Kentucky WBB Cassidy Rowe's expectations for the 2024-25 season

On Tuesday, Kentucky Women’s Basketball held its summer Media Day. There, members of the media had the pleasure of meeting with players to discuss the upcoming season. One of those players was third-year Wildcat Cassidy Rowe.

The Kentucky native seemed enthusiastic about her teammates, new coach, and the year to come.

“We have a lot of three-point shooters too, which is exciting,” Rowe said. “That’s how I like to play, finding the open shot for somebody else. I feel like with what Coach (Kenny) Brooks is doing, the style that he’s teaching, I feel like I’m going to fit into it, and I’m super excited.”

Last season, Rowe acted as the frequent “sixth-woman” under Kyra Elzy. Though, towards the end of the season, Rowe got her time to shine and became a repeat starter. Sure, she’s a three-point shooter. But at heart, she’s a selfless ball handler with a knack for under-the-basket defense. Let’s not forget that the then-sophomore took 25 charges last season.

Rowe recorded 39 assists over 31 games last year, and that number is only going to improve with the newfound shooters on this year’s roster. Think Georgia Amoore, Saniah Tyler, and Amelia Hassett. You can expect Rowe to drain some buckets from the perimeter but don’t count her out when it comes to finding the open shot, especially since the team has clicked so quickly.

“You know, building chemistry is usually tough, it takes time,” Rowe said. “But I’ll be honest, from our first practice, we’ve just had fun. You can tell everybody wants to see everybody else do good.”

It’s been fairly obvious that the team has a lot of fun together. From social media posts to film of practice, the players are constantly smiling and laughing. Chemistry is one of the most important aspects of a team. Seeing this team get along so well is definitely a confidence booster going into the season. Another confidence booster, though, is the team’s enthusiasm to just get better.

“Very rarely do I come to the gym and not run into somebody else,” Rowe added. “Last night I came and Teonni [Key] was working, Saniah [Tyler] is always in the gym. But it’s really everybody, which is really exciting for me… you can tell everybody wants to do good for this team.”

This season just feels different. Yeah, it obviously is different, based on new coaching and a completely new roster. But the life surrounding the team has a different energy to it. I, for one, can’t wait to see Rowe and her teammates in action in early November.