Kentucky women's basketball team dismisses forward Zennia Thomas

zennia-thomas-indefinite-suuspension-kentucky-wbb — Photo by UK Athletics

The Kentucky women’s basketball program has announced the dismissal of sophomore forward Zennia Thomas, doing so with a press release on Tuesday night.

Thomas had played in seven games this season with one start, averaging 2.0 points and 1.7 rebounds per contest.

“We hold our players to a high standard at Kentucky,” head coach Kyra Elzy said in the press release. “Unfortunately, when someone does not consistently meet those standards, I have to make the tough decision to dismiss them from the program. We wish Zennia (Thomas) and her family nothing but the best moving forward.”

Before her dismissal on Tuesday, Thomas had been suspended indefinitely in November for “disciplinary matters.” Kentucky has gone 6-3 since Thomas’ suspension was put into place.

Zennia Thomas played in 10 games as a freshman during the 2022-23 season. During those 10 games she averaged 0.9 points and 0.7 rebounds.

Kentucky is currently 8-8 on the season but has gone 8-2 at home. The Wildcats are 1-1 in conference play, having beaten Arkansas but lost to Tennessee.

Kentucky seeking answers on the court

Kentucky is looking to bounce back from the loss to Tennessee, and one factor that Elzy pointed to as a factor in it was the team’s youth.

“In order to be the best, you have to play the best,” Elzy said on the Kyra Elzy Show. “This is a young team and we will take any win that we can get. Wins are hard to come by in the SEC.”

Of course, Kentucky has found wins hard to come by, as evidenced by the .500 record so far this season. That will have to change if the Wildcats hope to have the kind of season they had hoped for.

Elzy did point to one thing she’d like to see the team work on.

“When we extend our defense and deny the ball outside the NBA line, now we’re rotating and they’re in the paint, or we’re not playing proper post position,” Elzy said regarding defensive issues the ‘Cats need to work on.

Kentucky will return to action on Thursday, Jan. 11 with a home date against Vanderbilt.