Kaelyn Carroll (Vicky Graff Photo)
Coach Kenny Brooks guided Kentucky to a 23-8 record, including 11-5 in Southeastern Conference play, and a NCAA Tournament berth in his first season at UK despite lacking depth that forced his starters to play extended minutes.
One player being counted on to help remedy that problem this year is 6-foot-3 freshman Kaelyn Carroll, a wing player ranked as the 15th best player in her recruiting class. She was named a McDonald’s All-American after averaging 17.4 points and 8.0 rebounds per game her senior year at Tabor Academy (Mass.) while shooting 47 percent from the field and 41 percent from 3-point range.
She is Kentucky’s first McDonald’s All-American since Treasure Hunt in 2020 and only the ninth McDonald’s All-American in school history to sign with Kentucky.
Brooks was already recruiting her when he was at Virginia Tech before coming to Kentucky and her high school coach, William Becker, has said she has the “body of a forward and the skill and athleticism of a guard” to go with a relentless work ethic.
“We had a good relationship when he was at Virginia Tech and it just got better when he got to Kentucky,” Carroll said. “Before I got here, I was just kind of counting the days. I am so excited to be here and it has been awesome just practicing with the players we have. I have always played against tall, physical girls and now having that kind of player on my team is really, really cool.”
Carroll has not been overwhelmed even though she’s had to go against three returning starters — Strack, Teonni Key and Amelia Hassett — in practice.
“I’ve had to learn a lot of new things, but the girls are really, really comforting. They are all very, very easy and approachable to talk to about how I’m doing, and they’re always cheering me on and picking me up,” Carroll said.
“This is the most fun loving bunch of girls I have been around. They’re all great people but Millie (Hassett), she has a big personality. I can always count on a good laugh when I’m with her and that is always a huge help.”
Carroll has done post workouts with Strack and also been on the wing with Hassett and sophomore Lexi Blue.
“He (Brooks) has me doing both and kind of just expects me to do whatever I can to help the team. I know the SEC is so big and the girls are much bigger. I think learning how to use my strength and my body is going to be something that I’ll have to really work on. But I’m excited to work on it,” Carroll said.
Carroll said even if she tried, she probably could not knock Strack around because she’s older and strong.
“I think we both kind of try to do that, but I think it just makes us better by playing physical,” Carroll said. “Clara has been amazing on and off the court. She’s really helped me since I got here.
“Just being able to even watch her play, do her individual workouts, I’ve learned a lot about her game and how I can maybe use that in my game.
Carroll’s biggest basketball inspiration is her mother, Susan, who played basketball at the University of New Hampshire. She was Carroll’s first basketball coach in the third grade.
“I think she’s probably my biggest inspiration along with my dad,” Carroll said.
Her parents were always there when she had to overcome multiple injuries — torn meniscus, torn quadricep, sprained ankle and concussion — during her high school and AAU careers.
Carroll’s work ethic and talent enabled her to become a McDonald’s All-American. Now she’s already played a part in Kentucky having two commitments from two likely 2026 McDonald’s All-Americans — point guard Maddy Greenway of Minneapolis and small forward Savvy Swords of Glen Head, N.Y. Both players said Carroll’s decision to play at Kentucky caught their attention knowing she would be on campus when they arrived.
“I’ve actually seen a lot of (social media) posts about them and how they talked about their committing here. It was for a lot of the same reasons why I did, too,” Carroll said. “Maddyn and I have gotten really close. I think that it’s really cool to see that I could have been a part of why they committed.”
Carroll and Greenway both visited UK at the same time last year to watch Kentucky play.
“I kind of had a feeling she was going to commit. I think that our connection was really strong,” Carroll said.
The UK freshman has played against Swords and was also at UK the same time Swords was.
“I can’t wait to play with both of them,” Carroll said.
2 Responses
The Lady Cats aren't even ranked by the pundits. This years team should be better than last years. It's going to be sweet to prove them all wrong.
Coach Brooks has me not only interested in but also watching UK women's basketball. He’s the perfect example of how a coach has to be confident enough to bleed that into everyone around them. He’s got it.