Coach Kenny Brooks knew immediately that Amelia Hassett's versatility could make her a special player. (Vicky Graff Photo)
Amelia Hassett says she grew up on a “cow farm” in a small town in Australia and there was not always a lot for her to do.
“My dad would check on the cows and do all that stuff. I would get bored,” said the University of Kentucky junior wing. “When I was younger my brother started playing basketball in local competitions in our town. When you are little you wanted to do what your brother does, I started playing because he did.”
Hassett had no idea if she would be good at basketball but her mother took her to competitions across Australia. Eventually she realized it could “take me places” and that inspired her to work even harder on her game.
“I wanted to get out of town and experience the world and America was the best option,” Hassett said.
The 6-3 Hassett became a junior college all-American at Eastern Florida when she scored 919 points and grabbed 659 rebounds in two years and averaged 19 points, 12.7 rebounds, 2.7 blocks and 1.5 steals per game. She intended to play for Kenny Brooks at Virginia Tech but when he took the job at Kentucky, she quickly switched her plans to Lexington.
Brooks admits there “was a lot of unknown” when he recruited Hassett but he liked her movement and size as much as her 3-point shooting. He liked her so much that he let her make a rare official visit during the season when Tech was hosting rival Virginia.
“At the time I kind of thought it was a little weird to take a mid-season visit in January but I had no idea at the time he made that kind of exception for me,” Hassett said. “The way he talked about his team and staff made it feel like home. He not only knows basketball but he really cares about his players. It was definitely a very easy decision to choose Kentucky after he got hired knowing he wanted me to come with him.”
It has worked out well for her and Brooks. She is averaging 10.4 points per game and shooting 37 percent from 3. She also averages 8.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.0 blocks and 1.0 steals per game. The junior also averages playing about 33 minutes per game.
“We can play her in so many different positions. She always somehow quietly gets 16, 18 points and 12, 14 rebounds. You wonder how she does it,” Brooks said. “She is so smart as a player. I can kind of reference what play I want and in my old age I stutter and she will finish the sentence. She is a wonderful kid but also will do the dirty work that you need to win.”
Hassett knew the SEC had athletic, talented players that would challenge her every game. That’s why she has surprised herself by how well she has played most games.
“Junior college is a lot different from the SEC. I have been surprised but it has been a good surprise with the way I have played. It has flowed very easily and the transition has not been too hard,” she said.
Hassett has surprised many with her productive, consistent rebounding even though she was a proficient rebounder in junior college.
“Since coming to college it definitely has been a big part of my game. My rebounding has definitely progressed in college,” she said. “Both my defense and rebounding have improved even though I am now playing more of a guard position. I am learning new defensive concepts. Sometimes people forget that 3-point shooters can also do a few more things.”
She’s also learned how to avoid “silly fouls” to stay out of foul trouble with UK’s lack of depth.
“Coach Brooks tells us about playing early defense, being in position and having the right angle so when they go for a shotthe referees will not call the foul,” Hassett said.
Hassett admits UK would like to be able to win the SEC Tournament and be a NCAA Tournament host. She knows what that would mean to the UK fan base, too.
“Everybody was telling me Kentucky fans were so supportive. We are getting more and more fans each game and that is an amazing thing to see,” the UK junior said.
Hassett hopes to have a professional basketball career after Kentucky but also has a backup plan that could keep her involved in sports. She is a journalism major and communications minor.
“I want to get into broadcast journalism and stay around sports,” Hassett said. “I haven’t been able to really do a lot of (TV or radio) work yet because I am kind of new to the major but that’s something I obviously would like to do.”
From what Brooks has seen, Hassett can probably do anything she sets out to do.
“To say she’s exceeded my expectations, that’s unfair because I didn’t know what she could do, but she’s been tremendous and exactly what you want in a student-athlete,” the Kentucky coach said.
