Kenny Brooks takes pride in Kentucky being 'dead last in the conference in steals'

When you look at a Kenny Brooks Kentucky team compared to any other Kentucky team from the last decade or so, the immediate difference you notice right away is the length and height that Brooks’ teams have.

Last season, Kentucky had its tallest roster in program history, and even after losing 6-foot-7 Clara Silva to TCU, this year’s team may still be a bit taller. We learned earlier this offseason that Teonni Key (6-foot-5) and Amelia Hassett (6-foot-4) have each grown an inch.

That kind of length and height is very unique to Kentucky, especially compared to their SEC counterparts. We’ve heard and seen how the SEC is the toughest, most physical conference in America, but Kentucky isn’t quite like that.

Instead of pestering guards on the perimeter and trying to create turnovers, Kentucky’s defense is designed to lure scorers into the big, long bodies in the post. It’s shot-blocking over steals at Kentucky.

Clara Strack didn’t win SEC Defensive Player of the Year by being Gary Payton. She did it by being Dikembe Mutombo. That’s by no accident.

“Everything is intentional,” Brooks said of his defensive style at SEC Media Days. “We take pride in the fact that we’re dead last in the conference in steals.” Kentucky was actually second-to-last in the SEC in steals per game with 5.35, just ahead of Arkansas with 5.16, but Brooks’ point still stands.

In his interview with KSR on Episode 39 of The Memorial Memo, Brooks explained, “I think last year’s team was underrated as far as their defensive prowess, so to speak. I guess it is prowess if you led the country in blocked shots — that is defense. I just don’t think that it’s the definition of what the casual fan would say what defense is.”

Brooks added, “A lot of casual fans will say, ‘Oh, you got to press. You got to get steals in order to be a great defensive team.’ That’s not us. We’re going to guard the paint, We’re going to be very, very selective in how we play you, and we’re going to try to funnel you to certain areas where we know that it’s going to be difficult for you. Then, we’re going to contest your shot and try to be the best defensive rebounding team in the country. That’s one of the things that set our defense apart.”

Kentucky is best suited for Brooks’ style of defense, mainly because of the way it blends everyone’s strengths together while masking everyone’s weaknesses on that end of the floor.

“It might not look the part, but you know when you go in the lane and you got Clara Strack and Teonni Key contesting shots, it makes it very difficult for people, and we rely on each other,” Brooks continued. “Our defense, we play a pack line defense.”

“One-on-one, I don’t know if we have a player on our team that would win a one-on-one contest because of their defense, but collectively, playing together as a unit, they’re pretty good.”

More Kentucky News and Views on the KSR YouTube Channel

Kentucky Sports Radio has expanded its coverage of the Wildcats in the most ridiculous manner possible on our YouTube Channel. Here you will be able to find interviews with coaches and players, as well as commentary from the KSR crew. From Rapid Reactions following big events to our lengthy lineup of live shows, subscribe to the KSR YouTube Channel to stay up to date on everything happening around the Big Blue Nation.