Kentucky Women’s Basketball Signs 6-2 Forward Ayanna Patterson
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The University of Kentucky women’s basketball program inked a 6-2 forward to its incoming class in Ayanna Patterson, head coach Kenny Brooks announced Sunday. She will join the program as a redshirt junior in 2026-27.
“I’m excited to welcome Ayanna to our program,” Brooks said. “Ayanna had a storied high school career followed by being a part of a championship culture at UConn. Being fully healthy now, I’m looking forward to seeing her compete at the level that got her recognized as the fourth-best player in the country. AP’s athletic ability will add to our team’s overall makeup and will give us the versatility to play different ways. I can’t wait to see her flourish in front of BBN. You guys will love AP.”
Ayanna Patterson
6-2 | Redshirt Junior | Forward | Fort Wayne, Ind.| UConn
Ayanna Patterson, a 6-2 forward from Fort Wayne, Indiana, spent the last four seasons at UConn but played just two of those four seasons – as a true freshman in 2022-23 and as a redshirt sophomore in 2025-26 – because of a pair of injuries in back-to-back seasons in 2023-24 and 2024-25.
Despite coming off consecutive seasons without playing, Patterson appeared in 30 games and made one start for UConn in 2025-26. In just five minutes per game, she totaled 52 points – on 51.5 percent from the field – and 42 rebounds. Included in those 30 games, she played limited minutes in all five games of the Huskies’ Final Four run.
In her freshman season in 2022-23, she played 30 games and combined for 65 points and 67 rebounds.
Patterson came into college rated the No. 1 wing and the No. 4 overall prospect in the Class of 2022, according to ESPN. She was a McDonald’s and SLAM All-American, while she also played in the Jordan Brand Classic. She was named the 2022 Indiana Miss Basketball after averaging 25.8 points per game, 11.8 rebounds per game and 2.1 blocks per game as a senior at Homestead High School. Her father Andre Patterson played basketball at New Mexico State, while her brother Andre Patterson Jr. played at UCLA and Tennessee.
For more information on the Kentucky women’s basketball team, visit UKathletics.com or follow @KentuckyWBB on X, Instagram, and Facebook.
