Kenny Brooks hires Josh Petersen as Kentucky WBB assistant coach

Kenny Brooks‘ first coaching staff in Lexington is nearing completion.

On Thursday morning, Brooks announced that he has hired Josh Petersen as an assistant coach of Kentucky women’s basketball. Petersen comes over from Miami (FL) where he spent the last two seasons as an assistant with the Hurricanes, including the program’s Elite 8 appearance in 2023.

“I can’t express how excited I am to learn from one of the most admired and respected coaches in the game, Kenny Brooks,” Petersen said in UK’s press release. “To be on this staff and at the University of Kentucky is an absolute dream. The team of coaches and support staff he is putting together is topnotch. I’m proud to have the opportunity to call them my peers, and I look forward to what we will accomplish together. I know that there are exciting times ahead, and I can’t wait to get started.”

Petersen has been an assistant coach at the Power 5 level since 2019. He served four seasons as an assistant at Pittsburgh before making the jump to Miami (FL).

Welcome to Lexington, Coach P!@Bball_CoachP 📲https://t.co/9p1Q4webVH pic.twitter.com/C6geGhwyKp

— Kentucky Women’s Basketball (@KentuckyWBB) April 18, 2024

A native of Texas, Petersen moved to Florida ahead of his senior year of high school. He went on to attend Florida State in college, earning a bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance in 2012 and his master’s degree in sports management in the spring of 2014.

During his time with the Seminoles, Petersen served as the head manager from 2008-12 before taking over a graduate assistant role from 2012-14. His first big break came at UNC Asheville, where he spent four seasons (2015-18) as an assistant. Petersen oversaw two NCAA Tournament appearances for the Bulldogs and helped develop 2016 Big South Player of the Year Chatori Major.

Petersen is best known for quickly improving Pittsburgh’s rebounding. The Panthers went from dead-last in the ACC in offensive rebounds to first by the end of this tenure. At Miami (FL), he was the primary coach for post players. The Hurricanes went from ranking 11th and 13th in defensive and offensive rebounding, respectively, in 2021-22 to fifth in both areas the following season in Petersen’s first year.

Along with Petersen, Brooks now has four full-time assistant coaches on board for 2024-25. Associate head coach Lindsey Hicks, assistant coach & recruiting coordinator Radvile Autukaite, and special assistant and chief of staff Tim Clark make up the rest of Brooks’ staff.