Kenny Brooks addresses reports linking him to Kentucky head coaching job

On Thursday, ahead of the NCAA Tournament, Virginia Tech women’s head coach Kenny Brooks commented on reports that he could be a candidate for the open job at Kentucky.

KSR’s Matt Jones noted yesterday that Brooks is being legitimately considered for the position. He wrote on Twitter:

“Hearing that UK is looking at 3-4 candidates for the Women’s Basketball job. The only candidate I can confirm is Virginia Tech’s Kenny Brooks, who I believe has interviewed in last couple of days.”

The next day at media availability, Brooks was asked about the situation and that a “Kentucky radio host” reported on Twitter he was a strong candidate at Kentucky and had interviewed for the job. Here was Brooks’ answer in full to that suggestion:

“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 and we’re going to go out here and Marshall is the only thing on my mind other than the Hokes.”

If you’re a VT fan looking for a denial, this certainly isn’t one. Brooks doesn’t say that he’s not considering the job nor refutes the idea he could leave Virginia Tech after the season.

Brooks currently has the Hokies as a 4-seed in the NCAA Tournament, entering the big dance with a 24-7 record. However, as Jones reports, it seems as though the Wildcats are still keeping their options open during the early stages of their search.

Still, Kentucky hasn’t been able to maintain the same consistency it had under former head coach Matthew Mitchell, the winningest coach in Kentucky WBB history, as four years under Elzy’s guide, Kentucky recorded just a 61-60 record, making the NCAA Tournament in just two out of those four seasons.

For Brooks, he had amassed an impressive 179-81 record (.688) since becoming Hokies head coach in 2016. Before he was coaching in Blacksburg, Brooks was head coach at his alma mater, James Madison from 2003 until leaving for Virginia Tech in 2016.

On3’s Barkley Truax contributed to this story