Kenny Brooks Selected to Werner Ladder Naismith Women’s College Coach of the Year Watch List
ATLANTA – Kenny Brooks, University of Kentucky women’s basketball head coach, has been selected to the Werner Ladder Naismith Women’s College Coach of the Year Watch List presented by AXIA Time, it was announced by The Atlanta Tipoff Club.
He is one of 15 head coaches named to the watch list, while he is one of six head coaches in the Southeastern Conference included. Ten semifinalists will be announced on March 13, then five finalists will be released on March 18.
The Atlanta Tipoff Club will decide the award winner on April 2.
Brooks is coming off his 20th triumph at the helm of Kentucky, which is the program’s first 20-plus win season in half a decade. It 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 from putting together a coaching staff to recruiting 11 players, all of which are from outside of the Southeastern Conference.
He then followed up the summer rebuild with an impressive nonconference stretch.
This season marked just the second time in program history that UK has 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 has 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 earned 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 are now 20-4 overall and 9-3 in the SEC, currently sitting in fourth place in the 16-team league standings. Coming off a win against Georgia last Sunday, it marked Kentucky’s seventh SEC regular-season win by at least 14 points, the second most in a single season in program history.
Brooks’ revamped roster has set or is in the process of setting numerous school records, too.
The team reset the single-game, three-point field goal record (18) against Mississippi State. Clara Strack reset the single-game blocks record (8) at Ole Miss. The team also is just 14 blocks away from breaking the single-season blocks record (181), while Strack is just five blocks away from breaking the single-season blocks record (66). If the season ended today, Georgia Amoore would break the single-season assists per game record (7.2), while she is just 38 assists away from breaking the single-season assists record (172). Earlier this season, she also tied the school record for most points scored in a single game at Oklahoma (43).
The excitement abounds for the program Brooks has 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.
The Wildcats have four games remaining on their regular-season schedule, before they play in the SEC Tournament in Greenville, South Carolina, between 5-9.
For more information on the Kentucky women’s basketball team, visit UKathletics.com or follow @KentuckyWBB on X, Instagram, and Facebook.
