BIG BLUE MADNESS SPECIAL SECTION
Get to know: 2024-25 Kentucky men’s basketball
By Sydney Cox and Sydney Byrd sports@kykernel.com
Kentucky men’s basketball is preparing to take the hardwood for the first time since its disastrous NCAA Tournament loss to Oakland and John Calipari’s subsequent departure. With a new head coach and a team built nearly entirely from scratch, the Kernel deemed it necessary to introduce fans to the next generation of Kentucky men’s basketball.
00 - Otega Oweh
Year: Junior
Hometown: Newark, New Jersey
Position: Guard
2023-24 Stats: (Oklahoma)
4.8 points-per-game (PPG)
2.1 rebounds-per-game (RPG)
0.2 assists-per-game (APG)
About: Oweh enters the program as a junior transfer from Oklahoma, seeing action in 32 games last year for the Sooners. Oweh, who is known for his ability to take the ball to the rim, will add versatility to Kentucky’s offense and fans can expect to see his athleticism and physicality help him become a valuable asset to the team.
Fun fact: Oweh wears No. 00 because of the resemblance to his name.
1 - Lamont Butler
Year: Graduate student
Hometown: Moreno Valley, California
Position: Guard
2023-24 Stats: (San Diego State)
9.3 PPG
2.6 RPG
3.0 APG
About: Fresh off winning Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year, Butler possesses elite defensive skills and is a legitimate threat for opponents. Starting all 37 games at San Diego State, Butler completed his career with 183 steals for the Aztecs, ranking No. 5 all-time. The guard will look to be a leader on Kentucky’s defense this season.
Fun fact: Butler is only the 38th player in San Diego State program history to score 1,000 career points.
2 - Jaxson Robinson
Year: Graduate student
Hometown: Ada, Oklahoma
Position: Guard
2023-24 Stats (BYU):
8.5 PPG
2.9 RPG
1.8 APG
About: Robinson may be new to BBN, but he certainly understands coach Mark Pope’s coaching style. Having played for Pope at BYU. Robinson brings a level of experience to this fresh Kentucky team. He was the first bench player in BYU program history to lead the team in scoring, shooting 42.6% from the field and 35.4% from deep, which led to Robinson winning Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year and being an All- Big 12 honorable mention. He is predicted to be among the top- ten breakout players of the year according to NCAA correspondent Andy Katz.
Fun fact: In the last 21 games of the 2023 season, Robinson made at least one 3-pointer in each game, tying for the sixth-longest streak in BYU history.
4 - Koby Brea
Year: Graduate student
Hometown: Washington Heights, New York
Position: Guard
2023-24 Stats (Dayton):
11.1 PPG
3.8 RPG
1.2 APG
About: Brea enters the program with a number of awards and stats, including being the second two-time winner of the Atlantic 10 Sixth Man of the Year award while being at Dayton. He also led the nation in 3-point percentage (49.75%). With a sharp shooter like Brea, the Wildcats can look to create opportunities to get him open from 3-point range.
Fun fact: Brea represented the Dominican Republic National Team in the U17 FIBA Centrobasket Championships in San Juan in the summer of 2019.
5 - Collin Chandler
Year: Freshman
Hometown: Farmington, Utah
Position: Guard
2023-24 Stats (high school senior):
21.7 PPG
4.3
About: After a two-year mission, Chandler looks to return to basketball, making his college debut with Kentucky. The No. 1 player in Utah — while also ranking as high as the No. 33 overall player in the class of
2023 — can bring versatility to the team, with 135 3-pointers made in his career to go along with 328 rebounds, 229 assists and 105 steals.
Fun fact: Chandler recorded his first ever dunk when he was 15 years old.
7 - Andrew Carr
Year: Graduate student
Hometown: West Ches ter, Pennsylvania
Position: Forward
2023-24 Stats (Wake Forest):
13.5 PPG
6.8 RPG
1.5 APG
About: Standing at 6-foot-11, Carr comes to the Bluegrass as a graduate transfer from Wake Forest where he started all 35 games and finished fourth on the team in scoring. Shoot ing 52.6% from the field and 37% from 3-point range, Carr provides a level of experience that will be very likely to help this new team of players and create size and depth to the Ken tucky roster.
