Keion Brooks pens goodbye message to the Big Blue Nation

Keion Brooks Jr. gave all he had to the University of Kentucky during his three years in Lexington, even if his time was never fully appreciated.

The 6-foot-7 forward experienced more unusual circumstances during his stint with UK than most Wildcats throughout history can claim — COVID-19 robbed him of a possible NCAA Tournament run as a freshman and then it cost him a regular sophomore season, one that saw Kentucky win just nine games. Brooks began to break through as a junior, but Kentucky just happened to lose in the first round of the postseason.

For his career, he averaged 8.3 points and 4.4 rebounds while shooting 47.4 percent from the floor. Brooks will likely be most remembered for his incredible 27-point outing against No. 5 Kansas on the road this past season. When he was playing at his best in 2021-22, there wasn’t a team in the country that could beat the ‘Cats.

Personally, I was and will continue to be a huge fan and advocate for Keion Brooks. He’s someone that deserves it, and he caught more flack while playing at UK than he probably should have. Now he’s across the country about to suit up for the Washington Huskies this year after transferring away from Kentucky during the offseason. Brooks’s decision to transfer wasn’t exactly a shocking one, but it was one that the majority of fans were sad to see — whether that’s because of his play or his leadership qualities.

He was a terrific representative of the program.

Well, he’s sad to leave Kentucky, too. Brooks penned a message to the Big Blue Nation through his Instagram on Sunday to thank everyone for his special time in Lexington as a Wildcat.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Keion Brooks Jr. (@keionb)

This a little overdue but I have to thank BBN for the 3 great years that we spent together. To my coaches and the support staff I learned so much from all of you guys and it was a blessing to be able to go in and work with y’all everyday as y’all pushed me to be the best I could be💯. To my teammates/brothers y’all gave me relationships that I’ll have for the rest of my life and y’all inspire me everyday to go and get it!! @ukcoachcalipari thanks for pushing me and challenging me to be the best version of myself. And to Big Blue Nation thanks for taking me in as the kid with the long twists in and supporting me through all the ups and downs. I’ll be apart of BBN 4life💙 1️⃣2️⃣

@keionb | Instagram

Much respect to you, Mr. Brooks. We’ll be cheering you on during those midnight east coast tipoffs.