UK Athletics Graphic
Maybe Kentucky coach Mark Pope needs to get some recruiting tips from UK women’s basketball coach Kenny Brooks.
Pope does not have a high school player signed or committed for the 2026-27 season. Brooks not only has three players signed, but all three were named McDonald’s All-Americans on Monday.
Before Brooks got to Kentucky for the 2024-25 season, Kentucky had eight McDonald’s Americans in program history — Jennifer O’Neill (2010), Bria Goss (2011), Janee Thompson (2012), Makayla Epps (2013), Linnae Harper (2013), Alyssa Rice (2014), Taylor Murray (2015) and Treasure Hunt (2020).
Now midway through his second season, Brooks has recruited four McDonald’s All-American. Kaelyn Carroll is a freshman on this year’s team while signees Savvy Swords, Jordan McDonald and Maddyn Greenway were all named 2026 McDonald’s All-Americans on Monday.
Swords and McDonald play for Long Island Lutheran (NY), one of the nation’s best prep teams at 14-3 against a powerhouse schedule. In a victory over Sierra Canyon (CA), Swords had 19 points, six rebounds and three steals while McDonald had 13 points, five rebounds and three blocks. Against IMG Academy (FL), McDonald put up 20 points, 12 rebounds and five assists.
Two months ago, I asked Lutheran coach Christina Raiti if she thought both of her star players could be McDonald’s All-Americans this year.
“That’s a great question. We have a really talented roster. Two years ago, we were the first girls’ team to have three from the same team. It had never happened on the high school level,” the coach said.
“I think we definitely have the potential to have three this year, but we’re gonna have to see what stats look like, and we’re gonna have to take care of some business on our end and make sure we do what we’re supposed to do on the floor.”
Obviously, Lutheran did that because Vanderbilt signee Olivia Jones joined Swords and McDonald on the team. Another Lutheran player, Sanai Green, is a Duke signee and top 25 recruit but did not make the team.
“I think it could be a toss-up on which of those four make the team. I think we are blessed to have four players good enough to even think about that,” Raiti said before her team’s season starter. “We have one of the toughest schedules in the nation again this year. That plays a factor. But I also think all our kids, including these four, are so unselfish that they are going to be okay with whatever the turnout is (on the McDonald’s All-American team) as long we get the job done with our season.”
McDonald, a 6-foot guard, should be the perfect backcourt teammate for Greenway, a 5-foot-8 point guard. McDonald is ranked 23rd in the recruiting class by ESPN.
She transferred to Long Island Lutheran for her junior season and averaged 12.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 2.1 steals and 1.4 blocks per game for a top five team nationally.
Swords is a top 20 player in the recruiting class. She missed most of her junior season with an ACL injury. The 6-foot-1 Canadian played for Kia Nurse Elite, Canada’s only Nike Girls’ EYBL affiliate team. In the U17 division in 2024, she was a top 10 scorer and rebounder and also was named to the All-EYBL Second Team.
Swords also was a team captain on her Team Canada U16 and U17 teams. In 2023, she helped Team Canada to a FIBA U16 Americup silver finish, while being named to the All-Star Second Team in the process, and in 2024, she aided Team Canada to a U17 World Cup silver finish, where she again was named to the All-Star High School Second Team.
Swords earned invitations to the Canadian Senior Women’s National Team training camps in both 2024 and 2025.