Fun fact: One of Carr’s most memo rable moments in his basketball career was sinking the buzz er-beating game-win ning shot versus Appa lachian State.
29.9 PPG
About: Coming off a 2024 senior season leading Harlan County to the KHSAA Boys’ Basketball Tournament, Noah, known for his ability to shoot from behind
9 - Trent Noah Year: Freshman
Hometown: Har lan, Kentucky Position: Forward 2023-24 Stats (high school senior):
ate scoring chances for the team. The Kentucky native decided to stay ment decision from South Noah wears No. 9 because that is the Oklahoma City,
2023-24 Stats (Oklahoma ward joins the Wildcats after seeing action his freshman year with Oklahoma State, where Garrison played in all 32 games while being a starter in each of the last 29. Garrison is sure to be a key component sive and play-finishing abilities. He recorded 47 blocks (fifth-most ever by an OSU freshman) and a
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Fun fact: One of Garrison’s off-the-court talents is riding horses.
11 - Travis Perry
Year: Freshman
Hometown: Eddyville, Kentucky
Position: Guard
2023-24 Stats (high school senior):
32.2 PPG
5.8 APG
About: The all-time leading scorer in the state of Kentucky stays close to home to begin his collegiate career with the Wildcats. Perry, alongside his father and head coach Ryan Per ry, led his high school, Lyon County, to a state championship in 2024. With two Gatorade State Player of the Year awards to his name, the four-star recruit's sharp-shooting ability and remarkable court vision will be impactful to the Wildcats’ game this season.
Fun fact: Perry ranks No. 1 in the Ken tucky state record books for all-time 3-point ers (712), all-time field goals (1,918), all-time free throws (933), all-time steals (650) and career points (5,381).
13 - Grant Darbyshire
Year: Junior
Hometown: Cincinnati
Position: Guard
2023-24 Stats:
zero PPG
zero RPG
zero APG
About: Darbyshire made four appearances for the Wildcats his sophomore season, seeing action in victories over Marshall, Louisville, Illinois State and Vanderbilt. The guard is one of two returning players for the Wildcats this season.
Fun fact: Darbyshire’s father played bas ketball at Kent State and Miami (OH). His grandfather played at Florida State and Miami (OH).
15 - Ansley Almonor
Year: Senior
Hometown: Spring Valley, New York
Position: Forward
2023-24 Stats (Fairleigh Dickinson):
16.4 PPG
5.1 RPG
1.7 APG
About: Almonor takes on his senior year of college with the Wildcats after being with Fairleigh Dickinson for three years. Starting in 31 of Fairleigh Dickinson’s 32 games, Alm onor has a strong offensive presence, joining the Wildcats after leading the NEC in made 3-pointers and connecting on 80% of his freethrows during the 2023-24 season.
Fun fact: Almonor dunked for the first time at age 15 while in the park with his older brother.
21 - Walker Horn
Year: Junior
Hometown: Austin, Texas
Position: Guard
2023-24 Stats:
Position: Guard
2023-24 Stats (West Virginia):
11.0 PPG
0.429 field-goal percentage
4.7 APG
About: As a fifth-year senior, Kriisa is expected to bring vast experience to the Wildcats, seeing action twice in the PAC-12 early-on in his collegiate career. Kriisa boasts
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KENTUCKY KERNEL OFFICE
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On the front cover: MATTHEW MUELLER | STAFF
Lamont Butler dunks the ball during Big Blue Madness on Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky.
Get to know: 2024-25 Kentucky women’s basketball
By Jenna Lifshen sports@kykernel.com
Design by Cameron Holmes
With a new era of Kentucky women’s basketball set to debut, the Cats enter the new season with a very different roster led by a brand-new coach to represent the blue and white.
As a result, for the first time in a long time, Kentucky women’s basketball has been recognized nationally as a team to watch out for in the SEC.
With Big Blue Nation eager to see what head coach Kenny Brooks and his squad can accomplish with only two familiar faces on the team, it’s only fitting that a complete breakdown is in order.
