Kentucky WBB guard Saniah Tyler confirms she will return for junior season

Saniah Tyler has made it official: she’s returning to Kentucky women’s basketball for the 2024-25 season. The rising junior announced the news through social media on Wednesday afternoon.

Along with fellow rising junior Cassidy Rowe, she and Tyler were the lone pieces from the end of the Kyra Elzy to not put their name into the transfer portal.

During her sophomore season in 2023-24, Tyler took a massive leap in production, averaging 10.2 points and 1.8 rebounds in 26.8 minutes per game for the Wildcats. The 5-foot-6 guard started 13 of 32 games she appeared in last season while shooting 34.3 percent overall, 34.5 percent from deep, and 70 percent from the line.

bbn, i'm back💙😼🫶 pic.twitter.com/iWzRb4WbzH

— Saniah Tyler (@_saniah_tyler31) April 24, 2024

Once the initial flood of outgoing transfers left Kentucky during the transition from Elzy to new head coach Kenny Brooks, it was assumed that Tyler would continue her college career in Lexington. She’s now confirmed that belief and figures to play a pivotal role as a junior for the Wildcats alongside All-American transfer point guard Georgia Amoore.

Ranked as a four-star recruit out of Incarnate Word Academy (MO), Tyler struggled as a freshman in 2022-23. She appeared in only nine games for Kentucky and averaged just 0.7 points in 2.8 minutes per outing. But instead of transferring last offseason in search of more playing time, she buckled down and lived in the gym. The work quickly paid off.

During her breakout campaign in 2023-24, Tyler scored a career-high 22 points on two different occasions, one coming in a win over Mississippi State in which she hit six three-pointers. She reached double-figures in scoring 17 times and shot the ball especially well from distance against SEC opponents (37.3 percent on 5.2 attempts per game).

For more on Tyler and what she could bring to the table for Coach Brooks and Kentucky in 2024-25, check out Phoenix Steven’s KSR column here.