Last month, Kenny Brooks took Kentucky to a place it hadn't been in nearly a decade: The Sweet 16. But that game ended badly, as one-seeded Texas was essentially playing on another planet. Things were looking good for the Cats and Coach Brooks moving forward, though, as 3 McDonald's All-Americans were on board in addition to a returning Clara Strack.
Now? Well, we've still got Clara Strack, and Meatloaf said 2 out of 3 ain't bad. But in a flash, Lexie Blue, Elsa Vadfors, and former McDonald's All-American Kaelyn Carroll have all hit the portal in less than a week.
Those three leaving is bad enough, but Kentucky already had five seniors depart (Amelia Hassett, Jordan Obi, Teonni Key, Tonie Morgan, and Josie Gilvin), and four of those five played sizable roles in the team's success this past go-around.
The Playing Time Problem
Now, the only returning players with any real experience are Clara Strack and Asia Boone. The only other name in that regard on the roster right now is Dominika Paurová, who has torn her ACL in back-to-back years. The cupboard is getting pretty bare, and playing time surely has something to do with it.
Even going back to his Virginia Tech days, Kenny Brooks didn't play a lot of freshman. He clearly prefers more experienced players who have been through the toughest battles, and that's a-okay. But you can't starve your young talent in the process.
Last season, the aforementioned Carroll got just 11 minutes of playing time, while Blue was given just 10. More interesting? In the NCAA Tournament, Blue never even checked in, and Carroll played 27 minutes in the Wildcats' three games. Numbers can be deceiving.
Carroll may not have been fully ready for the spotlight just yet, but she is a great talent and would have served an expanded role on next year's team. Now, the answer must come from the transfer portal in her wake.
Coach Brooks' Potential Targets
For the time, BBN, we don't have many clear-cut answers yet. Although, Kentucky Sports Radio provided two names for fans watch in the portal's early stages.: Sunaja Agara and Ilse De Vries. Agara is a six-foot-two forward who earned All- 2nd team ACC honors last year, and De Vries is a Norwegian native who played at Miami (OH) this past season, averaging a respectable 12 points per game.
Either way, the portal is loaded with top-tier players (like Jordan Lee of Texas), but whatever Kenny Brooks is doing in the portal, he's keeping it close to his chest. I do know it has to be massive, though, as Kentucky has just seven players right now, including their three freshmen. That's barely enough to run a practice, and you can forget scrimmaging.
But looking at the minutes Carroll and Blue played, you can't really blame any of them, or anyone else, for going. If it isn't freshman that are going to play for Brooks, given the team's current makeup, the question simply becomes: Who will?