How each player for Kentucky WBB has performed so far this season

Following Kentucky’s rather deflating loss to Tennessee, it’s time to do a midseason breakdown of how each individual player has performed so far in 2023-24. We’ll be seeing just how much each player has performed compared to preseason expectations as we crunch the numbers. In this exercise, of the 12 players listed on the official roster, only nine will be evaluated.

Senior Nyah Leveretter hasn’t seen the hardwood all season as she is rehabbing a torn ACL she suffered last season. Sophomore Zennia Thomas will also not be featured in this exercise due to her team-imposed suspension that she was handed in late November. Lastly, freshman Jordy Griggs will be the final player who won’t be scouted in this evaluation. With just three appearances this season, there just isn’t enough to go off of to fairly evaluate her.

How will we express if a player has performed good or bad this season? A simple A-F letter grade following some info and stats. Without further ado, let’s crack down on the nine active players who are in the rotation for the Wildcats and how they’ve looked through the first 16 games.

Ajae Petty

The senior out of Baltimore has been stellar, to say the least. When KSR got a sneak peek of the team before the season began, Ajae Petty stuck out like a sore thumb, and not at all in a bad way. Last year, Petty fit more of the meek and mild mold, but in that open practice, it was clear that she had spent a lot of time in the weight room. She got in shape and added plenty of pure muscle. It was clear from the get-go that Petty had reinvented herself and that a big season was on the way. Now, the 6-3 forward is dominating any big she is matched up against, recording double-doubles with ease. Petty has been Kentucky’s leader on the floor this season.

Stats: 16.3 PPG, 10.5 RPG, 1.2 SPG, 59 FG%

Grade: A

Maddie Scherr

Last season, Maddie Scherr was a standout player on a bad Kentucky team, and she was expected to step up as the leader of the 2023-24 team. It’s safe to say that Scherr has done a pretty good job of filling that role. Despite missing some time due to a leg injury and then a concussion, the Kentucky native has been the heart and soul of this team. In multiple instances this season, Scherr has taken charge on both ends of the floor, willing them to an 8-8 record. Scherr has also taken on the role of being the team’s best distributor, but in part because of her inefficiency in scoring the ball.

Stats: 14.6 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 3.8 APG, 1.7 SPG

Grade: B+

Amiya Jenkins

Amiya Jenkins has been very hot and cold this season. In some games, she has been the difference maker in Kentucky’s wins and losses. Without Jenkins, the ‘Cats are probably sitting at 6-10 with losses to ETSU and Lipscomb, but she has also scored five or fewer points in four games this season, including a goose egg against Tennessee. That’s not ideal from Kentucky’s third or fourth scoring option. However, Jenkins has been a huge help on the glass, which UK desperately needs.

Stats: 9.4 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 0.7 SPG, 47.4 FG%

Grade: B-

Saniah Tyler

When Kentucky has needed a big bucket down the stretch, Saniah Tyler has been there to answer the call time and time again. The sophomore guard has had some impressive performances this season, scoring 10+ points in seven games. Tyler is probably the most reliable player for Kyra Elzy to go to when Ajae Petty is struggling. That being said, there have been plenty of times this season that Tyler should have passed up her shot. You’ll come to see that offensive inefficiency is a recurring issue throughout this group, and that applies to Tyler as well.

Stats: 9.4 PPG, 1.9 RPG, 0.8 APG, 32.2 3P%

Grade: B-

Eniya Russell

Ajae Petty isn’t the only senior out of Baltimore doing some big things for Kentucky. Enter Eniya Russell, who has had her highs and lows, but has given 110% on the floor. Russell is always flying around and making the plays that don’t show up in the box score. Don’t let her fool you, though. The 6-1 guard can get hot in a hurry and put up points like it’s nothing. In a very up-and-down season, Russell has been pretty steady and consistent, which is valuable to any winning team.

Stats: 8.5 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 1.7 APG, 42.6 FG%

Grade: B-

Brooklynn Miles

The former Lady Vol was tasked with being the tone-setter on both ends of the floor this season, and she has done a good job of taking on the role of being a true point guard because of that. Brooklynn Miles is the quarterback of the UK offense, calling the plays and oftentimes setting up teammates with her playmaking ability. On the defensive side of the ball, Miles is a hound on the ball. She is undoubtedly UK’s best perimeter defender. The only real negative about her game is her inability to score a lot of the time. Plus, her assist numbers aren’t where you’d want them to be. Her 1.2 assist-to-turnover ratio is not ideal. For someone who is supposed to be the orchestrator of the offense, that is damning.

Stats: 6.1 PPG, 3.1 APG, 2.8 RPG, 39.8 FG%

Grade: C+

Emma King

The fifth-year senior has been rather underwhelming to begin the 2023-24 season. Expectations for Emma King weren’t high necessarily, but she was expected to be an on-court leader on this team. That just hasn’t happened. King has struggled to find her shot all year long, scoring in double-digits just twice this season. While she hasn’t been “keep her off the floor” bad, she hasn’t been someone who Kyra Elzy can lean on, and that’s been disappointing. That being said, King always hustles and plays with a level of intensity that I wish the rest of the team would have. But that only carries you so far, unfortunately.

Stats: 5.0 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 1.4 APG, 34.9 FG%

Grade: C–

Cassidy Rowe

The sophomore out of Virgie, KY has had a very similar season to Emma King. The thing that separates Cassidy Rowe from others on the team is that she is an absolute warrior on the court. It seems like every game that Rowe is taking charges and doing what she can to swing the momentum in Kentucky’s favor. Unfortunately, Rowe hasn’t really shown much promise anywhere else on the floor. Her season high in points is seven, which she got against Furman. She has scored zero points in five games. On a team that desperately needs offense from its depth pieces, Rowe hasn’t brought a whole lot to the table.

Stats: 2.5 PPG, 1.3 APG, 1.1 RPG, 34.2 FG%

Grade: D+

Janae Walker

Being a freshman, the expectations for her were largely unknown. Could she come in and make an immediate impact? Does she need time to develop? It was uncertain what Janae Walker could bring to the table. In high school, Walker was a tremendous rebounder and post presence. She was a prototypical big, but she was exceptional in that role. At Kentucky, however, it seems that Walker has been more of a placeholder for when Ajae Petty comes out of the game. To be fair, Walker deserves some credit for that. But it’s clear that she just needs some time to get adjusted to the college level. In the preseason, there was potential for her to be the missing piece to the puzzle, but she just isn’t there yet.

Stats: 1.1 PPG, 1.4 RPG, 0.3 BPG, 0.1 SPG

Grade: D