Kenny Brooks, who took Virginia Tech to the 2023 NCAA Final Four and won the 2024 Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season championship, has been named the new head coach of the University of Kentucky women’s basketball program, it was announced Tuesday by UK athletics director Mitch Barnhart. 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.
Brooks arrives in Lexington after serving eight seasons as the head coach at Virginia Tech. Under his guidance, the Hokies enjoyed eight consecutive winning seasons (2017-24) and made four straight appearances in the NCAA Tournament (2021-24). He also produced a record amount of ACC win totals, ranked wins and postseason accolades in that time. Most recently, Virginia Tech is coming off the program’s first ACC regular-season championship and a four seed in the NCAA Tournament in 2024. Just a season before that, he led Tech to the program's first ACC Tournament title and earned a one seed in the NCAA Tournament. That same season, the Hokies defeated Chattanooga, South Dakota State, Tennessee and Ohio State to advance to the program’s first Final Four.
A 1992 graduate of James Madison, Brooks played for three seasons under coach Lefty Driesell and made two NIT appearances, while also earning a degree in business management.
Brooks, a native of Waynesboro, Virginia, and his wife, Chrissy, have four children -- Kendyl, Chloe, Gabby and Nicholas.
Brooks was introduced at a press conference and spoke to news media Thursday afternoon at the Joe Craft Center women’s basketball practice gym on UK campus.
Photos by Jamie H. Vaught
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