John Calipari on Kenny Brooks hire: 'He's prepared for this moment'
Following a week of speculation, John Calipari is officially coming back to Kentucky for his 16th season next year. That puts him in position to now welcome the man who will be coaching just down the hall from him inside the Joe Craft Center in Kenny Brooks, the Wildcats’ new women’s basketball coach.
Calipari shared his official greeting of Brooks to Twitter on Thursday afternoon. He expressed his excitement to finally meet him upon his arrival to Lexington and offered his aid, even though, in his words, Brooks is more than prepared for this new opportunity.
“I’m really excited for Kenny Brooks!” Calipari wrote. “We just met. He knows I’m here for him to help in any way. He has a great background and worked for friends of mine. He’s prepared for this moment.”
“Best of luck, Coach Brooks! I’m here for you,” wrote Calipari.
Among the photos that Calipari shared, he is shaking hands with Brooks upon his arrival in the bluegrass. Those images also include AD Mitch Barnhart, men’s basketball assistant Bruiser Flint, and Rock Oliver, the Executive Associate AD for Student Success at Kentucky.
This comes as Brooks and his family arrived off their plane today to officially come to Lexington.
“We are extremely excited to bring Kenny Brooks to the University of Kentucky,” Barnhart said in Kentucky’s official press release. “Kenny has a strong history of player development and championship performance at James Madison and Virginia Tech. When you combine his coaching excellence with his vision for this program and his passion to take us there, he is ideally suited to be head coach of the Wildcats. We are eager to introduce Kenny, (wife) Chrissy and their family to the Big Blue Nation!”
“I am thrilled to be named the head coach of the Kentucky women’s basketball program. From the Big Blue Nation and the stunning landscape of the Bluegrass State to the UK Athletics brand and getting to compete in the Southeastern Conference, my family and I are excited about this new chapter in our lives,” Brooks added himself. “I want to thank Virginia Tech for the most joyful journey of my coaching career, and to the University of Kentucky and UK Athletics administration for this new opportunity. I don’t plan on wasting any time building a positive atmosphere, winning environment and a persistent program that Big Blue Nation can be proud of.”
Brooks has spent the past 22 seasons at James Madison and Virginia Tech. The past eight have come with the Hokies in Blacksburg. In that time, he has accumulated a career record of 517-204 (.717). Thay has included 11 conference titles, 10 appearances in the NCAA Tournament, and one Final Four last year.
Brooks arrives at Kentucky to take over following four seasons with Kyra Elzy as head coach. Besides a championship in the SEC Tournament, there wasn’t much achievement during her tenure. That was certainly the case after a 24-39 mark over the past two years.
Now, Brooks will succeed her within a program that has just made a significant investment over the last year. Both his hire and in their renovations to Memorial Coliseum certainly prove that fact.
Calipari is as well-known as they get in Kentucky, let alone in college basketball. However, he’ll have to make room on the court for Brooks as the third women’s coach to share their building.