'I swore when she started crying it was blue tears.' Cassidy Rowe's pride in Kentucky sold Kenny Brooks

On a team full of brand new faces across the board, Cassidy Rowe was one of just two returners from last year’s squad, with the other being Saniah Tyler. Of course, for Rowe, playing for Kentucky has an extra level of significance to it because she grew up in the mountains of eastern Kentucky, specifically in Virgie.

When Kenny Brooks came in, he had to make decisions on who he wanted or didn’t want on his team. Of course, a lot of the players from last year were already in the portal, but Brooks met with players individually (even those who were in the portal), and he had the ability to either encourage players to stay in the portal or to encourage already rostered players to transfer elsewhere.

However, when he met with Rowe, he knew he wanted her to return to Kentucky for a junior season. Not necessarily because of her on-the-court production, but because of the pride she takes in this program.

“Cassidy,” Brooks said. “I tell the story a lot, when I met with each and every player from last year’s team, some of them were already in the portal, and Cassidy, when she started talking about her experiences here, I swore when she started crying it was blue tears, and I’m like, man, this kid had me — she had me at hello just because she knew how much she loved Kentucky.”

He added, “She stuttered and stammered a little bit, and that was enough for me. It was just everything. She cried.”

Brooks also pointed out that bringing Rowe back was ultimately a great decision, not only because of her desire to be a Cat, but also because of how she has performed in practice thus far.

“She’s been great here. What she may lack in height or anything else, she makes up
for it with her pride of Kentucky. She’s been a big plus for us. She’s been great in practice. She’s been very communicative. She’s talking.”

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