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Kenny Brooks

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Kenny Brooks
Brooks in 2024
Current position
TitleHead coach
TeamKentucky
ConferenceSEC
Record10–1 (.909)
Biographical details
Born (1968-12-20) December 20, 1968 (age 56)
Waynesboro, Virginia
Playing career
1988–1991James Madison
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1994–1998VMI (men's asst.)
1998–2002James Madison (men's asst.)
2002–2003James Madison (women's asst.)
2003–2016James Madison
2016–2024Virginia Tech
2024–presentKentucky
Head coaching record
Overall527–205 (.720)
TournamentsNCAA: 7–10
WNIT: 20–7
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
Awards
  • 2022 JMU Athletics Hall of Fame
  • 4× CAA Coach of the Year (2007, 2014, 2015, 2016)
Records
  • 500+ Career Wins
  • 220 CAA Victories (2nd all-time)
  • 27 CAA Tournament Victories (2nd all-time)

Kenneth R. Brooks Jr. (born December 20, 1968) is the head coach of the University of Kentucky women's basketball team.[1][2][3]

Career

[edit]

Brooks played his collegiate basketball for the James Madison Dukes basketball program.

After serving as the interim head coach for the 2002–03 season, Brooks was introduced as the James Madison University women's basketball head coach on March 21, 2003.

During the 2013–14 season, the James Madison University women's basketball team upset the 6-seed Gonzaga in the NCAA tournament. It was JMU's first NCAA tournament victory since 1991.

Brooks has the most regular season game victories in James Madison's women's basketball program history (337), having surpassed Shelia Moorman (302) in 2015. Brooks was the head coach when the James Madison University women's basketball team became the third school in NCAA women's basketball history to win 1,000 program games. He twice tied the school record for most wins in a single season with 29 (2011–12 and 2013–14).

On February 6, 2015, James Madison beat Hofstra University, (77–68), giving Brooks his 300th career win.

On March 28, 2016, Brooks accepted the position of head coach of the Virginia Tech Hokies women's basketball team. Brooks helped guide the program to many firsts, including the ACC tournament championship, the Sweet Sixteen, the Elite Eight, the Final Four, and a 30-win season all which were accomplished during the 2022–23 season. For the first time in program history, the Hokies won the ACC regular season title during the 2023–2024 season. He achieved his 500th career win as head coach while with the program.

On March 26, 2024, after eight seasons with Virginia Tech, Brooks resigned from his position and accepted a five-year, $7.7 million contract with Kentucky, making him the third highest paid women's basketball coach in the Southeastern Conference behind only LSU's Kim Mulkey and South Carolina's Dawn Staley.[4]

Final Four

[edit]

In 2023, Brooks achieved two college basketball coaching milestones. He coached his first team to a thirty win season, and his team made it to the final four of the woman's basketball tournament. Virginia Tech won their first two games in the 2023 Women's NCAA Tournament by double digits, then faced Tennessee in the regional semi final. The Hokies had 29 wins after the first two rounds of the tournament. The game against Tennessee started very well, with Virginia Tech achieving a 13 point lead (35 – 22) at halftime, then starting the second half with five straight points to open up an 18 point lead. Tennessee responded, cutting the lead to 9 points at the end of the third quarter and continued cutting into the lead, reducing the deficit to a single point at 53–52. The Hokies fought back and extended the lead to 11 points with just over two minutes remaining in the game. Virginia Tech ended up with the win, pushing their season win total to 30 wins for the first time in Brooks' career and resulting in the first time Virginia Tech has advanced to the elite eight game.[5]

The elite eight game was against the Ohio State team that knocked UConn out of their quest for a 15th consecutive Final Four. Both teams led at times in the first half, with Virginia Tech clinging to a slim three point lead at halftime 48–45. Although Ohio State would cut the lead to a single point early in the third quarter, the Hokies never relinquished the lead and ended up with the win 84–74 to advance Brooks and Virginia Tech to their first ever Final Four.[6][7]

Head coaching record

[edit]
Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
James Madison (Colonial Athletic Association) (2002–2016)
2002–03 James Madison 16–10 11–7 4th
2003–04 James Madison 13–18 7–10 7th
2004–05 James Madison 18–11 10–8 4th
2005–06 James Madison 24–7 14–4 2nd WNIT First Round
2006–07 James Madison 27–6 16–2 2nd NCAA First Round
2007–08 James Madison 24–10 14–4 2nd WNIT Quarterfinals
2008–09 James Madison 24–10 14–4 3rd WNIT Second Round
2009–10 James Madison 26–7 13–5 2nd NCAA First Round
2010–11 James Madison 26–8 16–2 1st NCAA First Round
2011–12 James Madison 29–8 14–4 2nd WNIT Runner-up
2012–13 James Madison 25–11 15–3 2nd WNIT Quarterfinals
2013–14 James Madison 29–6 15–1 1st NCAA Second Round
2014–15 James Madison 29–4 17–1 1st NCAA First Round
2015–16 James Madison 27–6 17–1 1st NCAA First Round
James Madison University: 337–122 (.734) 193–56 (.775)
Virginia Tech (Atlantic Coast Conference) (2016–2024)
2016–17 Virginia Tech 20–14 4–12 T-11th WNIT Quarterfinals
2017–18 Virginia Tech 23–14 6–10 T-9th WNIT Runner-up
2018–19 Virginia Tech 22–12 6–10 10th WNIT Third Round
2019–20 Virginia Tech 21–9 11–7 T-4th Postseason cancelled
2020–21 Virginia Tech 15–10 8–8 7th NCAA Second Round
2021–22 Virginia Tech 23–10 13–5 T-3rd NCAA First Round
2022–23 Virginia Tech 31–5 14–4 T-2nd NCAA Final Four
2023–24 Virginia Tech 25–8 14–4 1st NCAA Second Round
Virginia Tech: 180–82 (.687) 76–60 (.559)
Kentucky (SEC) (2024–present)
2024–25 Kentucky 10–1 0–0
Kentucky: 10–1 (.909) 0–0 (–)
Total: 527–205 (.720)

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "James Madison University Athletics – 2014–15 Women's Basketball Coaching Staff". jmusports.com. Retrieved 2016-03-28.
  2. ^ Jeff Malmgremm. "Basketball coach calls Gwathmey 'as talented as anyone' at James Madison over past decade". Fauquier. Retrieved 2 February 2015 – via Highbeam.
  3. ^ "Brooks named women's basketball head coach at Kentucky". Virginia Tech Athletics. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
  4. ^ Caroline Makauskas (April 1, 2024). "Breaking down Kenny Brooks' Kentucky contract details. Here's how much he'll make". Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
  5. ^ "Virginia Tech 73-64 Tennessee (Mar 25, 2023) Game Recap". ESPN. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
  6. ^ "Virginia Tech 84-74 Ohio State (Mar 27, 2023) Game Recap". ESPN. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
  7. ^ "Virginia Tech 84-74 Ohio State (Mar 27, 2023) Final Score". ESPN. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
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