Kenny Brooks Chosen as a Werner Ladder Naismith Women’s College Coach of the Year Semifinalist
Kenny Brooks Chosen as a Werner Ladder Naismith Women’s College Coach of the Year Semifinalist
ATLANTA – Kenny Brooks, who has steered the University of Kentucky women’s basketball program to its biggest year-to-year turnaround in program history, has been chosen as a Werner Ladder Naismith Women’s College Coach of the Year Semifinalist presented by AXIA Time, it was announced by The Atlanta Tipoff Club on Thursday.
He is one of 10 head coaches named a semifinalist, while he is one of four head coaches in the Southeastern Conference included. Five finalists will be released on March 18 before the Atlanta Tipoff Club decides on an award winner on April 2.
Brooks hit the ground running last spring, recruiting 11 players and hiring 11 staffers that would end up being competitive in a conference that was new to almost all of them.
That rebooted roster is 22-7 overall this season – with at least one more game to play – including 11-5 in the Southeastern Conference and 14-2 in Historic Memorial Coliseum. Moreover, after being picked to finish eighth in the preseason league standings, he guided UK to a No. 4 seed and a double bye at the SEC Tournament, the program’s first in five seasons.
It marked the program’s first 20-plus win season in half a decade. It also marked his own 19th 20-plus win season in his 23 years as a head coach. In doing so, Brooks tied the late Terry Hall as the quickest head coaches in program history to reach their first 20 wins at UK (24 games).
From the beginning of his reign in the Bluegrass, Brooks has impressed Big Blue Nation. He followed up his quick roster rebuild with an imposing nonconference stretch.
This season marked just the second time in program history that UK allowed 43 points or less in each of its first three games, with the first instance occurring in 1974-75. This season also marked just the third time in program history that UK won each of its first three games of a season by at least 29 points (2011-12, 2017-2018, 2024-25).
In the month of November, UK earned a 7-0 record for the first time since 2019-20. Furthermore, UK defeated its first seven opponents of the season by at least 10 points for the first time since 2013-14.
Brooks became just the second head coach in program history to begin their first season at UK undefeated through seven games. Hall went undefeated through her first nine games in 1980-81.
The Wildcats, also in the month of November, went 2-0 against its first pair of ranked opponents. UK defeated each of its first two ranked opponents of the season for the first time since 2016-17. It also marked the first time in program history that UK defeated two Associated Press-ranked opponents in November.
One of those ranked games was when No. 20/19 Kentucky snapped a seven-game losing streak to No. 18/18 Louisville in overtime, 71-61, in front of a sold-out arena at Historic Memorial Coliseum on Saturday, Nov. 16. It marked UK’s largest margin of victory in 32 overtime wins in program history. It also marked UK’s first triumph over UofL since Dec. 20, 2015, and it marked UK’s first ranked win since defeating No. 1/1 South Carolina, 64-62, to win the 2022 SEC Championship on March 6, 2022.
Brooks turned his focus to league action, as Kentucky had a statement triumph in the league opener over RV/RV Mississippi State, 91-69, on Jan. 2. It marked the most points scored in a league opener in program history (91). It also marked the largest margin of victory in a league opener in program history (22).
The Wildcats broke the single-game school record for 3-pointers (18) on a season-high 54.4 percent from the arc (18-of-33) in that game.
UK then went on to piece together a 5-0 start in the SEC, the third-best start in league action in program history, and a 16-1 start to the overall season, the third-best, one-loss start in program history.
The Wildcats, at the conclusion of SEC regular-season action, accumulated eight triumphs by at least 10 points, their most in a single season since 2015-16 (also 8). One of those triumphs included Kentucky earning its largest margin of victory over 11th-ranked Tennessee in the all-time series in its 24-point win on Feb. 27, 82-58, in Historic Memorial Coliseum. And while there are no moral victories, in its final SEC regular-season game of the season, Kentucky held 6th-ranked South Carolina to a one-point game in the fourth quarter in Columbia, which no SEC opponent has done in Columbia in since 2020.
Moreover, the Cats had their largest improvement in SEC regular-season action from the previous season in program history (+7 wins). Along the way, the Cats set a host of standards in SEC regular-season action that hadn’t been touched in decades, including:
Kentucky had its best scoring margin in Southeastern Conference regular-season action (+8.5 ppg) since 2012-13 (then +13.9 ppg).
Kentucky had its best scoring defense in SEC regular-season action (65.8 ppg) since 2018-19 (then 60.6 ppg).
The Wildcats scored their most points in SEC regular-season action (1,189) since 2012- 13 (then 1,231).
This is the only UK team to shoot at least 45.0 percent from the field in SEC regular-season action since at least 2002-03.
UK had its best FG% defense in SEC regular-season action (37.56%) since at least 2002- 03.
UK had its best 3FG% defense in SEC regular-season action (27.3%) since at least 2002-03.
Kentucky had its fewest SEC road losses (3) since 2018-19 (2).
Not to mention, Brooks’ revamped roster has set or is in the process of setting numerous school records, too, including individual and team, single game and single season.
The excitement abounded for the program Brooks built off the court, too, with reserved season tickets selling out prior to the season, and four home games, including its final three home games, selling out in advance of the tip times.
Brooks’ program isn’t done playing either, with the Wildcats’ postseason fate to be revealed during the NCAA Tournament Selection Show on Sunday, March 16 at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.
For more information on the Kentucky women’s basketball team, visit Matchglobalnews.com follow @Kentucky’ Wildcats University on X, Instagram, and Facebook.
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