Tag: Kenny Brooks

Kentucky Women’s Basketball Commit Set To Play In McDonald’s All-American Game

Kentucky will also have a representative at the women’s McDonald’s All-American game.

Yesterday, Kentucky men’s basketball commit Malachi Moreno was selected as a McDonald’s All-American. This morning, one of his counterparts for the Kentucky women’s basketball team received the same honor.

Kentucky commit Kaelyn Carroll has been named as a McDonald’s All-American.

Carroll is a four-star power forward out of Marion, Massachusetts, and is playing her high school ball at the Tabor Academy. She’ll represent the East in one of the nation’s most high-profile high school basketball all-star games.

She’s a high profile recruit for the Wildcats, as Carroll is ranked as the 18th overall player nationally for the 2025 high school graduating class. She’s also the second-ranked power forward in the country and the top-ranked player out of Massachusetts.

The 6’2″ forward committed to the Wildcats back on November 13 and was Kenny Brooks’ first recruit in the 2025 class.

“I am beyond excited with the addition of KK, Kaelyn Carroll, to our program,” Brooks said at the time. “She exemplifies everything on and off the court that we value. Her shooting ability along with her size and basketball IQ will give her the opportunity to contribute immediately.”

A Jordan Obi update was given by Kentucky coach Kenny Brooks

Coach Kenny Brooks gave an update about the health of guard Jordan Obi.

When Kenny Brooks took over the Kentucky women’s basketball team this offseason, he went into the transfer portal and added a number of solid players. One of those was former Penn guard Jordan Obi.

Unfortunately, Obi suffered an injury during the offseason. It was an injury to her lower leg, and it has held her out of action up to this point.

At Penn, she averaged nearly 15 points and over 7 rebounds per game. Her scoring would be a big boost to the team.

Related: Kentucky women up another spot in coaches poll

This week, Brooks gave an update on Obi’s health to the Lexington Herald-Leader. He said she’s improving, but that they will continue to take things slow.

But you know, as far as her future, we’re going to take it slow. We’re not going to do anything to rush that situation, and we’re going to do what’s best for her, even though it’s very tempting and you really need that. But she’s a special player. She really is. She’s a lot, she goes very well with what the other players do. It’s great chemistry.

You can read the rest of his comments here (subscription require).

It’s still not clear whether Obi will make it back this season. Hopefully she does. She would add a lot to an already very good team.

Kentucky women remain 16th in USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll

Kentucky women’s basketball remains 16th in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.

Kentucky women’s basketball got two wins this past week at the Music City Classic, first against Arizona State, then against a ranked Illinois team. However, in the new USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, they remain at number 16.

The Wildcats are 7 – 0 under new coach Kenny Brooks, so perhaps they should be higher in the rankings. However, after a couple of tough seasons in Lexington, being undefeated and ranked is great for the program.

Related: Clara Strack is a rising star in college basketball

Kentucky is the fifth highest ranked team in the coaches poll out of the SEC. The Texas Longhorns are the highest at number three, followed by South Carolina at four and the LSU Tigers at number five. Seven SEC teams are ranked overall.

On December fifth, the Cats face the 15th ranked North Carolina Tarheels in what will be a huge test for Kentucky. Brooks has the team off to a hot start, and will try to keep it going in December.

Kentucky center Clara Strack is one of the game’s rising stars

Kentucky center Clara Strack has been a star for the Wildcats so far this season.

When Kenny Brooks was hired as the new head coach of Kentucky women’s basketball, one of his first moves was to bring over a couple of his former players at Virginia Tech. Star point guard Georgia Amoore was the headliner, but Clara Strack decided to join her former coach as well.

Strack was a top 100 recruit, and rated four stars out of high schools. She chose Virginia Tech and Coach Brooks.

As a Freshman, Strack didn’t start, but did show flashes of what she could do. She averaged 4.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, and more than a block per game during the regular season.

