Dazia Lawrence 'has been very valuable' in Kenny Brooks' system

When Kenny Brooks made the move to Kentucky, it was inevitable that he’d bring over some of his roster he had at Virginia Tech, and when Georgia Amoore withdrew her name from the WNBA Draft and entered the transfer portal, it was clear she was a ‘Cat.

So, when Dazia Lawrence also decided to transfer to Kentucky, that raised some questions. Both Amoore and Lawrence are both point guards. Was one supposed to start and the other come off the bench? Well, they’re both too talented to not start, but there was no way that Brooks was going to move his “mini-me” out of position. That meant it was time for Lawrence to learn the two-spot.

Lawrence averaged 18.2 points per game last season at Charlotte. She clearly has a knack for scoring the ball, and that (on paper) makes her the perfect player to play alongside Amoore in the backcourt. After all, if Amoore, a typically pass-first guard, is going to pass the ball, then she needs someone like Lawrence to be there to knock down the shot off the dish.

Brooks talked about how well Lawrence has been meshing with Amoore at SEC Media Day.

“Dazia Lawrence, we knew she was going to be special to us,” Brooks said. “Obviously, with her experience playing in different conferences, the University of Charlotte. She hasn’t disappointed.”

He added, “Her leadership, her experience has been very valuable to us. If anything, we’ve had to tell her to be a little bit more aggressive because she fits exactly what we needed in that spot. Especially with the injuries that we’ve had. She’s willing to step up. She’s becoming more and more comfortable in her role as a leader on a team that she didn’t know.”

Amoore and Lawrence should be one of the most experienced backcourts in the country. They should also be one of the best duos as a whole in the country as well.

“I’m very excited about her productivity,” Brooks explained. “Her and Georgia combined, it has to be — please somebody check, double-check, they have to be the oldest backcourt in the country. Both of them are 23 years old. That’s going to benefit us very well, especially in a conference like this where there’s so many talented players. They’ll be able to be our calm within a storm.”

“Dazia has done a tremendous job for us,” Brooks noted. “I’m very proud of her.”