KSR's takeaways from the Kentucky women's basketball open practice

Kentucky women’s basketball held an open practice on Tuesday morning, giving the media a first-hand look at what to expect from the 2023-24 edition of the Wildcats. Practice began a little after 7:15 a.m. and lasted until around 9:30. Head coach Kyra Elzy broke the morning up into various drills, some focused on running and conditioning, and others focused on timing and execution. Of course, there was plenty of live-action basketball happening too, including some five-on-five.

Only nine scholarship players were available for practice. Elzy split them into two teams. Blue featured Maddie Scherr, Saniah Tyler, Amiya Jenkins, Ajae Petty, and Jordy Griggs while White included Cassidy Rowe, Brooklynn Miles, Zennia Thomas, and Janae Walker (with a practice player filling in as the fifth). Nyah Leveretter (injury), Emma King (class), and Eniya Russell (ramping up) were not on the floor.

KSR was in attendance to soak in the first of 22 more practices for Kentucky before the season begins at the end of next month. Joining me at the Joe Craft Center were KSR’s two newest interns, Katie Hutchison and Phoenix Stevens. After soaking in practice and taking down pages of notes, we’ve compiled the biggest takeaways from everything we say.

Ajae Petty is a brand-new ball player

From the moment the team walked into the gym, we could tell something was different with Ajae Petty. We’ve been hearing all offseason how the former LSU transfer has locked in both on and off the floor throughout the summer. That was apparent during today’s practice. Petty has transformed physically, dropping weight while adding muscle and speed. She was the first to finish every running drill and was dominating her teammates whenever she received the ball in the post. Any shot around the rim off of her fingertips found its way into the bottom of the net. The jumpshot looked smooth, too.

Kentucky is going to need a breakout season from Petty to help bolster the team’s frontcourt. Although she didn’t start a single game last season (29 appearances), she came on strong towards the end of the schedule. That momentum carried over into the offseason and continues to show up during practice in September. Petty averaged 5.7 points and 4.7 rebounds per game a season ago. I would expect those numbers to double during her second year in Lexington. Maddie Scherr has understandably garnered most of the praise heading into the new season — and she performed well during today’s practice — but Petty is right behind her in the pecking order. — Zack Geoghegan

Ajae Petty with a nice steal and finish in transition. pic.twitter.com/UFhikdmRQa

— Phoenix Stevens (@phxste75) September 26, 2023

“Maximum intensity, maximum effort”

Today’s practice began at 7:15 a.m. with a team huddle and the repetition of a phrase from head coach Kyra Elzy. “Maximum intensity, maximum effort,” echoed through the Joe Craft Center practice court as Elzy went over the plan for practice.

The coaching staff donned matching blue long-sleeve shirts that read “Built Different,” in white block letters. Underneath were five key points: family, hard work, discipline, accountability, and servant leadership. So far this season, the team seems largely focused on boosting morale, relationships, synergy between players, and overall character. An important step in being a great athlete is being a humble, helpful teammate. Elzy is coaching her players to be the best they can be, not only in basketball but in life as well. It showed on the court. — Katie Hutchison

Cassidy Rowe is a shooter

Maddie Scherr was stellar across the board, knocking down difficult shots and setting up teammates. Ajae Petty showed how valuable she’ll be to this UK team with her playmaking ability and versatility. Despite those things, sophomore Cassidy Rowe’s showing in Tuesday’s practice was one of the bigger takeaways. Rowe was in the gym well before practice even began, working on her jumper. There came a stretch where she made several threes in a row, probably close to a dozen. During practice, it was more of the same. Shot after shot found the bottom of the net. Hopefully, Rowe’s shooting is something that can carry into the season. — Phoenix Stevens

Leaning on one another

During Tuesday’s practice, one of the big focal points was accountability, and that was clear from the get-go. Anytime a layup was missed, that player had to do push-ups. If a team got beat in a drill, they had to do sprints down the floor. If a team made an error during a drill, the team would have to do burpees.

In addition to that, anytime a player would get down after messing up or giving up a basket, someone was right there to pick them right back up. At the end of practice, a few players shot free throws, and after each attempt, the entire team would show love to the shooter. Last year’s team seemed to lack accountability and even togetherness at times — Elzy and the staff are making those qualities a priority in 2023-24. — Phoenix Stevens

Freshmen making an impact

Kentucky only brought in two freshmen for this year’s team, but they both have the chance to earn plenty of playing time this season. 6-foot-2 guard Jordy Griggs stood out the most between the pair, showcasing her ability to bring the ball up the court and knock down shots. Despite being listed as a backcourt player, she was practicing with the frontcourt. It’s no small note that Griggs was part of the Blue team, which could be looked at as the possible starting five to begin the schedule. There’s a reason why she was considered a four-star high school recruit.

6-foot-4 forward Janae Walker is the other rookie. There is plenty to like about her game, especially her ability to shoot the ball from deep, but there could be some growing pains for her early on. Conditioning might be an issue and scoring around the rim against bigger opponents is going to be a challenge for her. That being said, her shooting ability could help her see the floor more than expected, especially with an already thin frontcourt room. — Zack Geoghegan

Improved chemistry all around

The importance of team morale and chemistry definitely came into the spotlight today. Elzy focused her practice on teamwork: not just as a five-woman squad, but also in pairs and trios. Being able to work cohesively with your teammates is one of the most important aspects of being on a team, but a great place to start is for the players to build personal relationships with each other. Communication was a large part of today’s practice as well. There was not a moment in the gym when it was completely silent, even when the players broke off into pairs and shot free throws, or when a player missed a shot and was doing five pushups as punishment. There was a constant stream of cheering and yelling from both the players and the coaches. — Katie Hutchison

Look out for Amiya Jenkins

One of Elzy’s several Miss Kentucky Basketball winners, sophomore wing Amiya Jenkins looks to be on the verge of a breakout year. She appeared in 26 games as a freshman but averaged fewer than 10 minutes per game. One year later, the Anderson County product is in line for a starting spot. Jenkins might have grown too. She’s listed at 5-foot-10 on UK’s website, but was standing at least two inches taller than Maddie Scherr, who is also listed at 5-foot-10.

Outside of the minor growth spurt, Jenkins looks the part of an SEC-level hooper. She’s long and quick on her feet. Everything in her game can be defined as “smooth”. There has been obvious improvement to her skills and jumpshot during the offseason. Jenkins should be considered the favorite to start for Kentucky on the wing this season. — Zack Geoghegan

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