"This who replacing John Calipari?": Kentucky WBB's latest hire Kenny Brooks causes confusion among college hoops fans
The Kentucky Wildcats announced on Tuesday that Kenny Brooks will be their new women's basketball coach, replacing Kyra Elzy.
How did college basketball fans react to the news? Let's take a look.
The general takeaway is that college basketball fans believe that this hiring will benefit the Wildcats.
Brooks spent the last eight seasons with the Virginia Tech Hokies, taking them to the Final Four for the first time in school history before their run was ended by eventual champions, the LSU Tigers, a year ago.
Brooks will bring his impressive skill set and ability to turn around struggling teams to the Kentucky Wildcats, who are looking to reach their first NCAA Tournament since 2022.
However, there appears to be some confusion from some fans who believe that Kenny Brooks has replaced men's basketball coach John Calipari.
Calipari has been on the hot seat for the last few days following the Wildcats' shocking 80-76 loss to Oakland, a No. 14 seed in the South Region, on Thursday during the first round of March Madness. The defeat was the Wildcats' third consecutive first-round loss, leaving many disappointed fans calling for his time in Lexington to be over.
But John Calipari is still in charge, and it is the women's team who has a new coach.
Who is Kenny Brooks?
Kenny Brook played college basketball at James Madison between 1988-1991.
He started in coaching as an assistant for the VMI Keydets men's basketball team. He was with VMI for four years, before moving to his alma mater to become an assistant for the men's team.
After four years with the Dukes' men's program, Brooks moved over to the women's program, first as an assistant coach and then as the head coach in 2003.
Brooks was in charge of the women's team for 13 years, becoming the most successful coach for that program. He sent the Dukes to five March Madness appearances but was only able to win one game, an upset victory over the Gonzaga Bulldogs in 2014.
Under Brooks, the Virginia Tech Hokies made a postseason tournament every year, being the runner-up in the 2018 Women's National Invitation Tournament.
The 2023 postseason that culminated with the Final Four appearance was his, and Virginia Tech's, most successful finish.
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