Kentucky Women's Basketball's frontcourt might be unforgiving this season

As we all know, Kenny Brooks knocked his recruiting out of the park this offseason. While he brought a few players over from Virginia Tech, that didn’t make his job any easier. Brooks managed to complete a roster that cracked ESPN’s Way-Too-Early Top 25. We’ve talked about the guards plenty, we know the backcourt for the ‘Cats is a force to be reckoned with. But what about the frontcourt? What about the forwards and centers that are crucial for success in the SEC?

Brooks technically has four bigs on the roster: centers Clara Strack and Clara Silva, and forwards Amelia Hassett and Teonni Key. That’s not to say that there aren’t some hybrid guards on the squad, like 6-foot-1 Jordan Obi. Of course, the guards below six feet won’t see much of the paint when it comes to positioning, but they’ll still have a fair share of drives to the basket.

So, what do our bigs actually have to offer?

Clara Strack and Amelia Hassett at the helm

Back in May, I predicted that Brooks would start Hassett and Strack at the four and five positions, respectively. My opinion still stands, the pair of bigs will lead the frontcourt for their team.

Strack, a 6-foot-5 sophomore, transferred from Virginia Tech this offseason. As a freshman there, she averaged 4.5 points and 4.1 rebounds. Fortunately, Strack really stepped up her game during the NCAA Tournament. Since Virginia Tech veteran Elizabeth Kitley was out due to injury, Strack filled the gap. During the two games the Hokies played during the NCAA Tournament, Strack scored 35 points on 13-15 shooting from the field, and grabbed 15 rebounds. Strack proved that she could step up when it mattered, and her clutch ability will matter all season long.

As for Hassett, the now junior originally played for JUCO’s Eastern Florida State College. There, the Australia native dominated the court. She averaged 13.7 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 2.1 blocks, and 1.4 steals per game. It’s obvious that Hassett is versatile, aggressive, and a necessity for the ‘Cats. It’s also clear that Hassett knows how to find the open woman. She’s unselfish, but will score in the paint when she can. The 6-foot-3 forward scored 919 points and grabbed 659 rebounds across two seasons at Eastern Florida, and will hopefully do the same at Kentucky.

Clara Silva and Teonni Key as the backups

Fortunately, Brooks has a solid backup to the two starting bigs: center Clara Silva and forward Teonni Key.

6-foot-7 Portugal native Silva averaged 9.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.2 blocks across 30 games for for Unicaja in the Spain-LF Challenge. Months before she committed to Kentucky, in summer 2023, she played in seven games for FIBA, averaging 18.1 points, 11.6 rebounds, 2.3 blocks and 1.6 assists. The freshman’s height, strength, and ability to produce points make her valuable for the ‘Cats.

Key, on the other hand, still stands at 6-foot-4 and started her career at North Carolina. In 9.9 minutes per game, Key averaged 2.5 points and 2.5 rebounds per game across two seasons. While that seems underwhelming, Key played a crucial role for the Tar Heels. In a team win over Michigan State in the NCAA Tournament, she scored five points, and added seven rebounds, two blocks, and one assist in 21 minutes of play. If Brooks can develop Key like he did Clara Silva, we’ll be looking at a player with many talents.

Overall, the frontcourt for Kentucky Women’s Basketball might be one unlike those we’ve seen in past seasons.