Kenny Brooks

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

Career

Brooks played collegiate basketball at James Madison under coach Lefty Driesell.

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.

Final Four

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.

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.

Head coaching record

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brooks, Kenny
1968 births
Living people
American men's basketball players
American women's basketball coaches
Basketball coaches from Virginia
Basketball players from Virginia
James Madison Dukes men's basketball coaches
James Madison Dukes men's basketball players
James Madison Dukes women's basketball coaches
Kentucky Wildcats women's basketball coaches
People from Waynesboro, Virginia
Virginia Tech Hokies women's basketball coaches
VMI Keydets basketball coaches
20th-century American sportsmen