Zennia Thomas breaks down her game, why she chose Kentucky

Kyra Elzy is embracing a youth movement as she prepares to embark on her third season as the Kentucky Women’s Basketball head coach.

With several outgoing transfers and one superstar lost to the WNBA Draft, the Wildcats are entering a new era. Matthew Mitchell’s presence is still felt throughout the roster, but Elzy is working hard to establish her own brand of culture. She’s doing so by bringing in plenty of fresh faces eager to learn the college game. Elzy has signed six freshmen for the upcoming 2022-23 season, the last of which was added to the roster just a couple of days ago.

Zennia Thomas, a 6-foot-2 forward out of Warrensville, Ohio, announced her commitment to Kentucky on Friday, choosing the ‘Cats over Arizona State, Purdue, Ohio, and Murray State. She just recently popped up on recruiting radars after averaging 30 points and 14 rebounds per game as a senior for Warrensville Heights, making the All-Ohio Divison III First-Team.

Thomas recently spoke with KSR via text to give the Big Blue Nation a better idea of what she’s going to bring to Lexington.

“I bring leadership,” Thomas told KSR. “Offensively I have a well-rounded game, I can stretch the floor and knock down the three and the midrange shot. I handle the ball pretty well but I work on getting better at it every day but my favorite thing to do is getting my teammates involved.

“Defensively, I can guard the perimeter pretty good for my size. I’m coming to the SEC my focus is on getting stronger and quicker so I’ll be able to guard all positions but I think my length is my strength.”

After watching a few clips, length definitely is her strength. Thomas uses that to her advantage, snaking around opposing forwards off the dribble and jumping up and over for contested rebounds. She’s capable of bringing the ball up the floor and scoring from multiple areas, including out to the 3-point arc.

Thomas is full of raw potential, which is exactly what Elzy is looking for — someone that is essentially a blank canvas of talent. The two have already hit it off, as well.

“My relationship with Coach Elzy feels like more than a coach/player relationship,” Thomas said. “She reminds me so much of my mother. She’s going to be hard on me and honest but it’s coming from a place of passion and love. I wanted her as a coach because she also reminds me of my high school coach. They both want my best and I felt that with Coach Elzy, she was definitely going to be the one to push that out of me.”

Thomas has dreams of stepping in as a starter from day one, although she understands the transition from high school to the Southeastern Conference is a significant leap in competition. Overall, she wants to be a contributor and to be able to say that she’s grown as a person by the end of the season. That’s another big reason she chose Kentucky: to be challenged individually and candidly.

“The coaching staff was amazing and I loved how honest they were about what they wanted from me,” Thomas added. “It never felt like they were trying to sell anything. Their vibe was also very genuine. My visit felt nothing like a visit and more like a homecoming. It was like being around family. I was able to spend time with some of the team and it felt natural. I also really love their playing style and culture.”