Kenny Brooks named as new Kentucky Women’s Basketball Head Coach

LEXINGTON, KY (WTVQ)- Kentucky Women’s Basketball has their new Head Coach in Kenny Brooks, who leaves the same position at Virginia Tech.

Brooks comes to the Bluegrass from a program at which he won 180 games in eight seasons. The Virginia native lead the Hokies to their first-ever ACC tournament championship and Final Four appearance in 2023.

This season, Virginia Tech won the ACC regular season title before reaching the semifinals of the conference tournament and the second round of the NCAA Women’s Tournament.

Kentucky’s national search for a new head coach took 15 days. Former Head Coach Kyra Elzy was relieved of her duties on March 11.

The highlight of Elzy’s four seasons at Kentucky was the Wildcats’ win over South Carolina in the 2022 SEC Tournament Championship. But, after that title win the program suffered through two losing seasons with a combined 24 wins and 39 losses.

Brooks not only inherits a team in need of more success, but also a group with five players currently on the roster. Brooklynn Miles, Saniah Tyler, Cassidy Rowe, Jordy Griggs and Amiya Jenkins are listed on the Kentucky Athletics website for the 2024-2025 team.

Among those not listed who have remaining eligibility are senior Maddie Scherr, senior Ajae Petty and rising sophomore Janae Walker who all entered the transfer portal earlier this month after Elzy was fired.

Two other players who are still eligible to play are not on the team’s latest roster either.

Seniors Eniya Russell and Nyah Leveretter, who both have a year of eligibility left, said before Senior Day that they would need time to decide on their futures.

ABC 36 Sports reached out to Kentucky Athletics asking where Russell and Leveretter stand on their futures with the team. A spokesperson for the team says that all announcements about the futures of any student-athletes will be made by the player themselves or in collaboration with the athletics office.