2025-26 Kentucky WBB Position Preview: Center

This is the fifth and final edition of KSR’s 2025-26 Kentucky Women’s Basketball Position Preview series. In this series, we went through each of the five positions — point guard, shooting guard, small forward, power forward and now, center — breaking down what is to be expected at each position heading into this season.

We know Clara Strack is starting at center for Kentucky heading into the 2025-26 season. There’s no reason to sit here and even fathom otherwise. As a sophomore, she averaged 15.4 points, 9.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.4 blocks per game. Along the way, she set a program record for blocks in a season (73) and won SEC Defensive Player of the Year.

It goes without saying, but the 6-foot-5 Buffalo native had a special season a year ago. So, why on God’s green Earth would Kenny Brooks not start Strack at center? Pure idiocy, maybe?

Of course, it’s nice to know that Kentucky has its starting center — and a really good one at that — but there’s also a big, looming question regarding the five at Kentucky. What exactly does Brooks do when Strack isn’t in?

She’s going to carry a huge load this season, probably pushing 35 minutes per game as a junior, but it’s just flat out impossible for her to play every second of every game. So, what happens when she’s on the bench?

This offseason, the staff got a commitment from Swedish big Elsa Vadfors to help with depth down low. The 6-foot-5 freshman is unproven, however. She doesn’t have the same body of work or resume that some freshmen have. Going into this year, there isn’t much to be expected out of Vadfors. At this point, it seems like she’s going to be a more of a project than anything, and it may be a year or two before she’s truly ready to contribute at an SEC program.

Vadfors will surely get some playing time this season, but at other times, Brooks may have to slide Teonni Key down to the five. At 6-foot-4, she’s the next-tallest player on the roster behind Strack and Vadfors, and her experience and versatility on offense could make her a tough assignment for opposing teams.

It’ll be interesting to see what exactly Brooks has planned for when Strack isn’t in, especially for a long period of time.

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