Kentucky targeting Virginia Tech's Kenny Brooks as next women's basketball coach

Kentucky has undergone a national search over the past weeks for their next women’s basketball coach after moving on from Kyra Elzy. Now, it looks as though the Wildcats have targeted who they’re officially looking to hire for the job.

According to Matt Jones of Kentucky Sports Radio, Virginia Tech’s Kenny Brooks is the leading candidate in Lexington. He reported that the athletics department has already made an official offer to Brooks. It is now his decision on whether he’ll take it or remain with the Hokies in Blacksburg.

Sources tell KSR that Kentucky is targeting Virginia Tech’s Kenny Brooks to be its next Women’s Basketball Coach. An offer has been made and the question now is only if he accepts

— Matt Jones (@KySportsRadio) March 26, 2024

“Sources tell KSR that Kentucky is targeting Virginia Tech’s Kenny Brooks to be its next Women’s Basketball Coach,” Jones wrote on Twitter. “An offer has been made and the question now is only if he accepts.”

Jones previously reported that Brooks had interviewed for the job last week. With his team focusing on the NCAA Tournament at that time, though, he responded to those rumors how he saw fit at the time to keep their attention on the postseason.

“That’s why I’m not on Twitter anymore. I still have my account but I don’t, I don’t do it. Like, right now, there is a lot of speculation and talking and whatever,” Brooks said. “Obviously, if you have success people are interested. But, again, my focus is what we’re doing right now, how we’re doing it. My kids are the most important thing to me.

“I have not heard that or the radio host or whoever you’re talking about but, right now, I’m about to go to practice,” said Brooks. “We’re going to go out here and Marshall is the only thing on my mind other than the Hokes.”

Brooks has spent the past eight seasons at Virginia Tech after 14 seasons at James Madison. In total, he boasts a career record of 517-204 (.717) with the Hokies and Dukes since 2002.

Brooks has 11 conference championships on his resumé. Nine, five conference tournaments and four regular-season crowns, were in Harrisonburg and two, one of each, came in Blacksburg. He has led those programs to 10 berths in the NCAA Tournament with six at James Madison and four at Virginia Tech.

While with the Dukes, Brooks only got out of the first round once. He never made it out of the first weekend of March Madness in his decade and a half there. However, over four consecutive berths for the Hokies, he has gone to a Final Four after getting them there last year. That run then came to an end against the eventual national champions in LSU.

After going 31-5, their best finish in program history, en route to an appearance in Dallas in ’22-’23, Virginia Tech went 25-8 in ’23-’24. That season came to an end against No. 5 Baylor on Sunday in a 75-72 loss inside Cassell Coliseum. The ceiling for the fourth-seeded Hokies took a hit with the loss of Elizabeth Kitley in their final regular-season game. That led to the Bears bouncing them out of the postseason on their home floor in the second round.

As for Kentucky, they’ve gone 61-60 over the past four years under Elzy after she took over swiftly for Matthew Mitchell. Her tenure featured one title in the SEC Tournament and a pair of appearances in the NCAA Tournament. However, the past two seasons did not go well with them posting a record of 24-39. After her firing March 11th, several players from the roster have since entered the transfer portal.

It remains to be seen what kind of interest that Brooks would have in leaving Virginia Tech. As of now, though, a genuine offer looks to at the very least be on the table for him from the Wildcats to come to the Kentucky if he so chooses.