Meet the team:
0 – Jordan Obi Year: Graduate student
Hometown: Hartford, Connecticut Position: Guard
Former school: Penn (Univ. of Pennsylvania) Career highlights:
-2023-24 All-Ivy First Team
-2x All-Ivy Second Team (2021-22, 2022-23)
-2x All-Big 5 Second Team (2021-22, 2022-23) -CoBL.com All-City 6 Second Team (2021-22)
Obi opted to take her fifth year of eligibility with Kentucky after her four years at UPenn, where she left with a record-breaking career. During her four years, she became the 25th player in Penn history to join the 1,000-point club and ended her senior season with the 11th most points in program history (1.142). Her career blocks ranked ninth in history (85). Unfortunately for Kentucky, Obi sustained a lower leg injury over the summer and was ruled out indefinitely.
2 - Saniah Tyler Year: Junior Hometown: Florissant, Missouri
Position: Guard
Former school: N/A, Kentucky
Career highlights:
-One of two returning Wildcats, making 13 starts last season
Tyler is one of only two players who stayed at Kentucky following the 202324 season. During her previous season, she averaged 10.2 points-per-game (PPG), the second most on the team, 1.8 reboundsper-game (RBG) and combined for 19 assists and 21 steals. The former four-star guard has shown considerable improvement
during her UK career and has played a vital role as a veteran thus far.
3 - Georgia Amoore
Year: Graduate student
Hometown: Ballarat, Victoria, Australia
Position: Guard
Former school: Virginia Tech
Career highlights:
-2023-24 John R. Wooden Award All-America Team
-2023-24 Associated Press
All-America Third Team
-2023-24 USBWA
All-America Third Team
-2023-24 WBCA Region 1 Coaches All-American
-2023-24 Nancy Lieberman Award finalist
-Many more additional accolades
Amoore will undoubtedly make a name for herself and play a crucial role as a leader this season after the expected first-round WNBA draft pick shocked the nation and announced her choice to take her final year of eligibility with the Wildcats. She spent four years at Virginia Tech. As a Hokie, she became one of the best women's basketball players in Virginia Tech history, becoming the all-time leader in assists (656), boasting the highest assist/turnover ratio (1.8) and finishing second in 3-pointers made (33) and third in scoring (1,853 points). She racked up 14 conference
honors and nine national honors during her career.
4 – Lexi Blue
Year: Freshman
Hometown: Orlando, Florida
Position: Guard
Previous school: N/A, former Virginia Tech commit Blue, originally a commit for Virginia Tech, flipped her commitment to Kentucky. She became Kentucky's highest-ranked incoming freshman since Treasure Hunt in 2019 and Brooks' first high school commitment as Kentucky's coach. The four-star guard out of Orlando averaged 13.9 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 1.8 assists-pergame (APG) and 1.1 stealsper-game (SPG) during her senior season at Lake Highland Prep. She finished her four years at the school with 1,360 points, 504 rebounds, 187 assists, 99 steals and 43 blocks, lead her team to five-straight state championships.
5 - Cassidy Rowe Year: Junior
Hometown: Virgie, Kentucky
Position: Guard
Previous school: N/A, Kentucky
Career highlights:
-The second of two returners, playing in 31 games last season
Rowe is the second and only other Wildcat to return to Kentucky after last season. She is known for her drive
to better the team and herself, never having had doubts when choosing where to go to college and complete her career. The 5-foot-5 guard had a standout sophomore season, averaging 2.6 PPG, one RPG and compiled 39 assists and six steals. The Kentucky native should only improve this year now that multiple shooters will surround her compared to last season.
7 - Teonni Key Year: Junior Hometown: Cary, North Carolina
Position: Forward
Previous school: North Carolina
Career highlights:
-ACC Newcomer watch list Key spent two years with the Tar Heels before announcing her commitment to Kentucky. During her freshman season, she was named to the ACC Newcomer watch list (Blue Ribbon panel), however, she suffered an ACL tear and missed the winter 2021-22 season. Last year, she played her most successful season, averaging 2.7 PPG and 2.5 RPG. The former top-10 recruit is a player to look out for as she is expected to play to her full potential in the upcoming season thanks to the depth and size of the frontcourt.
