SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TIPOFF MEDIA DAYS

October 14, 2026

Kenny Brooks

Kentucky Wildcats

Women's Media Day Press Conference

KENNY BROOKS: It's a pleasure to be here. Obviously going on year three with a little bit of understanding of the SEC. This is why we came here, to be amongst the best.

The first two years has proven that we can compete. We're just glad to be able to contribute to what I think is the best conference in the country.

We're looking to build off of that. We have a great group of young ladies this year that are doing their best to work together to build that chemistry. This day and I age is a little bit different. When you only have three returners, I think the biggest key for us is going to be chemistry and how fast we can get that together.

We look forward to it. We got a great group. They work extremely hard. We have a lot of talent, probably as much talent as I've had on my teams in my 24 years. We're looking forward to what we can do this year amongst the SEC opponents.

Q. Last season was the first time that Kentucky made it to the Sweet 16 in over a decade. What were some of the key components to that that you can bring into this season?

KENNY BROOKS: I thought the way we overcame adversity. I think in this league, you're going to face it. It's not only if you're going to face it, it's how you're going to deal with it.

We had a really strong start to SEC play. We had injuries. We had to reinvent ourselves right in the middle of the season. Then we had to reinvent ourselves again once we got our key player back.

The resilience that the team showed, their ability to play together, they were really unselfish, celebrating each other's successes. I think it really helped us build a foundation of winning. We really got on a run at the end of the year, which was really good. We look to carry that over. We have some players returning from last year's team, key players returning. They're using that experience as leadership for this year's group. Hopefully we can take another step forward.

Q. The number of 21 seasons that you have, tougher to get to that number each year?

KENNY BROOKS: I don't even look at that number until it happens (smiling).

Obviously you deal with everything. It is a remarkable stat. It just goes to show you you've had wonderful people around you, whether it's your coaches or the players. You continue to build on that, work really hard and play every game like it's the last one, good things will happen.

When you sit back and look at it, it is remarkable and something you want to continue upon.

Q. How has Savvy Swords' transition to the college game been so far in the summer? How do you see her role filling out in the rotation as a freshman?

KENNY BROOKS: Her transition has been so smooth it doesn't even look like a transition. It looks like she's been doing it for a very, very long time.

She's a very mature player physically and mentally. You watch her, she goes out there, she's played multiple positions for us this summer, actually this fall. It's been seamless transition.

She knows the two spot as well as she knows the three spot, the four spot. We can even throw her in at the five. Her versatility gives us something, it's a coach's dream.

From the mental aspect of it, she is a freshman, but she plays well beyond her years. I think a lot of that is attributed to the fact that she comes from a basketball family. Her father is the head coach for the G League Nets affiliation. Her sister obviously is an All-American. She's played at a high level on the national team for years.

Everything that she does out there, we just marvel at. I think she's well beyond her years. I think she's going to be a major contributor for us.

Q. What was the philosophy in constructing your roster this year?

KENNY BROOKS: Yeah, it was very intentional. We wanted to make sure we put people around that we felt like could, so to speak, protect Clara Strack. Clara commands a lot of double teams. She is one of the best centers in the country, in my opinion. We wanted to make sure we put people around her that would spread the floor.

We went out and we got even more shooting. Ajsa Sivka is a person that can spread the floor. Me'Arah O'Neal is a player that can spread the floor. All three of the freshmen coming in had the ability to spread the floor.

It was very intentional. We didn't just go after anyone in the portal or recruiting. It was very intentional. We wanted to put players around.

As we construct the team, put the puzzle together, it started -- the centerpiece is Clara. We wanted to make sure we put people around her that could contribute and that would go and be a really good asset to her. We can feed off of that. I think that will make us a really good basketball team.

Q. Obviously no more Tonie Morgan, but you bring in a point guard in Diana Collins from Alabama. How do you see her fitting into your program?

KENNY BROOKS: Diana is going to bring experience. You look at it, she's not Tonie, but Tonie wasn't Georgia. They all had their personalities, spin on what we're going to be able to do.

Tonie did a marvelous job following behind Georgia Amoore, who I had for so many years. Now Diana is coming in and bringing her own flair to it.

What we love about Diana is she's experienced. Last year she had a really good year, had a great NCAA run last year. I think she had double figures in both games.

We're going to rely on that experience. We have very young talent who is going to contribute to us. We understand that. You can't overlook her experience and what she brings. She's going to be right in the mix. She's running with the first team. She's doing a lot of different things for us.

But her experience and her knowledge is very valuable to this group right now. We really appreciate her.

