Kentucky WBB Wednesday afternoon recruiting, transfer notes
Good afternoon, folks! I’m trying something slightly today. I’m sure you’re all familiar with KSR’s recruiting notes posts that have regularly frequented the website, particularly in regards to football. Well this time around we’re switching gears. Today we’re going to dive into some recruiting (and transfer) notes on the Kentucky Women’s Basketball front. Let’s get right into it.
Kentucky continues to prioritize Olivia McGhee
If you’re a fan of Kentucky WBB, make sure to remember the name Olivia McGhee.
Clocking in as a 6-foot-2 guard, McGhee is considered a four-star prospect from the class of 2023 and the No. 35 overall player in the country, according to ESPN. The Wildcat coaching staff has been recruiting the Virginia product for roughly a year now. McGhee received her offer from UK in April 2021 and later included the ‘Cats among her top 11, which she dropped on New Year’s Day. She holds additional offers from the likes of N.C. State, North Carolina, Tennessee, Louisville, Michigan and several other Power 5 programs.
McGhee was in Lexington back in December for an unofficial visit, where she posted a picture to social media alongside current freshman point guard Jada Walker, who is also from Virginia.
Earlier this week, Kentucky head coach Kyra Elzy and associate head coach Niya Butts popped in for an in-home visit to meet with McGhee and her family. The timing of the visit was telling, considering McGhee posted on Tuesday that “due to recent coaching changes and circumstances” she would re-open her recruitment. Kentucky checking in for a visit would indicate that the ‘Cats are still firmly in the mix. Arizona head coach Adia Barnes was also recently in for a visit while Mississippi State extended an offer on March 25.
Along with Kentucky, McGhee’s original top 11 included Ole Miss, N.C. State, Georgia, Arizona, Virginia Tech, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee, and Penn State. Of those programs, Georgia, Virginia, and West Virginia all underwent coaching changes since the end of the season. Additionally, Mississippi State recently hired a new coach, Sam Purcell. Kentucky has been one of the few constants throughout her lengthy recruiting process.
Frontcourt portal additions?
The transfer portal has over 800 names in it as of Wednesday afternoon and it could very well reach quadruple digits in the coming days. Four of those names left Kentucky in search of a new home, leaving plenty of potential playing time that desperately needs to be filled. As of right now, the roster is sitting on 10 scholarship players for the 2022-23 season, five of them incoming rookies. And of those 10, eight of them would be considered guards. The only two players over 6-foot-3 will be rising junior Nyah Levertter and incoming freshman Tionna Herron.
Coach Elzy won’t sit quietly on the portal as she did last offseason. This team moving forward lacks experience and height, which will need to be addressed through the portal. KSR’s Grant Grubbs broke down some potential transfer options earlier in the week, including Missouri’s Aijha Blackwell, who was recently tabbed as the top available transfer on the market over at The Athletic.
But after doing some more research, I’ve found a few additional names I’d like to mention, specifically as options in the frontcourt.
Lou Lopez-Senechal (Fairfield)
The MAAC 2021-22 Player of the Year, Lou Lopez-Senechal is a 6-foot-1 senior out of France who has one more year of eligibility remaining. She’s the only non-Power 5 player on this list, but don’t mistake that for a lack of high-level talent. Lopez-Senechal averaged 19.6 points and 4.6 rebounds at Fairfield as a senior last season on 44.8 percent overall shooting and a 40 percent mark from 3-point range. For her college career, she’s averaged 16.1 points per contest over 98 total games. Lopez-Senechal was named the MAAC Rookie of the Year before earning three straight First-Team honors. Her immediate scoring impact would greatly benefit Kentucky.
Nyayongah Gony (Miami)
After sitting out the 2021-22 season due to COVID-19 concerns, Nyayongah Gony is a 6-foot-4 wing who will be a junior next season. She might be the most intriguing prospect of this bunch, but the one with the least amount of on-court production. Gony played all 22 games as a freshman in 2020-21 for the Miami Hurricanes but averaged just 3.5 points in 10.2 minutes per contest before not playing this past season. She was a top 100 player in the country out of high school in Nebraska. Expect the Huskers to play a significant role in her transfer, but it wouldn’t hurt Kentucky to take a look at her as a developmental project.
Kylee Watson (Oregon)
The Oregon Ducks have two transfer guards in the portal who could both consider Kentucky in Sydney Parrish and Maddie Scherr, the latter being a Bluegrass native. But we’re going to turn our attention to a third outgoing transfer in 6-foot-4 rising junior forward Kylee Watson. She appeared in 32 games this past season for Oregon, including nine starts. Watson averaged 3.8 points and 2.9 rebounds across 16.4 minutes per contest in 2021-22 for the Ducks. Her size and experience in the Pac-12 would help Kentucky from day one.
Rita Igbokwe (Pittsburgh)
A 6-foot-4 rising senior, Pittsburgh transfer Rita Igbokwe has been an impactful college rim protector from the day she stepped on campus. She broke the Panthers’ record for most shots blocked by a freshman in 2019-20 with 60. Igbokwe led Pitt in blocked shots all three of her seasons with the program, totaling 157 rejections over that span. As a junior in 2021-22, the Georgia native averaged 6.1 points and 7.4 rebounds per game on 44.9 percent overall shooting from the floor. She would be an immediate impact player for the ‘Cats.
Koi Love (Arizona)
The first of two Arizona transfers we’ll discuss is a familiar face to those who have followed Kentucky the last few years. Koi Love, a 6-foot rising senior spent her first two college seasons at Vanderbilt before transferring to ‘Zona for 2021-22. Love was a top 100 recruit out of high school, was tabbed to the 2020 SEC All-Freshman Team, and averaged just shy of a double-double as a sophomore with 20.8 points and 9.5 rebounds. Unfortunately, her time in Arizona didn’t translate, as her averages plummeted to 4.7 points and 3.4 rebounds per game for the Wildcats. Even still, Love’s previous track record as a bucket-getter will surely be appealing to Kentucky, along with her familiarity with the SEC.
Aaronette Vonleh (Arizona)
The last name I’ll bring up is Arizona’s Aaronette Vonleh, who is the younger sister of former NBA player Noah Vonleh. She was just a freshman a season ago with plenty of room to improve at 6-foot-3. Vonleh won’t bring much experience to her next spot as she played just 118 minutes in 2021-22, but she’s another former top 100 recruit who could be a solid long-term option for the ‘Cats in the frontcourt.
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