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named in the All-Canadian Game in both 2023 and averaging 18.2 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 2.6 APG and 1.7 SPG, and ended the year being named to the AAC First Team. Her knowledge and experience as a player will be fundamental for her role as a leader on the court, which is essential to a team with so many young players.
11 - Gabby Brooks
Year: Sophomore
Hometown: Harrisonburg, Virginia
Position: Guard
Previous school: Virginia Tech Brooks spent one season as a walk-on at Virginia Tech before announcing she'd be following her father to Kentucky. Although she is listed as a sophomore, she redshirted last season, which would technically make her a redshirt freshman. Brooks is expected to see little playing time this season as she adjusts to competing at such a high level, but will benefit the team in practice as she understands her father’s system.
12 - Dominika Paurová
Year: Sophomore
Hometown: Mlada Boleslav, Czech Republic
Position: Guard
Previous school: Oregon State
Career highlights: -2023-24 PAC-12
All-Freshman Team honorable mention Paurová spent her freshman season with Oregon State, playing every game for the Beavers, including all four NCAA Tournament games where they
ran to the Elite Eight. She has played on the Czech Republic national squad since 2018, with her most notable season on the U18 team in 2022, where she was considered an MVP candidate at the FIBA European Championship. Paurová is sidelined indefinitely following an injury she sustained while playing in the Czech Republic's U20 game against Iceland in July.
13 - Clara Strack
Year: Sophomore
Hometown: Buffalo, New York
Position: Center
Previous school: Virginia Tech
The third and final Hokie who followed her former coach to Kentucky is Strack. The four-star recruit played one year with Tech, averaging 4.5 points (56.4% shooting), 4.1 rebounds and 1.2 blocks. Her most notable game came at a crucial time for Tech during the NCAA Tournament, where she recorded 17 points (7/7 shooting) in the Round of 64 with 18 points (6/8 shooting) in the Round of 32. She combined for 15 rebounds, six blocks and four assists during the two games.
17 - Clara Silva
Year: Freshman
Hometown: Faro, Portugal
Position: Center
Previous school: N/A, former commit of Virginia Tech
Silva will be one of only two Wildcats ever to hit 6-feet, 7-inches, and is
currently one of the tallest women in college basketball at only 18 years old. She was viewed as one of the world's top international prospects. She spent the summer playing for the Portugal U18 team, going undefeated in the EuroBasket group phase during the FIBA U18 EuroBasket Championships. She led the team in points per game (20.3), blocks per game (2.3) and rebounds per game (7.7).
32 - Amelia Hassett
Year: Junior
Hometown: Forward
Position: Albury, New South Wales, Australia
Previous school: Eastern Florida State College Career highlights:
-2023-24 National Junior College Athletic Association Division I All-America Third Team
-2023-24 Citrus Conference Player of the Year -2023-24 Florida College Systems Activities Association (FCSAA) Player of the Year -2024 3-on-3 Showcase All-American
During her time with EFSC, the 6-foot-3 Australian shot 54.5% from the field and 40.4% from the three-point line, adding 12.7 rebounds. During her standout sophomore season, she became the first player in EFSC history to win an FCSAA Player of the Year honor, setting a program record of over 20 double-doubles during the season and leading her team to a third straight Citrus Conference Championship.
MATTHEW MUELLER | STAFF
The Kentucky dance team performs during Big Blue Madness.
MATTHEW MUELLER | STAFF
Lamont Butler guards Collin Chandler during Big Blue Madness on Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky.
MATTHEW MUELLER | STAFF Kentucky Head Coach Mark Pope fist bumps Andrew Carr during Big Blue Madness.
MATTHEW MUELLER | STAFF
A Kentucky cheerleader does a stunt during Big Blue Madness.
MATTHEW MUELLER | STAFF Collin Chandler attempts to dunk the ball over Kentucky Men's Basketball Head Coach Mark Pope and his wife, Lee Anne Pope, during Big Blue Madness.
MATTHEW MUELLER | STAFF
Teonni Key dribbles the ball during Big Blue Madness.
