To say Kenny Brooks had a successful rookie season as the coach of Kentucky's women's basketball is an understatement. Brooks has been credited with reviving a program that had struggled mightily in recent years, and he's also the coach who saw Georgia Amoore through her collegiate season and into the WNBA.
So perhaps it's no surprise that Brooks has huge plans for the 2025-26 season. "We will not stop until we become national champions," he told attendees at the 2025 Big Blue Madness preseason event in Kentucky this week.
Kentucky managed to trounce rivals Louisville as well as Illinois, Alabama, and Oklahoma last season, and entered March Madness as the No. 4 seed, which allowed the team to host two rounds at home in Lexington.
Sights and sounds from the Kentucky women's basketball Big Blue Madness. pic.twitter.com/xtjDF30E3v
— Wildcat Blue Nation (@WildcatBlueNatn) October 11, 2025
When it comes to executing that plan, Brooks has got the experience to back up what he's saying. He was hired into the program from Virginia Tech, and he led that program to the Final Four in 2023.
Kentucky has a few new 3-point queens
The team will rely on the experience of junior guard Asia Boone to help see Brooks' plans through to the end, as well as the power of senior Amelia Hassett, something that was fully on display when the duo squared off during a 3-point contest held at the same event.
While Boone managed to rack up 15 points in the contest's final round, Hassett hit a massive 25 points, which marked her as the clear winner in the end.
While speaking to Kentucky Sports Radio at the event, Boone heaped praise on Brooks and appeared to strongly indicate fans should be preparing for a very exciting season of Wildcats basketball. Brooks is "an amazing coach" that "wants to challenge me," she explained, something that will grow her own game and enhance that of the team.
Boone also insisted Brooks knows "my potential better than I do" and that helps her feel that no matter what, she's right where she is supposed to be.
Kenny Brooks has been recruiting heavily for 2026
This week the program also announced that Brooks recruited Emily McDonald for the 2026 class. The 5'11" guard goes to high school in New York, and will join five-star recruits Maddyn Greenway and Savvy Swords. The trio is expected to build strongly on Brooks' plans for his second season with the Wildcats, and Kentucky's women's basketball program currently boasts the top 2026 recruiting class in the country.