Related: Kentucky prepares to face tough December schedule

Forced into a starting role for the NCAA Tournament, she showed her potential, averaging 17.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 3 blocks in the two postseason games.

This season, she earned the starting center job for the Wildcats, and has been terrific to say the least. Through seven games, she is averaging 18 points, 11, rebounds, 4 assists, and nearly 3 blocks per game.

She has recorded a double-double four times, and has scored 20 points or more three times, including the two games that earned her the MVP award at the Music City Classic.

Strack has been a huge part of a Wildcats defense that is one of the nation’s best, and her offensive game has developed nicely. She is one of the key’s to the team’s early success for sure and is a star in the making. By the end of the season, she could find herself named among the country’s elite.

Kentucky center Clara Strack named Music City Classic MVP

Kentucky center Clara Strack was named the Music City Classic MVP.

Clara Strack has been hooping all season. Thus far, the Kentucky women’s basketball center has averaged a double-double, putting up 18.3 points and 11 rebounds per game.

That’s momentum she carried into the Thanksgiving break, as the Wildcat big was named MVP of the Music City Classic in Nashville.

The 14th-ranked Wildcats ran through the six-team tournament, finishing 2-0. Kentucky beat Arizona State 77-61 on Tuesday and wiped 19th ranked Illinois 76-53 the following day.

Related: Five things Kentucky fans should be thankful for

“You’ve gotta come play every day,” Strack said after the win against Illinois. “We knew this was going to be a really big game for us. We knew this could be another statement game for us, so I think we all just came to play.”

No individual was better than Strack, the 19-year-old transfer from Virginia Tech. The 6’5″ center averaged 24.5 points, 12.5 rebounds, 3 assists and two blocks per game in Nashville. She had a double-double in each game, bringing her season tally up to four in just seven contests.

Strack’s pick-and-roll teammate, senior point guard Georgia Amoore, was named to the Music City Classic All-Tournament Team as well. And like Strack, Amoore had a strong run in both games as well, averaging 14 points, 8.5 assists, and 2.5 steals per contest.

The best photos from Kentucky women’s win over Louisville

Here are the best images from Kentucky women’s basketball’s big win over Louisville.

For the first time since 2015, the Kentucky women’s basketball team defeated their cross-state rivals, the Louisville Cardinals. Louisville had won seven in a row before the Wildcats got the 71 – 61 win on Saturday night.

The victory was a big one for a Kentucky women’s program that had struggled in recent seasons. Coach Kenny Brooks was hired this offseason to turn things around, and he has made an instant impact, and has Kentucky at 4 – 0 on the season.

Related: Kentucky women’s basketball lands elite 2025 recruit

Kentucky had multiple players making big contributions in the win. Georgia Amoore led the team in points and assists with 19 and 9. Teonni Key posted 17 points and 9 rebounds, while Clara Strack added 12 points and 9 boards.

The game itself was an exciting one. Louisville led at halftime, but Kentucky sent the game to overtime with a strong fourth quarter. The Cats dominated the extra period, though, and they walked away with the win.

In a rivalry game like this one, there are always a number of big moments captured in photographs. Here are the best pictures from the great Kentucky victory.

Kentucky takes down Louisville for Kenny Brooks’ first big win

Kentucky women’s basketball got a huge win on Saturday over a ranked Louisville team.

Earlier in the week, Big Blue Nation celebrated coach Mark Pope’s first signature win when Kentucky beat the Duke Blue Devils. On Saturday, it was Kenny Brooks’ turn, as Kentucky women’s basketball knocked off the 18th ranked Louisville Cardinals 71 – 61.

It was a close game throughout, and Louisville held a small lead at the half. A strong fourth quarter had the Wildcats in front, but a pair of missed free throws from Dazia Lawrence allowed the Cardinals to tie it in regulation, sending the game to overtime.

Related: Kentucky football halts losing streak

In the extra period, it was all Kentucky. They outscored Louisville 13 – 3, and pulled away to win it, scoring the final seven points of the game.