By Kai McClelland sports@kykernel.com
Kentucky women’s basketball has a clean slate approaching the 2024-2025 season, and with the regular season right around the corner we are nearing the first basketball action inside the newly renovated Historic Memorial Coliseum.
The $80 million upgrade will serve as a permanent home for the Wildcats this upcoming season, a major piece to the puzzle that Kentucky is attempting to build with this new look program.
After a 12-20 season last year, shifting from the Clive M. Beck Center to Rupp Arena for home games, it feels like the appropriate time to have this renovation complete for the women’s team.
Head Coach Kenny Brooks, signed out of Virginia Tech this offseason, has created a new hope for Kentucky fans and now they have a permanent ground to show their support.
“For me, it’s been a heck of a six months,” said Brooks when talking about the offseason. “I think the biggest thing is just the welcoming from Big Blue Nation, how everyone has been so interested in what we're doing.”
Your opinions can be made about the cost of the renovation, but regardless, the team will be able to feel a sense of belonging in a flooded sports world at the University of Kentucky.
Each home game, up to 6,500 fans will be screaming “Go Big Blue” for their Wildcats, and the effect will be felt.
Kentucky athletic director Mitch
New roster, new coach, newly renovated venue
Barnhart has ensured the seating will be closer to the court, and a proper student section has been added along the sideline, thus creating an environment that hasn’t been felt by visiting opponents in quite some time.
With the news spreading, fans are buying season tickets at an unbelievable rate, and there’s a true excitement in the air.
“I don’t know how good we’ll be in the beginning,” Brooks honestly said. “But I do know that we’ll make everyone proud, because we’re going to work really really hard and we’re going to progress.”
Already, we’ve seen Kentucky women’s volleyball thrive in the new coliseum, sweeping their first
weekend series in the debut and attracting fans to watch a top team in the nation.
The parking lots were full, and the vibe of the entire grand opening felt cinematic in a way that only a spectator could describe.
The culture around Kentucky sports, both men’s and women’s is one unlike any other. Wildcat fans show out, and they rarely disappoint when it comes to passionate and undivided support.
Now, there’s room for women’s sports to delete the casted shadow of men’s athletics, and prove once again how important they are to this school.
The fall now has two sites, Rupp Arena and now Historic Memorial Coliseum to electrify the
City of Lexington.
“Obviously, you know, this building, and the upgrades has really put us in the position to attract high level recruits,” Brooks said. “Along with the reputation of Kentucky, along with you know what we’ve done in the past as a coaching staff, so the sky’s the limit for us, and that’s something I wanted. I wanted that opportunity.”
This roster has received compliments and already received high expectations, but Brooks made sure we realized what “success” may actually look like.
“In this day and age of instant gratification, I think we all want it (success) fast,” said Brooks. “I think it's my job to mentor, my responsibility to teach these kids, and amend their shortcomings. I don’t want to put a number on it, I don’t want to put a destination on it, I just want them to get better every day.”
A roster that faces only two returners from last year's squad, Saniah Tyler and Cassidy Rowe, has room for learning, growth and potential, like Brooks alluded to.
“We went out and we went in the portal, and we didn't want to always get the best players, we wanted to get the right players,” said Brooks. “Players that can come in and represent this university and our program and help us start something special, and I think we did a really good job.”
Kentucky will debut for the first time inside Historic Memorial Coliseum on Friday, Oct. 18 for the annual Blue-White Preseason Event, set to start at 6 p.m. ET.
”This is a very exciting time for us,” Brooks said. “You can just smell basketball in the air.”
SYDNEY YONKER | STAFF
Kentucky guard Lexi Blue answers questions during the Kentucky women’s basketball media day on Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024, at Memorial Coliseum in Lexington, Kentucky.
MENTAL GAME: Otega Oweh brings grit and determination
By Tyler Russell sports@kykernel.com
Since the day he was born, Otega Oweh was manufactured off of mentality and grit.
Hailing from Newark, New Jersey, just shy of 700 miles from Lexington, Otega grew up playing baseball, football and basketball in the street with his two older brothers, Odafe, who is a linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens, and Irekefe Kaylen, who is a defensive back for the Monmouth Hawks at the NCAA Division-I level.
