Some farewells are expected. A player exhausts eligibility, a coach takes another job, a senior walks off the court for the last time with tears in their eyes. But some goodbyes don’t feel right. Some feel forced, unnatural—like a song cutting out before the final note, or The Soprano's finale.
Cassidy Rowe’s goodbye wasn’t supposed to happen yet, and definitely not this way.
Rowe, the Kentucky kid who embodied everything it meant to wear blue and white, is ending her basketball career early. Not because she wanted to. Not because her body failed her. But because, if reports are true, she was asked to transfer.
And she refused.
Cassidy Rowe loved Kentucky too much to wear another jersey. And because of that, she will never play her senior season.
The Heart of a Wildcat
Cassidy Rowe wasn’t a star on the stat sheet. She didn’t fill highlight reels or lead scoring columns. But she was the heartbeat of Kentucky women’s basketball—a leader, a mentor, a Wildcat to the core.
She stayed long after games to sign autographs and take pictures with young girls dreaming of wearing Kentucky blue one day. She fought through two ACL tears to make it onto the court in the first place. She was the kind of player who made a program stronger, even if she wasn’t filling up the scoreboard.
She wasn’t just part of the team. She was part of BBN’s soul.
And now, she’s gone.
“I wanted nothing more than to play my senior year in a Kentucky uniform,” Rowe wrote in her farewell post. “But I know that God has bigger and better plans for me. Sometimes ‘no’ is God’s way of preventing us from greater heartbreak.”
She will not enter the transfer portal. Instead, she will pursue a Doctorate of Physical Therapy at Kentucky, trading in her jersey for a new dream.
But fans aren’t focused on her next chapter. They’re focused on why she had to write it now.
Kenny Brooks’ First Controversy
When Kenny Brooks was introduced as Kentucky’s head coach, he spoke about how much this program meant to him. How honored he was to lead it. He even singled out Cassidy Rowe, calling her the type of player who “bled blue tears.”
He said he was compelled to keep her on the roster after meeting with her.
And yet, somewhere along the way, he changed his mind.
Reports from various sources including Pheonix Stevens of KSR suggest Rowe was asked to leave. Maybe it was about roster space. Maybe it was about talent. Maybe it was just a tough business decision in a sport that doesn’t allow for many sentimental ones.
But this is Kentucky.
And some players aren’t just names on a roster. Some players mean more.
For a fanbase already mourning two tournament exits, this hit hard. On social media, frustration boiled over.
"Was a huge Kenny Brooks fan until this. Cassidy Rowe gave so much to that program even held it together at times…. Shows he doesn’t get it. Really poor decision on his part." one fan wrote.
"Always cheered extra hard for Cassidy Rowe because she’s from my neck of the woods, & I know her parents. Played softball at Pikeville College with her mama, Susan. If Kenny Brooks asked Cass to transfer her SENIOR year, I’m done with him!Messed with the wrong fans" another wrote.
One user even put together a collage of comments, none showing love to Kenny Brooks.
Winning games is one thing. Winning hearts is another.
Right now, Brooks has plenty of the first but may have lost the second.
A Father’s Words, A Daughter’s Grace
Earlier this year, we spoke to Cassidy’s father about her journey. About her faith, her fight, her love for Kentucky. To read that full interview click here.
“We talked and agreed that God always has a plan.”
That plan, it seems, no longer includes basketball.
And yet, Cassidy isn’t bitter, not in her words.
"Younger me would be crushed that our basketball career is over, but she also wouldn’t believe all of the things we’ve accomplished. I know she is proud."
Cassidy Rowe was special on the court. She is even more so off of it.
A Fanbase Waiting for Answers
College basketball is always changing. Players transfer. Coaches make decisions that don’t always make sense from the outside.
But losing Cassidy Rowe like this?
It feels wrong.
Kenny Brooks has a chance to make his mark at Kentucky. He has the chance to build a program that competes for championships. But he has to understand what this fanbase values.
And right now, BBN is struggling to understand him.
Maybe time will heal this wound. Maybe winning will make people forget.
But for now, Brooks has some explaining to do. BBN is demanding answers.
Because Cassidy Rowe didn’t leave Kentucky.
Kentucky left her.
Cassidy closed her comments with a verse, and this article will do the same. John 13:7 says Jesus replied,“You don’t understand now why I am doing it; some day you will.” (TLB)
Stick to WBN for all the transfer portal news as it breaks.