VT coach heads to Kentucky
Brooks posted 180-82 record in Blacksburg
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kentucky hired Kenny Brooks as women’s basketball coach after a successful tenure with Virginia Tech highlighted by the ACC regular-season championship a year after winning the tournament title and reaching its first Final Four.
The school announced Brooks’ hiring on Tuesday afternoon, hours after Virginia Tech said he would leave the program. Kentucky will introduce Brooks as its ninth coach on Thursday afternoon.
Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart said in a statement the school was “extremely excited” to bring Brooks aboard and cited his past success developing players at James Madison and Virginia Tech while guiding both programs to success.
Brooks thanked Virginia Tech “for the most joyful journey” of his coaching career and expressed excitement in coming to Kentucky and competing in the Southeastern Conference.
“I don’t plan on wasting any time building a positive atmosphere, winning environment and a persistent program that Big Blue Nation can be proud of,” Brooks said.
Brooks will follow Kyra Elzy at Kentucky. She was fired March 11 after consecutive losing seasons since winning the school’s first SEC Tournament title since 1982.
The Waynesboro, Virginia, native went 180-82 with at least 20 wins in seven of his eight seasons in Blacksburg, leading the Hokies to their first ACC Tournament title last year before winning the 2024 regular-season title. Virginia Tech won a school-record 31 games last season on the way to its Final Four appearance before falling to eventual national champion LSU in the semifinals.
The Hokies (25-7) were seeded fourth in their fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament and reached the second round before falling 75-72 to No. 5 seed Baylor on Sunday. They played the ACC and NCAA tournaments without All-American center Elizabeth Kitley, who tore her ACL in the regular-season finale.