All-SEC guard Georgia Amoore led the Cats with 19 points. She also added 9 assists. Teonni Key had a big game as well, with 17 points and 9 rebounds. Amelia Hassett had another great game on the boards, adding 13 more to her season total.

Overall, it was a good week for Kentucky basketball. Big Blue Nation is celebrating big wins from both of their new coaches.

Kentucky women’s basketball is named a dark horse by ESPN’s Holly Rowe

Kentucky women’s basketball was named a dark horse team by ESPN’s Holly Rowe.

Kentucky women’s basketball has suffered through a couple of tough seasons, but went out and hired a top notch new head coach in Kenny Brooks. He came over from Virginia Tech, where he has had quite a bit of success.

When Brooks came over, he brought with him a couple of terrific players in Georgia Amoore and Clara Strack. Amoore, in particular, was a huge addition, bringing experience and a proven record of solid play. Most considered the Wildcats to be a team with a bright future.

Related: Georgia Amoore named a top 100 player

One analyst thinks Kentucky could compete sooner than expected. While on Good Game with Sarah Spain, ESPN’s Holly Rowe had plenty of praise for Brooks and the Wildcats. She had this to say about the new-look Kentucky team:

I don’t know how dark horse this is, but Kentucky. They have a new coach. Kenny [Brooks] is there, he came from Virginia Tech. He got Virginia Tech to the women’s Final Four, and they have a transfer in Georgia Amoore who was one of the key point guards in that run that helped them get to the Final Four.

The season started off with a bang for Kentucky, as they blew out SC Upstate. It’s too early to tell how they’ll do as the season goes on, but fans certainly hope Rowe is right about the Wildcats.

Georgia Amoore and Clara Strack transfer to Kentucky to follow Kenny Brooks

Kentucky women’s basketball coach Kenny Brooks lands transfers Georgia Amoore and Clara Strack

New Kentucky Wildcats women’s basketball coach Kenny Brooks didn’t take long to begin making his mark on the team. On Thursday, former Virginia Tech players Georgia Amoore and Clara Strack announced they will be joining their former coach in Lexington.

Amoore was one of the nation’s best players last season, averaging 18.8 points and 6.8 assists per game. She was honored as a third-team All-American as well as first-team All-ACC. Her ability to both score and pass made her one of the best transfer signings of the year.

Strack is a 6’5″ center who was a Freshman with the Hokies last season. A former top 100 recruit, she averaged 4.5 points and 4.1 rebounds per game off the bench. However, in the NCAA Tournament, she averaged 17.5 points and 7.5 rebounds, along with 3 blocks in two games as a starter.

Both players chose to follow Brooks from Virginia Tech to Kentucky, and both will likely figure heavily into the team’s plans next season. They’re great additions to the team, and fans should be excited to have them.

The Kenny Brooks era has only just begun, but it’s off to a great start, and things should only get better.

Kentucky hires Kenny Brooks as next women’s basketball coach

Kentucky hires Kenny Brooks as next women’s basketball coach

There has been a lot of drama lately with the Kentucky Wildcats men’s basketball team and the coaching situation. However, there has been some uncertainty around the women’s team too.

After a rough season that ended with a 12 – 20 overall record was the end of coach Kyra Elzy’s time with the Wildcats. She was relieved of duty, and the hunt for her replacement began.

On Tuesday, Kentucky found its coach. Kenny Brooks began his head coaching career at James Madison in 2002. He would lead them to multiple NCAA Tournament appearances before taking the job at Virginia Tech in 2016.

In eight seasons with the Hokies, Brooks led them to a 182 – 80 record, and they made the tournament each of the last four seasons. They made the Final Four in the 2023 edition of March Madness.

Now, he takes over a Kentucky program that has missed the NCAA Tournament in each of the last two seasons. Brooks is a proven commodity, and fans should be excited about the hire. He’ll have his work cut out for him, but has shown he has what it takes to make a difference.