Breaking down the current state of the 2023-24 Kentucky WBB roster

While there is still plenty of time left in the offseason to bring in more pieces, the Kentucky women’s basketball roster for the 2023-24 season is taking shape.

Kyra Elzy’s squad has already undergone plenty of roster turnover since the ’22-23 season came to a close in early March. A disappointing 12-19 overall record, including a poor 2-14 mark in the Southeastern Conference, wasn’t what the program was hoping for to begin the post-Rhyne Howard era, but Elzy will look to turn things around as she embarks on year four in charge of the Wildcats.

Let’s start with the departures from last season’s roster. Three players graduated while three more hit the transfer portal. Veterans Robyn Benton and Adebola Adeyeye exhausted their college eligibility while Blair Green elected to graduate and not use her extra year that was granted as a result of her Achilles injury that forced her to miss the entire 2021-22 season. Elsewhere, Jada Walker transferred to Baylor, Tionna Herron went to Texas, and Kennedy Cambridge moved on to Ohio State — three programs expected to start out as top 25 teams this fall.

Five of those six players were among the top eight in the rotation for Kentucky last season. That’s over 53 percent of the total minutes and over 59 percent of the total scoring from last season now wiped away.

Herron was the only one of the six departures who didn’t play, sitting out the year due to open heart surgery that she underwent not long before the ’22-23 season began. A former four-star recruit, the 6-foot-4 center was expected to receive a significant role this coming season before transferring closer to home. She was a substantial loss for the program.

Along with losing those six pieces, two freshmen (6-foot-2 G Jordy Griggs and 6-foot-4 F Janae Walker) will join the party along with one incoming transfer (5-foot-4 junior PG Brooklynn Miles; Tennessee). Taking that all into account, Elzy will be looking at an almost entirely new group of players for ’23-24.

Luckily, the most important player from last season is set to return: senior point guard Maddie Scherr, a former Kentucky Miss Basketball winner and last season’s floor general.

Scherr closed ’22-23 strong, averaging 14.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 2.3 steals in a team-high 33.9 minutes per outing across 14 SEC games. The Florence, KY native will likely be a preseason All-SEC member and even a potential 2024 WNBA Draft candidate. She is a player you can build a roster around, which is what the ‘Cats will have to do this coming season — not exactly a bad scenario. You can pen her in as Kentucky’s starting point guard from day one.

But after Scherr, things become murkier. The rest of the pieces for next season’s roster are either unproven veterans or inexperienced underclassmen. There are currently 12 scholarship players (out of a possible 15) locked in with the possibility of Elzy adding another transfer or two (or three?) before putting a bow on the roster. Bringing in an experienced scoring guard or, even more importantly, some additional size in the paint remains the biggest need.

But until that does (or doesn’t) happen, Elzy will work with what she has. We’ve already discussed the importance of Scherr so we won’t beat that drum to death. But who will suit up alongside her in the backcourt? There are certainly plenty of options.

Backcourt breakdown

Freshman: G Jordy Griggs
Sophomore: PG Cassidy Rowe, PG Saniah Tyler, G/W Amiya Jenkins
Junior: PG Brooklynn Miles
Senior: PG Maddie Scherr, PG Eniya Russell, SG Emma King

The player to watch as a potential sidekick to Scherr is former South Carolina transfer Eniya Russell, who struggled throughout her first season in Lexington. The 6-foot-2 guard saw the floor for under 10 minutes per game during SEC play, but was vital in Kentucky’s SEC Tournament win over Alabama in which she scored 12 points on 4-6 shooting in 17 minutes. It’ll be important for Russell to take a leap going into next season in order to create a productive and deep backcourt.

The addition of Brooklynn Miles in the transfer portal could be massive if she can fulfill her potential from out of high school. Also a former Kentucky Miss Basketball winner, her numbers dipped from year one to year two at Tennessee. Coming to Lexington will allow her a fresh start with more opportunities to play. But at just 5-foot-4, she’ll need to prove in the summer that she can stay on the floor against SEC-level competition.

Next up is incoming freshman Jordy Griggs, who is a four-star recruit and has played successfully against high-level competition in high school. She possesses impressive size for a guard at 6-foot-2 and can fill up the box score. But how will that translate to the college game?

