Kenny Brooks has been to the Final Four before, and he's also developed James Madison into a perennial NCAA Tournament team. But the Kentucky women's basketball coach believes this upcoming year may set a new bar for both his own career and Kentucky's program.
Speaking to the Courier Journal, Brooks said, "We're gonna have a really good balance...I think everyone is capable of knocking down 3-point shots... This will probably be the best 3-point shooting team, and it's not just the guards that can shoot them; our post players can shoot them."
That kind of versatility is rare, and it's the exact sort of style that also what made Kentucky a Sweet 16 team last year. Especially when Amelia Hassett would step out of the paint and splash triples, Kentucky's offense became nearly unstoppable.
Looking at the roster, Brooks looks to be onto something.
A Roster Loaded With Scoring Talent
Losing Kaelyn Carroll sucked, sure. A former McDonald's All-American who could come back and develop is not an opportunity that prevents itself every offseason. Seeing her leave via the portal was a blow, but there are four more McDonald's All-Americans ready to take her place in Lexington.
Emily McDonald, Saavy Swords, and Maddyn Greenway are all freshmen who played in the McDonald's game last year, and Ayanna Patterson is a McDonald's All-American who joined Kentucky from the transfer portal. The roster, top to bottom:
• Saavy Swords (F)
• Ajša Sivka (F)
• Asia Boone (G)
• Gabby Brooks (G)
• Dominika Paurová (G)
• Clara Strack (C)
• Diana Collins (C)
• Maddyn Greenway (G)
• Ayanna Patterson (F)
• Me'Arah O'Neal (F) • Emily McDonald (G)
Asia Boone was in a battle all of this past season with Amelia Hassett as both kept breaking the record number of threes for Kentucky. Ultimately, Hassett ended up taking the title, but Boone drilled 96 triples in the process. Paurova, Strack, and Collins have all had success on the perimeter, too, and Me'Arah O'Neal is a 6-foot-4 forward who nailed 38% of her three-point attempts last year.
Emily McDonald won the three-point contest at the McDonald's Slam Fest ahead of the All-Star game, defeating all the other women before knocking off Jason Crowe Jr. in the overall title match.
In simpler terms, these Cats can shoot it. And we all know how much Kentucky loves seeing those Big Blue Booms rain in from deep. Brooks added, "It would probably be the best shooting team I've ever coached in my life."
If this team is better than his Virginia Tech squad that nearly won a national championship, Kentucky hoops is in for a heck of a year at Memorial Coliseum.
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