Kentucky WBB back in the mix for 5-star Sacred Heart guard ZaKiyah Johnson
The good news just keeps on coming for Kenny Brooks and Kentucky women’s basketball.
After cutting her list to 12 schools in November, Kentucky was officially out of the running for ZaKiyah Johnson. However, fast forward several months later, and the ‘Cats are back in play in Johnson’s recruitment.
The West Virginia Thunder, the Under Armour AAU team that Johnson will be playing for this summer, made the announcement Monday on X/Twitter that Johnson has been re-offered by Kentucky. The Thunder have several high-profile players on their roster. Between their 15U, 16U, and 17U teams, Johnson is their best player regardless of class.
“The top ranked guard adds UK into her top list of schools,” wrote West Virginia Thunder AAU. Kentucky initially offered Johnson all the way back in July 2020 when Matthew Mitchell was still head coach.
Johnson, the fifth-ranked prospect in the 2025 class by ESPN, will now be considering Kentucky among the likes of UConn, South Carolina, LSU, and the rest of her finalists. The state of Kentucky has some major stars in the junior class, and Johnson headlines that list.
The 6-0 guard just wrapped up her junior season, accomplishing just about everything possible in just three years in high school. Led by Johnson, Sacred Heart Academy won its fourth state championship in a row, becoming the first program ever in the state of Kentucky to do so.
On an individual level, Johnson has won the Gatorade Kentucky Player of the Year three years in a row now, and it would be a massive upset if she didn’t win that plus Miss Kentucky Basketball as a senior in 2024-25.
Thanks to a reinvigorated program under new head coach Kenny Brooks, Kentucky will once again have a shot at landing the best in-state prospect since Erin Boley, the sister of UK quarterback Cutter Boley.
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