Then you’ve got Cassidy Rowe and Saniah Tyler, a pair of 5-foot-6 point guards that never truly saw the floor as rookies last season. Both were talented high school prospects and provide different skill sets for the backcourt. Rowe is a solid shooter with passing chops while Tyler can also shoot the ball and use her strength to get in the paint. But neither player averaged more than four minutes per game during conference play as freshmen. Adding Miles into the fold will only make it more difficult for those two to separate themselves from the pack.

Finally, there’s Amiya Jenkins and Emma King, both natives of the Bluegrass State. Jenkins, the third of Elzy’s former Kentucky Miss Basketball winners, is arguably the most intriguing piece on the roster outside of Scherr. The Anderson County product showed flashes as a freshman but still struggled to see the floor once conference play hit. At 5-foot-10, Jenkins can play multiple positions in the backcourt or on the wing. She’s a versatile player who can score the ball well inside the arc and also defend one of the opposing team’s best scoring options.

As for King, she’ll enter this season as a graduate student after four seasons at UK as mainly a bench piece. The Lincoln County product’s best season came as a junior in ’21-22 when she averaged 2.2 points in 13.8 minutes per contest. Those numbers were nearly cut in half this past season, but King elected to return for another run in hopes of finding the court more. Unfortunately, known primarily as a shooter, she hasn’t fulfilled that role all that well. King has shot just 10-76 from distance (13.2 percent) during her college career. If she can knock down shots this season and provide enough defense on the other end, there will be a spot for her in the rotation.

If you’re keeping track, that’s eight backcourt players looking to find the hardwood spread between four or five rotational spots. Scherr is a lock to start while Russell will get an opportunity as well. Outside of those two, someone will have to break out this summer and take control of those up-for-grabs minutes. Miles and Jenkins will be the top candidates to make that happen.

Frontcourt breakdown

Freshman: F Janae Walker
Sophomore: F Zennia Thomas
Junior: None
Senior: F Nyah Leveretter, F Ajae Petty

The frontcourt is going to be much less of a mystery — barring another transfer addition. There are only four “true” forwards on the roster as it stands, although Nyah Leveretter expects to miss a decent chunk of the season after tearing her ACL in late February. If we give her a loose timeline of nine months (at a minimum) for recovery, that puts her return sometime around late November or early December — which would be several weeks into the season.

Leveretter was a consistent starter until her injury but never put up big numbers during her 21.5 minutes per SEC game. The bouncy 6-foot-3 forward averaged just 2.8 points and 4.2 rebounds on 36.7 percent shooting during conference action last season. But considering how thin the depth could be at this position, her return could prove to be critical. Kentucky will need the size and depth once conference play ramps up.

The likeliest player to start in the frontcourt from day one is 6-foot-3 Ajae Petty. While she had an up-and-down campaign in ’22-23, she showcased the most potential of this group. After starting the season strong against non-conference opponents, Petty saw her minutes dip into SEC play but spurt back up down the stretch of the schedule. A 10-point, seven-rebound performance in 27 minutes against Texas A&M was followed up a few games later with an 11-point, five-rebound outing in 23 minutes against Tennessee. More consistency from Petty will help her lock down a starting spot. There is certainly plenty of potential for her to make a leap.

The remaining pieces, Janae Walker and Zennia Thomas, will be the toughest to guess at this stage. Walker was a late find by Elzy and company but there is plenty of skill in this 6-foot-4, soon-to-be freshman. She can stretch the floor and defend multiple positions on defense. But like Griggs, will it translate to the SEC?

As for Thomas, she barely saw the floor during her rookie campaign in ’22-23, averaging just 5.2 minutes per game during SEC contests. But there is plenty to like about the athletic 6-foot-2 forward. Thomas was also a late find by the staff an offseason ago. There will be an opportunity for her to take a leap on the floor in year two at Kentucky.

Projected 2023-24 rotation

With so many more backcourt pieces than in the frontcourt, we could see more small-ball this coming season if no other players are added through the portal. Scherr will run the show while others look to step up as contributors. Don’t be surprised if players like Jenkins or Griggs end up playing as the third or even fourth guard on a lineup with one post player.

Starters
G: Maddie Scherr
G: Eniya Russell
G/F: Amiya Jenkins
F: Janae Walker
F: Ajae Petty

Reserves
1: Brooklynn Miles
2: Zennia Thomas
3: Jordy Griggs
4: Saniah Tyler
5: Cassidy Rowe
6: Emma King
7: Nyah Leveretter (injured)