While being the youngest, Otega had to show that he could hang around with the older guys and compete, proving that he wasn’t just the little brother trying to be included.
“He would just watch what I would do, or what Kaylen would do and just try to emulate everything to be better,” Odafe said.
Athletically, everything came naturally to Otega, but like most Division-I athletes, there has to be a specific internal wiring that separates them from the rest. The ability to never take days off and always have the will to improve.
When that young, it’s hard for an athlete to find themself. It can be even harder to fit in and do extraordinary things, but for Otega, it was the opposite; the fear of being average scared him.
“He (Otega) has that drive just to go back, to get better, to do something different, to try something new,” his mother, Tania, said. “You know, that’s it, because there’s a drive.”
While Otega mastered that and continues to display it, he shines a light onto his early days and late nights on the streets with his brothers, crediting those moments as the reason he’s so hard-nosed and gritty on the court.
“That definitely gave me that kind of chip on my shoulder, just trying to
be crazy,” Otega said. “You don’t want to be last. Always fighting and always trying to be defensive.”
As time moved along, Otega began to ditch the other sports he would play with his brothers and ultimately chose to zone his focus onto basketball, playing pickup, AAU and ultimately, any chance that he could.
Then, when the AAU season breezed in, Otega’s coach approached his mother, elaborating the vision he had for her son and explained to her that he was a different breed. Even at a young age, he was there to win.
“His AAU coach approached me one day and said, ‘This dude reminds me of myself. He’s so like that, he’s got the dog in him,’” Tania said.
The arsenal of skills that Otega added to his inventory over the years of nonstop work equipped him with the tools to dominate at the high school level while playing for Blair Academy, a co-ed edu cational boarding school in Blairstown, New Jersey.
While in the Blair Acad emy threads, Otega made headlines, dropping double-digit points in every game except for two during the 2021-22 season. De spite the stel lar nature of his perfor mance, it wasn’t a sur prise to those who
know what Otega is all about.
In the off-season, Blair Academy Head Coach Joe Mantegna required all of his players to make at least 10,000 individual shots during the teams workouts before the official start of fall practices and, once the off-season workouts concluded, Mantegna and his staff tallied up the number of shots each player made. To no one’s surprise, Otega sank 30,000 of them with room on the calendar to spare.
Even with the large gap between what the coaching staff expected and what Otega did, Mantegna wasn’t shocked. He had realized he was different from the moment the two locked eyes.
“He was a guy that would come in and do extra work after he just scored 28 in a game,” Mantegna said. “He was just a relentless worker.”
The never-fading will to win rewarded Otega a fourstar ranking as he was labeled the No. 2 best player in the state of New Jersey courtesy of 247Sports. From there, it didn’t take long before he received his first Division-I offer from Nebraska.
Otega reflected on getting that phone call and how his motivation elevated to new heights in a time when most would get complacent and satisfied.
“I always believed but, obviously, when you're younger, you want to take that high major offer,” he said. “You want to play at one of the power-five schools and I got that. That was
really just what set the trend for me, just wanting to go upwards.”
As Otega finished up high school, he got an overwhelming amount of offers, but ultimately decided to take his talent to Norman, Oklahoma, to be an Oklahoma Sooner, where he spent two seasons playing in the Big12 Conference.
With the Sooners, Otega averaged 4.8 points his freshman season while starting in nine games. He played in 28 the following year and did what he does best; he overcame the difficult adjustment, averaging 11.4 points and starting in every game.
From there, Otega wanted something different and the path that he traveled growing up with his family led him to Mark Pope and the city streets of Lexington.
“I actually liked BYU, the great offense they played and stuff like that, so when Pope left to come to Kentucky, it was kind of like a no brainer,” Otega said. “Just being able to be around great players, it’s an NBA style offense.”
Coming into the new season with more left to prove, Otega is channeling that mindset that got him this far and is looking forward to this season more than ever.
“He’s just scratching the surface of who he’s really going to be, you guys have just seen the surface,” Odafe said. “I believe that he’s really going to have a breakout season.”
The will to win mentality that sprouted at such a young age and made Otega into the star he is isn’t just a part of who he used to be, but it’s who he is and forever will be. More importantly for Kentucky fans, it’s who he promises to be this basketball season.
