Kentucky WBB hires Virginia Tech's Kenny Brooks as new head coach

Kentucky women’s basketball has its next head coach.

On Tuesday morning, it was announced by Virginia Tech that head coach Kenny Brooks is leaving the Hokies and has been named the Wildcats’ new head coach. Brooks produced a 180-82 overall record across eight seasons with the Hokies, including four straight NCAA Tournament appearances and a Final Four berth in 2023.

Brooks, 55, will replace Kyra Elzy, who was fired shortly after the conclusion of Kentucky’s 2023-24 season. Elzy posted a record of 61-60 during her four seasons in Lexington. Brooks is likely to become one of the 10 highest-paid women’s coaches in the country, per KSR’s Matt Jones.

“We are extremely excited to bring Kenny Brooks to the University of Kentucky,” Athletic director Mitch Barnhart said in UK’s press release. “Kenny has a strong history of player development and championship performance at James Madison and Virginia Tech.  When you combine his coaching excellence with his vision for this program and his passion to take us there, he is ideally suited to be head coach of the Wildcats.  We are eager to introduce Kenny, (wife) Chrissy and their family to the Big Blue Nation!”

Brooks takes over at Kentucky with more than 20 years of head coaching experience at the Division I level. He got his start at his alma mater, James Madison, ahead of the 2002-03 season, leading the Dukes to five NCAA Tournament appearances, including three in a row from 2014-16. Over the course of his final three seasons with James Madison, Brooks accumulated a record of 85-14 (49-3 CAA; three straight conference titles) and even reached the Round of 32 in 2014.

From there, Brooks accepted the Virginia Tech job in 2016. He took over a program that hadn’t won at least 20 games since the 2005-06 season. Brooks went on to win at least 20 games in each of his first four seasons in Blacksburg and made the NCAA Tournament in 2020-21 despite only winning 15 games that season (COVID-19 limited the schedule). Virginia Tech was the WNIT runner-up in 2018.

Brooks really got things rolling with the Hokies starting with the 2021-22 season. The Virginia native led the Hokies to a 23-10 record, a 13-5 mark in the ACC — the school’s most conference wins since 1998-99 — and a spot in the NCAA Tournament. The Hokies took a leap under Brooks’ guide the following season, winning the conference tournament and making the program’s first-ever Final Four, losing to eventual national champion LSU.

This past season, Virginia Tech finished with a final record of 25-8 (14-4 ACC) and a conference regular season championship. Unfortunately, a torn ACL suffered by All-American player Elizabeth Kitley forced her to miss the entirety of the NCAA Tournament as 4-seeded Virginia Tech was bounced in the Round of 32.

“I am thrilled to be named the head coach of the Kentucky women’s basketball program,” Brooks said. “From the Big Blue Nation and the stunning landscape of the Bluegrass State to the UK Athletics brand and getting to compete in the Southeastern Conference, my family and I are excited about this new chapter in our lives.

“I want to thank Virginia Tech for the most joyful journey of my coaching career, and to the University of Kentucky and UK Athletics administration for this new opportunity. I don’t plan on wasting any time building a positive atmosphere, winning environment and a persistent program that Big Blue Nation can be proud of.”

Brooks brought unprecedented success to Virginia Tech for nearly a decade. Will he repeat (or exceed) that run at Kentucky? A new era in Lexington is officially underway.