Marty Gordon
Kenny Brooks made women’s basketball relevant in Blacksburg, and in two years, he placed Virginia Tech in the national stage.
Now, he will take his talents to the University of Kentucky.
He just finished his eighth season on the Hokies bench. Boasting a 517-204 (.717) career record through 22 seasons as a head coach, Brooks has compiled five Colonial Athletic Association Tournament titles, four CAA regular-season titles, one ACC Tournament title, one ACC regular-season title, 10 NCAA Tournament appearances and one Final Four.
UK Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart welcomed Brooks on Tuesday to Lexington with lots of optimism.
“We are extremely excited to bring Kenny Brooks to the University of Kentucky,” Barnhart said. “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.”
“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.”
All of this took the Hokie faithful by surprise, especially as the Lady Hokies were playing their second round NCAA game against Baylor.
Virginia Tech Athletic Director Whit Babcock said the university hired Kenny in 2016 with the intent of revitalizing the school’s women’s basketball program, whick he did.
“Needless to say, Kenny, his staff and student-athletes created a culture of excellence on and off the court. He was an incredible mentor to the young women in our women’s basketball program and a terrific representative of our department and university. We wish Kenny and his family well in this next chapter of his career.
“I remain confident in the trajectory of our women’s basketball program and when combined with our resources, specifically NIL, that the future of our women’s basketball program is bright.”
Brooks received a three-year contract extension in late-July 2023 following the Hokies’ Final Four run. According to Virginia Tech Athletics, the extension, which was set to expire in March 2029, included “a six-year deal totaling $6.4 million, as well as other enhancements made to support staff salaries, assistant coach salary pool, postseason bonuses and operating budget.”
Early reports say Brooks will be the third-highest paid coach in the Southeastern Conference, only behind LSU’s Kim Mulkey at $3.15 million annually and South Carolina’s Dawn Staley at $3.1 million.
During a video conference on Wednesday, Babcock said Tech’s resources were good enough to get to the Final Four and be one quarter away from playing for a national championship. But that is where the financial limitations came in.
“I guess Kentucky’s budget may be $30- or $40-million more than ours. Yeah, they can push some more into it.”
“I don’t think it’s an automatic path to the Final Four or maybe Kentucky would’ve been there previously on the women’s side. But it does make things easier. And if Kenny was looking for a challenge at the highest level and you can have those resources, certainly it helps,” Babcock said.
The Tech AD has been successful in bringing winning coaches in several sports across the spectrum, and he hopes to bring another proven winner to Blacksburg. This includes, according to Babcock, a hunger and a fire to compete in today’s athletic environment.
Virginia Tech will begin an immediate national search for the Hokies’ next women’s basketball head coach.
