Growing up right outside of the bay area in Richmond,
Calif., DeNesha Stallworth was a standout basketball player for Pinole Valley
High School. Stallworth led the entire state of California in scoring her
senior year, averaging 27.7 points per game on her way to being named a 2009
McDonald’s All-American and WBCA All-American.

Stallworth’s success on the basketball court drew attention
from the eyes of several colleges. She was rated as a top-20 prospect in the
nation by multiple recruiting websites, including No. 12 by Blue Star and No.
15 by Collegiate Girls Basketball report. As her high school career was winding
down, it was time for her to make a decision on where she would play college
ball. Among the schools in contention were Baylor, Oklahoma, Texas and Arizona.
However, Stallworth decided to stay in her home state and chose to play hoops
at the University of California.

Stallworth didn’t disappoint during her freshman campaign,
averaging 12.9 points and 6.4 rebounds per contest, while being named to the
Pacific-10 All-Freshman Team. Another year went by and she continued to
dominate on the court, pouring in 13.3 points and corralling 6.4 rebounds a game
and was selected to the All-Pac-10 Team.

However, two weeks following the conclusion of her sophomore
season, Stallworth decided to look elsewhere to play college basketball. She
narrowed her options down to three schools: Florida, LSU and Kentucky.

Florida had Stallworth’s attention ever since high school
recruitment and it continued into the summer of 2011.

LSU was in the mix after head coach Nikki Caldwell was hired
heading into last season. Previously, Caldwell had coached at UCLA, where
Stallworth had the opportunity to play against her for two seasons. Stallworth
felt like Caldwell was a great coach who knew her game very well.

UK head coach Matthew Mitchell and his staff had their work
cut out for them that summer in order to beat out two opposing Southeastern
Conference teams in acquiring Stallworth. Mitchell, however, received some help
from the Kentucky faithful in his recruiting that eventually helped reel in the
6-foot-3 center.

“I just had to choose Kentucky because of the fans,”
Stallworth said. “I love the team more than anything, and definitely by far the
coaches, they are just amazing. The fact that they care about you off the court
and on the court really stood out.”

Some may wonder how you come from the West Coast and choose
a school or even hear about the Bluegrass state. Stallworth had some help from
the people close to her in researching schools and making a decision.

Stallworth’s AAU coach contacted assistant coach Matt Insell
and the recruiting took off from there. The UK staff was in frequent contact
with Stallworth and provided her a home away from home. Stallworth’s father,
Chris, has been huge in every part of her basketball career, including her
recruitment. Chris offered her advice and even made Stallworth aware of the
Wildcats and their program.

“My dad is a really big basketball fan,” Stallworth said.
“He keeps up on all the teams. He was the one that said Kentucky will fit me.”

After her decision was made, Stallworth was still facing a
redshirt year due to NCAA rules. She had to sit and watch as the Wildcats won
just their second regular season SEC title in program history in 2011-12, with
the other coming 30 years ago in 1981-82. UK had one of the best seasons in program
history last year, finishing the season 28-7 and an appearance in the Elite Eight
of the NCAA Tournament.

Stallworth admits last season was tough for her. Going
through practice each day and not being able to go out on the court and help
the team was hard to take in. The year off gave her a chance to bond with her
teammates and coaches, which helped her get through the transfer year.

“It was definitely tough,” Stallworth said. “But the plus
part about it was that I had my teammates and my coaches and they kept me going
and kept me working hard. “Without them I probably wouldn’t have gotten through
the year.”

Transitioning from the West Coast was a big move for
Stallworth, but the adjustment hasn’t been too difficult for her. It helps that
her teammates are from all over the United States and they all just blend together.
However, there is one thing Stallworth has had a tough time adjusting to.

“The weather is horrible here, it’s so cold,” Stallworth
said. “I have to wear jackets on top of jackets.”

A year off also gave her a chance to focus on her studies. Stallworth
uses time management to juggle athletics and academics. She is a family science
major, which may sound broad, but Stallworth has a unique passion. Her dream
job is to be an interpreter for American Sign Language.

Stallworth developed this interest back home where she met
one of her fans, Alexis, who is deaf. Stallworth did a project on Alexis her
senior year of high school and became interested and engaged in the culture.
She is currently enrolled in her first sign language class since high school
and continues to keep in contact with Alexis, as the two will exchange text
messages from time to time.

Stallworth loves her hometown in Richmond and has thought a
lot about how she can give back to her community after she graduates.

“I want to host a deaf basketball camp back home in my
community,” Stallworth said. “Outside of that I want to be an interpreter and
shadow a child and experience what they have going on.”

Now that Stallworth has gone through her year of sitting
out, she has a chance to get back on the court and play the sport she loves.
Stallworth brings another dynamic to a Wildcats’ squad that returns four
starters from last year’s roster. Although she is one of the tallest players on
the team, Stallworth can step outside and knock down a 3-point jumper, which
makes her a difficult player to guard. She will help the Cats on the glass as
well, as she charted 12 double-doubles in her two years at Cal.

Now that she gets to play again, Stallworth sees big things
in her team’s future.

“Definitely Final Four and a national championship, that is
where our minds are,” Stallworth said. “Our coaches try to install that in our
brains. Personally, I think that if I just do my best and give my best
everything will take care of itself.”