Ajae Petty could be just what UK needs
Ajae Petty was the No. 1 post player and No. 16 overall recruit in Next Sports Phenom Class of 2020 Top 100 ranking after her prep career in Baltimore when she signed with LSU. The 6-3 Petty played 31 games during the last two seasons at LSU and had a career-best 12 points against Stanford last season.
Petty has transferred to Kentucky and will be one of 10 newcomers on coach Kyra Elzy’s 2022-23 team.
Former all-SEC defensive back Van Hiles lives in Louisiana and saw her play several times in person the last two years.
“She is athletic, she can run and she has a great skill set. This young lady can play,” Hiles said. “She is going to up that front court presence. The difference between Kentucky and great teams has been the lack of a true post presence. We have not had a post game. Now with (Nyah) Leveretter and the grad transfer (Adebola Adeyeye of Buffalo) along with Petty, Kentucky is going to have a post presence and depth down low both.”
Even with the graduation of All-American Rhyne Howard, who has had a sensational start to her WNBA rookie season, Hiles thinks UK could be better than the team that won the SEC Tournament last season.
“They will not just be relying on one player to score,” Hiles said. “I really like what (coach Kyra) Elzy has done. She is recruiting players to where now she can push the pace. The team will be young but I really believe it will be more the vision that Elzy has in mind for her program.”
