Kentucky
Kenny Brooks settling in ahead of first year at Kentucky – ABC 36 News
LEXINGTON, Ky. (ABC36 NEWS NOW)- New Kentucky women’s basketball Head Coach Kenny Brooks has been moving so fast since he started his new job that he compares his life to a severe weather event.
“It’s been a whirlwind. At one point we upgraded it to a tornado because things got really really crazy,” said Brooks. “I couldn’t have done this without the support of my family.”
Finding the Right Fit
The hiring of a new staff and recruiting of a new roster have been labors of love for Brooks, who hasn’t had to start from scratch at a new school since 2016 when he began his tenure at Virginia Tech.
He had some help with two former Hokies, Clara Strack and Georia Amoore, following him to the Bluegrass. The former Virginia Tech head coach says that he built this year’s roster around that duo and multiple recruits from Virginia Tech who flipped to Kentucky.
“No it’s time to start putting it together,” said Brooks, who is overseeing move-ins for his team before summer practice begins.
This summer, chemistry is the number one priority for the team according to the new head coach.
“Organic,” time spent together is what the Kentucky staff wants their players to embrace.
Moving Parts
One of Brooks’ daughters, Gabby, is a sophomore guard on her father’s first Wildcat team.
But, Blacksburg is where most of Brooks’ family are living until they can find a new home in Lexington.
“I have a daughter getting married this summer so our home base is still there so she can feel comfortable,” said Brooks. “Everything I do is family based. We’re excited.”
Despite his busy schedule, Big Blue Nation has gotten to know Brooks around Lexington.
“(Fans) either want to take a picture or talk about the recruits. I’ve been amazed at how knowledgeable they are about the kids that we have coming in,” said Brooks. “Memorial Coliseum has been a great topic because there have been a lot of people who have gone there over the years and they understand what a great place it can be.”
A New Look in an Old Home
Kentucky women’s basketball’s usual home in Memorial Coliseum is set to be reopened in the fall of 2024 after an extensive renovation. The project is the largest investment into women’s sports in the school’s history.
“(Memorial Coliseum) going to be extremely loud,” said Brooks. “You can compete and contend on a consistent basis.”
A 2023 Final Four and a 2024 Atlantic Coast Conference regular season Championship are the largest jewels in Kenny’s crown from his Blacksburg days. Brooks says that his teams at Kentucky will carry over a winning and hard working mentality.
“We’re going to get up and down the floor. We’ll be very opportunistic to run the fast break and shoot the three-pointer,” said Brooks. “Defensively we’ll be extremely efficient.”
With new digs and a new team, Brooks assures fans that everyone on his team is committed to hanging banners in Lexington.
“Everyone bleeds Kentucky blue,” said Brooks.
GRAYSON, Ky. (WSAZ) – New information has been released in the search for a missing woman at Grayson Lake.
According to game wardens with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, Marly Kinney, 19, of Ashland, was last seen at Grayson Lake on Wednesday afternoon.
They say search efforts are focused on the water at this time and include Kentucky State Police aerial support, drones, boats, and K9 assistance.
Crews suspend search for missing teen for the night
The search is now into its third day, with officials saying on and off rain has hindered their search and that a group of 50 volunteers are walking the banks of the lake to help in the search.
Search and rescue boats have been seen at the lake as well.
Officials say there are still many questions, including if Kinney is still alive and where exactly she went missing.
They also say they’ve been using a variety of equipment, including sonar and thermal detectors, as well as helicopters and underwater drones.
WSAZ received a statement from Kinney’s family Friday afternoon:
“We are very appreciative of the absolute surplus of support from law enforcement, search and rescue, 1st responders, and all of the community and its volunteers that are here with us and for us searching for Marly. We do not even know how to express our absolute gratitude to you all. We continue to have faith she will be found and brought back to us. We know we have the very best people doing all they can to bring her home.”
Anyone with information is asked to call 911.
We are still working to get more information.
Previous coverage can be found here.
Copyright 2026 WSAZ. All rights reserved.
13 things more likely to happen than winning the Powerball jackpot
Hoping to win the Powerball jackpot? Here are 13 things more likely to happen than becoming an instant millionaire.
The Kentucky Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at Thursday, June 25, 2026 winning numbers for each game.
Cash Ball
02-08-24-32, Cash Ball: 09
Check Cash Ball payouts and previous drawings here.
Pick 3
Evening: 6-3-0
Midday: 9-6-0
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Pick 4
Evening: 5-7-6-0
Midday: 5-2-6-6
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Millionaire for Life
03-13-14-34-45, Bonus: 01
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Courier Journal digital producer. You can send feedback using this form.
On Thursday, Kentucky’s home and away SEC opponents for the 2026-27 season were revealed and on top of learning the three opponents who they will play twice, there are some very intriguing matchups. In conference play, Kentucky will face six teams who are among the top 25 in many preseason rankings.
In SEC play, Kentucky will play Tennessee, Vandy and Ole Miss all both home and away. The home matchups include Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, LSU, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M and Vandy. As for the road tilts, the Wildcats will face Florida, Georgia, Mississippi State, Missouri, Ole Miss, Oklahoma, Texas, Tennessee and Vandy. Let’s take a look at some interesting developments from the schedule release.
John Calipari returns to Rupp Arena (again)
In Calipari’s first year with Arkansas, he got the best of Kentucky when he came into Rupp Arena and left with a 10-point victory, a game where you could really feel the tension all game long in the building from Kentucky fans, which translated onto the court with the players. Last season, it was Kentucky who shocked everyone when they stole one on the road against a top 20 Arkansas team after a rough up-and-down season up to that point. Now, the two will face off again as Kentucky will look to get the win in Rupp and make sure Calipari doesn’t get two in a row in the building. It’ll be another highly-anticipated showdown.
Kentucky hits the road at Texas
This is shaping up to be a major challenge for Kentucky next season and may even end up being one of the biggest games of the season. Texas is seen by many as a clear top 10 team, with some even having them within the top five and when you combine that with the fact that the game is on the road, the Wildcats will have their hands full. The Wildcats fell to the longhorns in the 2024-25 season, and it’ll be a much stiffer challenge this time.
Which game could be a trap?
We don’t have the game-by-game dates yet, so it’s hard to say with a lot of confidence, but opponent-wise, Georgia could really give Kentucky fits. In Pope’s first year, his team struggled handling the physicality of the Bulldogs and now, they’ve retained one of their best guards for another year and have added physicality through the portal. Mike White’s teams love to make opponents uncomfortable and they could do that once again down in Athens. Another sneaky team to watch is Oklahoma, who will have very good guard play. Kentucky will face both teams on the road.
Overall, it’s a pretty fair SEC schedule for a Kentucky team who has the capability of a return to being atop the conference once again. Mark Pope has such a system-fit squad and he can do some damage in the SEC.
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