Kenny Brooks, known for his success at James Madison and Virginia Tech, guided Kentucky women’s basketball to a 23-8 mark in his debut season, earning the Sporting News National Coach of the Year award. The Wildcats reached their first 20-win campaign since 2019-20.
However, fans raised concerns about the team’s internal culture after junior guard Cassidy Rowe announced her retirement. Rowe’s decision came after playing more than 60 games across three seasons and sparked backlash amid ongoing debate over Brooks’ swift roster turnover and abrupt cultural changes.
Deleted TikTok Sparks Rumors of Kenny Brooks’ Leadership at Former School
A now-deleted TikTok video has fueled online debate over Kenny Brooks’ leadership at Kentucky.
In the video, the unnamed former ACC player detailed her troubling experience under a head coach, prompting Reddit users to connect the story to Brooks.
In the video, the unnamed former ACC athlete detailed her experience with a “Black (male) coach in the ACC,” revealing a dramatic fallout after she suffered a major injury.
New Kenny Brooks Mistreatment Allegations
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“Part one,” she explained, focused on how she tore her ACL during just the third workout of the summer—her second ACL tear.
“After that, me and the head coach never spoke or interacted,” she said. “I was no longer allowed to participate in team activities. No film, no travel, nothing.” Her parents attempted to speak with the coach before the season opener, but he “blew them off.”
The original poster further explained the video, which has since been deleted.
“I previously played for a white coach and was excited to play for a Black coach who I thought would have my back and be there for me. That was not the case.” She added, “They were recruiting me heavily, but I didn’t know they were lies.”
She said a single “C” grade was used to justify barring her from team functions, even though she was adjusting to more demanding academics. When her parents attempted to speak to the coach before the season opener, she claimed he dismissed them.
“You could’ve told me she was leaving,” the coach later texted her roommate after she entered the transfer portal. She reportedly chose not to attend the face-to-face exit meeting that the program tried to arrange.
Kentucky Women’s Basketball Transfer Portal: Latest Updates on Who’s In and Who’s Out
She also shared that even the graduate assistant would “not have my uniform out and talk about me and the other players who hardly played.”
Though she posted from a separate TikTok account and stated she didn’t intend for the video to go viral, it has since sparked comparisons from fans to Cassidy Rowe’s abrupt retirement and past controversies surrounding Brooks.
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