. Whether they get them or not, I don’t know. How many times since the 1980s has a top talent even entertained coming here? I think he’s going to get young women to come here because of who he is and what he can do, and I can see this being a wonderful place.”
Cutler was quick to note that the hype surrounding Brooks was high, and that’s how it was with Matthew Mitchell at the helm. However, he thinks that Brooks is going to be even more successful at Kentucky, and in turn, Cutler is going pay much closer attention to what the program does moving forward.
“Matthew Mitchell did a really good job at the program up to a certain point,” Cutler explained. “They became a top 10, top eight program, but they couldn’t go past there yet. I think [Mitchell] did a really good job, and I think they played some fun basketball, but I am optimistic that this will end up being a much better program under Brooks.”
When Cutler was asked about what he was most excited about the program moving forward, his answer was simple.
“Kenny Brooks,” he said. “I got on the TV to watch the Final Four, and I kid you not, I literally stopped. I looked at it and said, I don’t know who this guy is. He’s a special man. His answers, his calmness, you could tell he cared. I used my best friend, Google, and I did some reading on him. Winning at Virginia Tech isn’t easy, but there was something about him. I said this dude is special.”
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