BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - Former Kentucky standout Kyvin Goodin-Rogers (pictured) has signed with the Lady Topper basketball program and will continue her playing career at WKU, it was announced by the school Friday, Dec. 11.
"I'm really excited about adding a player like Kyvin to our team. She's a versatile player, a great person and a winner. She'll add size and bring a lot of experience to the roster," said WKU coach Michelle Clark-Heard. "I knew Kyvin from recruiting her in high school and followed her success at Kentucky. I'm thrilled that she chose WKU to finish her collegiate career and look forward to coaching her."
Goodin-Rogers appeared in 39 games with 15 starts during her time with the Wildcats after missing her freshman season due to health reasons in 2013-14. The Lebanon, Ky., native averaged 4.2 points and 2.9 rebounds per game for Kentucky while knocking down three-pointers at a 35.4 percent (28-of-79) clip.
A starter in the first 15 games of her sophomore season in 2014-15, Goodin-Rogers came up big in critical moments for the Wildcats. Against No. 2 South Carolina on March 1, she drained a pair of crucial three-pointers in the second half as Kentucky earned the 67-56 upset against the Gamecocks. Less than a week later, Goodin-Rogers knocked down the go-ahead shot from beyond the arc in the 76-67 victory over Mississippi State in the SEC Tournament Quarterfinals.
Coming out of high school, Goodin-Rogers was ranked as the nation’s No. 59 player by Blue Star Basketball and was ESPN’s 19th-best forward nationwide. A four-time All-State selection, she averaged 12.1 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.1 steals and 2.4 blocks per game as a senior and was a finalist for the 2013 Kentucky Miss Basketball Award. Goodin-Rogers was also the recipient of the Leadership Award in the 2012 Houchens Industries/KHSAA Girls’ State Basketball Tournament championship game.
Goodin-Rogers led Marion County High School to its first state championship in 2013 under head coach Trent Milby. The Lady Knights posted a perfect 39-0 record en route to the championship, the first state champion to finish undefeated since Marshall County in 1984. For her high school career, Goodin-Rogers finished with 2,401 points, 1,663 rebounds (ninth all time in Kentucky history) and 463 blocks (seventh in Kentucky history).
Goodin-Rogers is the daughter of Kiyonta Goodin and Tick Rogers, a former Louisville star who captured Kentucky’s Mr. Basketball honors in 1992. She played her AAU basketball with Kentucky Premier, the same program that helped to produce current Lady Toppers Jalynn McClain and Ivy Brown.
WKU holds a 4-2 record this season and returns to action on Sunday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. with a battle against former Sun Belt rival UT Arlington in Arlington, Texas.
Photo by Jamie H. Vaught