Kenny Brooks has won 48 games in two years to put UK women's basketball back on the national map. (Vicky Graff Photo)
Kentucky won 25 games for the first time in seven years during the 2025-26 season, won two NCAA Tournament games and beat six ranked teams, its most wins over ranked teams in 10 years.
However, if señior Teonni Key is right, this is just the start for coach Kenny Brooks.
“This is honestly just a floor. I’m super excited to see what this group with coach Brooks and his staff is able to do with Kentucky,” said Key, who transferred from North Carolina to play for Brooks when he came to UK from Virginia Tech.”This is only the second year and it’s only going to keep doing better. It’s going to be amazing, and I’m just super excited to have been a part of something so special.”
Kentucky loses five seniors — Key, point guard Tonie Morgan, wing Amelia Hassett, top reserve Jordan Obi and reserve Josie Gilvin — off this year’s 25-11 team. However, the UK coach confirmed after the NCAA regional semifinal loss to Texas that All-American center Clara Strack would be back. She is one of five finalists — and the only junior — for the Lisa Leslie Award given to the nation’s top centers. Strack averaged 16.9 points and 10.1 rebounds, both team highs, and also led UK in blocks (91) and steals (44).
Starting guard Asia Boone, who hit 96 3-pointers and shot 36 percent from 3, averaged 10.1 points per game also returns. So will freshman forward Kaelyn Carroll, a McDonald’s All-American, who averaged 3.4 points and 2.2 rebounds in 11.9 minutes per game.
Brooks will also add three McDonald’s All-Americans — guards Maddy Greenway, Savvy Swords and Emily McDonald — will be joining the Wildcats. All are top 25 players in their recruiting class.
Brooks has won 48 games in two years, including wins over two top five teams LSU and Oklahoma this season. A 10-point win at Louisville marked the first time Kentucky beat the Cards by double digits in consecutive years for the first time in 26 years.
He said the first two years have been “unbelievable” and even better than he anticipated when he left Virginia Tech, a team he had guided to a Final Four.
“I wanted to be on this stage consistently. We’ve continued to get the support that allows us to be able to do that. In a very short amount of time we’ve attracted tremendous young people to come and represent the University of Kentucky, and I think that they’ve done it in a magnificent way,” Brooks said.
“That’s only helping us as we go into the future because we’re able to recruit and attract similar type players who are very good at basketball. We’ve been ranked every day that we’ve been here. That’s tremendous. A testament to my staff, to the support that we’ve been given to be able to go out there and put Kentucky women’s basketball back on the map and be able to go out there and compete against teams like Texas, like the South Carolinas.”
Brooks doesn’t plan to rest on his laurels because he wants to get Kentucky to an even higher level and reach a Final four even with the continuing changing of the college athletics landscape.
“You’re going to need continuous support. There’s got to be an investment in your sport because it’s changing,” the Kentucky coach said. “You don’t have to have the top of the top to be able to go compete, but you have to have a really good investment and a lot of confidence instilled into your program. I think that we can win, we can attract the top-level players to come here.
“We have three McDonald’s All-Americans coming in next year. We have an All-American center coming back next year, and obviously we’ll do our due diligence in the portal. But we’re excited about taking the next steps because we weren’t just happy to be here (in the regional semifinals).
“I’ve been to one Final Four. When you’ve been to one Final Four, man, you’re going to scratch, claw, fight, and do whatever you can to get back. It’s a tremendous experience, and it makes you want to continue to get back there. We know what we need to do, and we’re going to get after it. Our goal next year is to go a step further.”
Having Strack back is a great building block for next season. She became the only player in Division I women’s basketball to have at least 607 points, 365 rebounds, 91 blocks, 68 assists, 44 steals and 255 3-pointers. She also joined Tennessee legend Candace Parker as the only two SEC players with at least 1,000 points, 600 rebounds, 150 blocks, 125 assists and 50 steals in their first two seasons.
“We have to surround her with some really good players, and we will,” Brooks said.
Brooks appreciates the investment UK has in women’s basketball and the excitement the Kentucky brand generates.
“We’re going to capitalize on it. I’m going to ask until they tell me no, and I’m going to just keep fighting for our program, because when I came here I said this place is a sleeping giant,” he said. “I think that we’ve done a pretty good job of tickling it to wake it up a little bit. Now we want to get over top by continuing to capitalize on the momentum that we have and if we’re able to do that, then I think that we’ll be where we want to be next year.”
