Over the past two months, Kentucky women’s basketball has been through a whirlwind.
On March 26, the program officially announced that Kenny Brooks, former head coach at Virginia Tech, would be the brand new head coach for Kentucky WBB. Since then, we’ve seen (all but two) Wildcats depart from Kentucky, and we’ve seen some former Hokies make the trip to Lexington. Brooks has added a few assistants, and been clear about his intentions at Kentucky: win championships.
Just the other day, on June 5, Oregon State guard Dominika Paurová committed to Kentucky, getting the roster a total of 13 players. As it stands, there are nine guards, two forwards, and two centers, though a handful of the guards could flip from a two to a three if need be. Brooks still has two open roster spots to work with.
Overall, the roster is pretty solid. We still have Cassidy Rowe and Saniah Tyler from last season, a pair of guards ready to make an impact on this upcoming season. Brooks locked down Georgia Amoore, a Virginia Tech transfer, All-American, and first-round WNBA draft prospect. While he has six underclassmen, that group shows tons of promise for the future of the program. The other seven players, on the other hand, have already proven that they have what it takes to compete at an SEC school.
So, what more could Kenny Brooks need?
While the answer may be different for everyone, I think the team is great the way it is. It’s no secret that Brooks has hit a grand slam for his first offseason at Kentucky. With that being said, I do think that the ‘Cats could benefit from a few different scenarios. While most transfers in the portal have found a new home, there’s no telling what could happen in the next couple of months.
Two guard-forward hybrids
As I said earlier, nine of the players on the Kentucky roster are listed as guards. While a few of them could definitely make the switch from guard to forward if needed, it’s not necessarily ideal to rely on a player with less experience in that field. The tallest of all the guards is freshman Lexi Blue, standing at 6-foot-2. There are only three more guards above six feet tall, and the other four are 5-foot-10 and below.
Having a pair of taller, bigger, more experienced guards would definitely be beneficial for the team. Juniors Teonni Key and Amelia Hassett are the only two players listed as forwards, and more than likely won’t be able to bear that weight on their shoulders alone. A few weeks ago, I went over a potential starting lineup for Brooks, and Hassett made the cut. Key only averaged 2.7 points and 2.5 rebounds in 9.5 minutes per game last season. But, the UNC transfer could be an early bench exit to replace Hassett.
At the end of the day, Kentucky is playing in a new (and improved) SEC. That means bigger players that have already had experience playing against girls 6-foot-5 and above. Of course, the size of this roster is more impressive than Kentucky’s last season. It could still be helpful for the team to have a couple more 6-foot-3 and above players who specialize in mid-range shooting but could still play the perimeter in desperate situations.
A true four and a true five
In my opinion, it doesn’t hurt to have a couple more bigs in your arsenal. At this point, Clara Strack and Clara Silva (6-foot-5 and 6-foot-7, respectively) are the only two centers on the roster. They’re tall and talented, what more could you ask for from a big? In recent seasons though, we’ve been seeing a lot more versatility from centers being able to shoot from three as well.
While that’s definitely more prominent on the men’s side of the game, there’s no reason why I can’t dream we find the perfect 6-foot-6 center who can also shoot from the top of the key. Could you imagine Kentucky’s female version of Karl-Anthony Towns…?
The same goes for a true four. In my mock lineup, I put Amelia Hassett at the four, but I’d almost prefer to see her at small forward. If it’s in the cards, maybe Brooks will find the perfect power forward to add to the roster, just in case.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it
The final scenario is, well, do nothing.
Brooks has a very solid lineup sitting in front of him that probably doesn’t need much tweaking. Like I said, he’s done an incredible job in his first offseason, not only preparing for the 2024-25 season but also the seasons ahead. Brooks is focused on the now, but also on the development of his players.
With that being said, Brooks could just leave the last two spots on the roster open if he wants. However, most of the transfers in the portal have found a home elsewhere and there aren’t many freshman recruits left to claim. To me, it would be no surprise if Brooks kept his roster at 13.
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