Josie Gilvin led Western Kentucky in rebounds, steals and blocks last season to earn all-conference honors. (Western Kentucky Athletics Photo)
Kenny Brooks started his makeover of the 2025-26 basketball season Saturday when former Kentucky high school standout Josie Gilvin announced she was transferring from Western Kentucky to UK.
The 6-foot guard was an all-state player at Sacred Heart in Louisville where she was part of two state championship teams. She was state tourney MVP in 2021 — her 27 steals during the state tourney is still a KHSAA record — before continuing her basketball career at Western Kentucky.
She was an All-Conference USA second team pick this season after averaging 13. 1 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.6 steals and 0.8 blocks per game. She shot 53.2 percent overall from the field and 41.3 percent from 3-point range. She was second on the team in scoring and first in rebounds, steals, and blocks. She was named to the conference all-defensive team and broke the school and conference record for most steals in a game with 11.
Gilvin has played in 97 collegiate games and will help offset the loss of last season’s starting guards Georgia Amoore and Dazia Lawrence.
Her commitment to Kentucky was not a huge surprise because she took a visit to UK not long after entering the transfer portal and posted, “Always will be a Kentucky girl,” on Instagram.
Gilvin’s mother, Dayna McGrath Gilvin, was a guard at the University of Louisville. Her sister was a freshman on Sacred Heart’s state title team this year. Her brother is a sophomore on Trinity’s basketball team.
“It is a very athletic family,” said Sacred Heart coach Donna Moir. “She was very instrumental in changing the culture and work ethic of our basketball program. We won two state titles with her and she was just so fun to coach.
“She has a motor that doesn’t quit. She is always going to play as hard as she can. She had a really good game when Kentucky played Western this season and she practices just like she plays. She always goes all out.”
2 Responses
Much needed help at shooting guard. We need 2 very good point guards and I think our lineup will be pretty much set in stone. With Key, Hassett, and Strack we have 3 great post players. Silva still stings because I think next year she turns the page with a year of American basketball experience. I know she will start for TCU.
Now everyone can calm down. Brooks has a Ky girl back on the team. One that can actually help.