“The teams that make it in March — and do well — don’t get complacent,” Oweh said. “They just always want to keep getting better.”
DUELING COLUMNS: Which
first-year
Kentucky basketball
coach will have the most success in
2024-25?
By Kai McClelland and Cole Parke sports@kykernel.com
MCCLELLAND:
Kentucky women’s basketball isn’t just bringing in a new head coach; they’re bringing in a proven winner who builds strong relationships with his players. This signals a promising future for the team and its fans.
Kenny Brooks has been coaching for 26 years, with two decades of experience as a head coach. He boasts a .717 winning percentage with 500 career wins.
When coaching at James Madison University, he led the Dukes to five CAA championships, earning him a spot in the JMU Athletics Hall of Fame.
He’s earned multiple CAA Coach of the Year awards, but that wasn’t enough for him.
He took his talents to Virginia Tech in 2016, taking the Hokies
to the Final Four in the NCAA Tournament and winning an ACC Championship in 2023.
Not only that, he coached seven WNBA draft picks, the highest picks ever in program history, took the Hokies to their first-ever 30win season, and coached his team to defeat eight ranked teams, a program record for a single season in 2023.
More than just numbers, it's the personal connections he forms with his players that truly define his coaching style. His relationships with Georgia Amoore and Clara Strack at Virginia Tech were so strong that they followed him to the University of Kentucky.
“It was a no brainer,” Amoore said when talking about her transfer decisions. “I know it took me a minute to make that decision, you know hop in the portal and follow him, but I mean I love him, I was never not gonna follow him if I transferred.”
PARKE:
Kentucky men’s basketball looks completely different this year compared to how it has in the last, say, 15 years.
It feels odd to say, even in retrospect, but John Calipari is no longer the head coach of the Kentucky Wildcats.
In his place, Mark Pope is the new man in charge.
Along with a new coaching staff, Pope was forced to start fresh and bring in a new Wildcat roster. When constructing it, Pope made sure not just to target the best players available, though he did get a few of those, but emphasized fit and culture with his Wildcats.
With this, the return to the “blue collar” identity of the Kentucky program may feel off to some youngsters, but it feels very familiar to the fans who were around pre-Calipari. Some may even say it’s what Kentucky was built on.
That’s not to say Kentucky doesn’t
still have its superstars, though. Jaxson Robinson forwent the NBA Draft last year for one more year of college ball and is regarded by most as a sure-fire future first round NBA Draft pick. Koby Brea is perhaps one of the best shooters in the country and was an extremely hot commodity in the transfer portal. Lamont Butler has NCAA Tournament National Championship experience with the San Diego State Aztecs.
While a team mostly composed of transfers has struggled to find success in the modern college basketball landscape, if one was to do it, it would be this Kentucky squad in year one.
This is not to take anything away from the roster Brooks has built for the women, but with injuries impacting that squad and the men’s team mixing star power with a refreshing mindset surrounding hard work, the sky is truly the limit for Pope and Co. in 2024.
MATTHEW MUELLER| STAFF
Kentucky Women’s Basketball Coach Kenny Brooks poses on the court at Big Blue Madness on Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky.
MATTHEW MUELLER| STAFF
Kentucky Men’s Basketball Coach Mark Pope poses on the court at Big Blue Madness.
