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A RESOLUTION honoring University of Kentucky Women's Basketball Coach 1
Kenny Brooks, the 2025 Sporting News National Women's Coach of the Year. 2
WHEREAS, a native of Waynesboro, Virginia, Kenny Brooks played college 3
basketball at James Madison University and, after graduation, embarked on a successful 4
career as a women's college basketball coach; and 5
WHEREAS, Kenny Brooks was the Head Women's Basketball Coach at James 6
Madison University from 2002 to 2016. In 14 seasons, his teams won 337 games and 7
appeared in five National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) tournaments; and 8
WHEREAS, in 2016, Kenny Brooks became the head coach at Virginia Tech, 9
where, in eight seasons, his teams won 68 percent of their games and advanced to the 10
2023 NCAA Final Four, becoming the first Hokies team to ever advance past the third 11
round of the NCAA tournament; and 12
WHEREAS, on March 26, 2024, Kenny Brooks accepted the position of Head 13
Women's Basketball Coach at the University of Kentucky (UK), becoming the program's 14
ninth head coach during the modern era; and 15
WHEREAS, inheriting a squad that had won only 50 percent of its games over the 16
previous four seasons, Kenny Brooks faced a daunting task in turning the Wildcats' 17
fortunes around, with the team picked to finished eighth in the Southeastern Conference 18
(SEC); and 19
WHEREAS, this season, Kenny Brooks' Wildcats posted a record of 22 wins and 7 20
losses overall, including an 11-5 mark in SEC play, good for fourth place in the league. 21
Those 22 victories are the most Kentucky has had since the 2019-20 campaign; and 22
WHEREAS, the Wildcats had their largest improvement in SEC regular-season 23
action from the previous season in program history, winning seven more games than in 24
2024; and 25
WHEREAS, the Wildcats were led by SEC Newcomer of the Year Georgia 26
Amoore, a first team All-SEC and second team All-American selection who averaged 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 25 RS BR 2068
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19.6 points per game, and SEC Defensive Player of the Year Clara Strack, who blocked 1
73 shots during the season; and 2
WHEREAS, the Wildcats received a four seed in the 2025 NCAA Tournament, and 3
although the team lost a dramatic overcome battle to Kansas State University and missed 4
out on making the second weekend of the tournament, the prospects for the Wildcats in 5
the future are bright under Coach Brooks; 6
NOW, THEREFORE, 7
Be it resolved by the Senate of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of 8
Kentucky: 9
Section 1. The members of the Senate join Senator Reginald Thomas in 10
recognizing University of Kentucky Women's Basketball Coach Kenny Brooks upon the 11
occasion of his being named National Women's Coach of the Year by The Sporting 12
News, congratulating the team on an outstanding season, and wishing Coach Brooks and 13
everyone involved with the team good fortune in all future endeavors. 14
Section 2. The Clerk of the Senate shall transmit a copy of this Resolution to 15
Senator Reginald Thomas for presentation to Coach Kenny Brooks. 16