Q. How does Clara become the National Player of the Year?

KENNY BROOKS: Just continue to be Clara Strack. If you ask Clara, that's not a goal of hers. She just wants to go out and win. I've never seen a more competitive kid. She could care less about her stats and what's going on. She reluctantly is doing some of the stuff we asked her to do as far as the campaign. Just shows you the type of player she is. She's very competitive. She's getting better.

I think one of the things that she's done this year that we've needed desperately is her leadership. She's looked at it, she's learned from Georgia Amoore, Teonni Key. Now she knows it's her turn to step up and be that leader.

I've been very impressed with the way she's done it. As she tried to do it a couple years ago, probably wasn't ready. One of the things that I had to understand is Clara is still young. She's still 20 years old. We put a lot on her shoulders. She had to try to be a little bit older than expected at an early age.

Now she understands how to get to her teammates, how to coach them through certain scenarios, where a couple years ago she might have been barking at them because she didn't understand why they weren't playing as hard as she was.

But that's been the biggest maturation for her this year, is her leadership qualities.

Q. What does it say about your program that you're one of only two in the country that have three McDonald's All-Americans in your freshman class?

KENNY BROOKS: I think it's proven me right why I wanted to come here. I obviously wanted to come to piggyback off of the brand, the Kentucky brand. When you think about Kentucky, you think about basketball, although Will Stein has done a good job of making us think about football right now.

That's why I wanted to come here. I felt it would be a great attraction for a lot of players a lot of high-level players, that could you consistently get to the phone.

Then I think we have a great product to sell. We have great facilities. Lexington is a wonderful place to go to college. We start bringing in the right type of people.

I think we set the foundation early by getting Georgia Amoore and Clara Strack to come over with us. Showed what type of program we can be.

We have great assistant coaches who go out there and recruit, identify players that we want to get. Just got the ball rolling with Maddyn Greenway and her commitment. Opened a lot of people's eyes to what they place can be. We've just taken it from there.

Q. You're entering your third season at Kentucky. Obviously get to the Sweet 16 last year. From your vantage point, what does it to take to continue to elevate?

KENNY BROOKS: I think you have to continue to go out and great players. You have to get great players that fit what you want to do. This league is tough. Every night, regardless of what the standings say where the teams are, it's going to be a fight. We understand that now. We know that now.

You learn how to prepare for that. Obviously we have the talent that I feel like we can go out and compete. Now we just need to put it together. The chemistry has to be there. You have to stay healthy. You have to stay healthy.

This league is very unforgiving. Unless you have a roster full of players of the same caliber, you can't afford those injuries. It's something that we're very conscious about.

Having two years under your belt with the understanding of the lay of the land in the SEC, how it is. We're still learning, but we have a better understanding of what it is. I think we're better equipped to go after it.

Q. How much more coaching is it year-round proposition now than when you started?

KENNY BROOKS: The year-round, it's tough. It really is. I know a lot of people may disagree. Sometimes you just need a break. Obviously with the evolution of NIL, the evolution of the game, we want to continue to make sure that the United States basketball is better than international basketball. We want to have that access to them.

It's something that you just have to balance, in my opinion, because the kids, you want to make sure they're healthy. Sometimes in the spring and summer is a great time to allow kids to rest, to regroup, recalibrate what's going on.

I think each and every coach will approach it differently. We'll look at it. We'll make sure we have the balance as we go forward to make sure what's in the best interest of the kids, their health. In the meantime taking advantage of opportunities so we can get better.

Q. Asia Boone and Amelia Hassett traded back and forth on the single-season three-point record last year. Do you expect Asia to, with the second year in your system, break that record, keep it for herself this year?

KENNY BROOKS: I think she definitely has the capabilities. That was one of the most remarkable scenes that I saw play out last year. They were both approaching 100. I think they both broke it in the same game. I think Asia Boone broke the record and was actually in the lead. Before the game was over, she assisted Amelia in the shot that put her back in the lead.

That shows how unselfish each and every one of them are. When Asia passed the ball to Amelia that broke her record or surpassed her, she was the happiest person on the floor.

That just shows you who AB is. She's a tremendous shooter. With the people we have, the play-makers we have, it's going to be a little bit different.

Whether she breaks the record or not, I think she's definitely going to be approaching it, which is going to be valuable for us. Everyone is going to have to guard her because she can get hot, she has the capability of making six, seven, eight in a game. That's a valuable asset for us. I think she has that capability.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you very much, coach.

KENNY BROOKS: Thank you, guys.