ROSTER CHANGES
outgoing transfer to Arkansas
Tre Mitchell:
By Cole Parke sports@kykernel.com
MEN:
JOINING THE TEAM:
Otega Oweh:
incoming junior transfer from Oklahoma
Lamont Butler: incoming graduate transfer from San Diego State
Jaxson Robinson: incoming graduate transfer from BYU
Koby Brea: incoming graduate transfer from Dayton
Collin Chandler: freshman guard commit from Utah
Andrew Carr: incoming graduate transfer from Wake Forest
Trent Noah: freshman forward from Kentucky
Brandon Garrison: incoming sophomore transfer from Oklahoma State
Travis Perry: freshman guard from Kentucky
Ansley Almonor: incoming senior transfer from Fairleigh Dickinson
Zach Tow: junior forward from Kentucky
Amari Williams: incoming graduate transfer from Drexel
Kerr Kriisa: incoming senior transfer from West Virginia
LEAVING THE TEAM:
Rob Dillingham: drafted No. 8 in NBA draft by Minnesota Timberwolves
Justin Edwards: signed with Philadelphia 76ers
Aaron Bradshaw:
outgoing transfer to Ohio State
Adou Thiero:
signed with Lowen Braunschweig (Germany)
Antonio Reeves: drafted No. 47 in NBA draft by New Orleans Pelicans
Brennan Canada: graduated
Reed Sheppard: drafted No. 3 in NBA draft by Houston Rockets
Joey Hart: outgoing transfer to Ball State
D.J. Wagner:
outgoing transfer to Arkansas
Jordan Burks:
outgoing transfer to Georgetown
Kareem Watkins: outgoing transfer to Arkansas
Ugonna Onyenso:
outgoing transfer to Kansas State
Zvonimir Ivisic: outgoing transfer to Arkansas
WOMEN:
JOINING THE TEAM:
Jordan Obi:
incoming graduate transfer from Penn
Georgia Amoore: incoming graduate transfer from Virginia Tech
Lexi Blue:
freshman guard from Florida
Teonni Key: incoming junior transfer from North Carolina
Tanah Becker: freshman guard from Canada
Dazia Lawrence: incoming redshirt-senior transfer from Charlotte
Gabby Brooks: incoming sophomore transfer from Virginia Tech
Dominika Paurova: incoming sophomore transfer from Oregon State
Clara Strack: incoming sophomore transfer from Virginia Tech
Clara Silva: freshman center from Portugal
Amelia Hassett: incoming junior transfer from Eastern Florida State (JUCO)
LEAVING THE TEAM:
Brooklynn Miles: outgoing transfer to Pitt Jordy Griggs: outgoing transfer to Clemson
Eniya Russell:
outgoing transfer to Mississippi State
Ajae Petty: outgoing transfer to Ohio State Amiya Jenkins: outgoing transfer to Pitt Nyah Leveretter: outgoing transfer to Georgia
Maddie Scherr: outgoing transfer to TCU
Emma King: graduated Janae Walker: outgoing transfer to Rutgers
Women boast first WNBA talent since Rhyne Howard
By Jenna Lifshen sports@kykernel.com
In 2022, three-time All-American Rhyne Howard became the first Kentucky women’s basketball player to be drafted No. 1 overall in the WNBA draft and went on to be the 2022 Rookie of the Year. 2.5 years later, the Wildcats have a new projected first-round pick on the roster in senior transfer Georgia Amoore. The Virginia Tech legend and All-American was expected to forgo her final year of eligibility and enter her name in the 2024 WNBA draft, however, she opted to take her final season with her coach at Kentucky. Amoore, who has accumulated 14
conference honors and nine national honors during her career as a Hokie, is a beacon of hope for the team. Despite her small stature at only 5-foot6, she has shown remarkable skill, averaging 14.7 points and 5.2 assists at Tech while shooting 36.1% from 3-point range. ESPN’s current mock draft has Amoore going 12th overall to the Phoenix Mercury. With that in mind, her performance for Kentucky could have a massive contribution to her stock and even potentially put her into the top ten. With Georgia Amoore's potential, a new era of Kentucky women’s basketball is about to begin, and she is expected to lead the team with flying colors.
HOG WILD: Kentucky hosts Arkansas in Calipari-Pope duel
By Cole Parke sports@kykernel.com
In perhaps the most highly-touted of SEC matchups on Kentucky men’s basketball’s 2024-25 schedule, the Cats will host John Calipari and the Arkansas Razorbacks on Saturday, Feb. 1.
The game is a big one for UK fans, many of which remain bitter
after “Cal” suddenly departed the Wildcats and took the Arkansas job, leading to nearly the entire UK roster abandoning Lexington. Former Cats D.J. Wagner, Kareem Watkins, Zvonimir Ivisic and Adou Thiero also followed Calipari to Fayetteville, while commits Karter Knox, Boogie Fland and Billy Richmond also decommitted from UK and chose Arkansas.
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