With a new era of Kentucky women’s basketball set to debut, the Cats enter the new season with a very different roster led by a brand-new coach to represent the Blue and White.
As a result, for the first time in a long time, Kentucky women’s basketball has been recognized nationally as a team to watch out for in the SEC.
With Big Blue Nation eager to see what head coach Kenny Brooks and his squad can accomplish with only two familiar faces on the team, it’s only fitting that a complete breakdown is in order.
Meet the team:
0 – Jordan Obi
Year: Graduate student
Hometown: Hartford, Connecticut
Position: Guard
Former school: Penn (Univ. of Pennsylvania)
Career highlights:
-2023-24 All-Ivy First Team
-2x All-Ivy Second Team (2021-22, 2022-23)
-2x All-Big 5 Second Team (2021-22, 2022-23)
-CoBL.com All-City 6 Second Team (2021-22)
Obi opted to take her fifth year of eligibility with Kentucky after her four years at UPenn, where she left with a record-breaking career. During her four years, she became the 25th player in Penn history to join the 1,000-point club and ended her senior season with the 11th most points in program history (1.142). Her career blocks ranked ninth in history (85). Unfortunately for Kentucky, Obi sustained a lower leg injury over the summer and was ruled out indefinitely.
2 – Saniah Tyler
Year: Junior
Hometown: Florissant, Missouri
Position: Guard
Former school: N/A, Kentucky
Career highlights:
-One of two returning Wildcats, making 13 starts last season
Tyler is one of only two players who stayed at Kentucky following the 2023-24 season. During her previous season, she averaged 10.2 points-per-game (PPG), the second most on the team, 1.8 rebounds-per-game (RBG) and combined for 19 assists and 21 steals. The former four-star guard has shown considerable improvement during her UK career and has played a vital role as a veteran thus far.
3 – Georgia Amoore
Year: Graduate student
Hometown: Ballarat, Victoria, Australia
Position: Guard
Former school: Virginia Tech
Career highlights:
-2023-24 John R. Wooden Award All-America Team
-2023-24 Associated Press All-America Third Team
-2023-24 USBWA All-America Third Team
-2023-24 WBCA Region 1 Coaches All-American
-2023-24 Nancy Lieberman Award finalist
-Many more additional accolades
-2023-24 CSC Academic All-District & All-American
-2024 All-ACC Tournament Team Second Team
-2x All-ACC First Team (2022-23, 2023-24)
-2023 Most Outstanding Player of Seattle 3 Region
-2022-23 Associated Press All-America Honorable Mention
-2022-23 WBCA All-America Honorable Mention
-2023 ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament MVP
-2x All-ACC Tournament Team First Team (2021-22, 2022-23)
-2021-22 All-ACC Honorable Mention
-2020-21 ACC All-Freshman Team
Amoore will undoubtedly make a name for herself and play a crucial role as a leader this season after the expected first-round WNBA Draft pick shocked the nation and announced her choice to take her final year of eligibility with the Wildcats. She spent four years at Virginia Tech. As a Hokie, she became one of the best women’s basketball players in Virginia Tech history, becoming the all-time leader in assists (656), boasting the highest assist/turnover ratio (1.8) and finishing second in 3-pointers made (33) and third in scoring (1,853 points). She racked up 14 conference honors and nine national honors during her career.
4 – Lexi Blue
Year: Freshman
Hometown: Orlando, Florida
Position: Guard
Previous school: N/A, former Virginia Tech commit
Blue, originally a commit for Virginia Tech, flipped her commitment to Kentucky. She became Kentucky’s highest-ranked incoming freshman since Treasure Hunt in 2019 and Brooks’ first high school commitment as Kentucky’s coach. The four-star guard out of Orlando averaged 13.9 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 1.8 assists-per-game (APG) and 1.1 steals-per-game (SPG) during her senior season at Lake Highland Prep. She finished her four years at the school with 1,360 points, 504 rebounds, 187 assists, 99 steals and 43 blocks, lead her team to five-straight state championships.
5 – Cassidy Rowe
Year: Junior
Hometown: Virgie, Kentucky
Position: Guard
Previous school: N/A, Kentucky
Career highlights:
-The second of two returners, playing in 31 games last season
Rowe is the second and only other Wildcat to return to Kentucky after last season. She is known for her drive to better the team and herself, never having had doubts when choosing where to go to college and complete her career. The 5-foot-5 guard had a standout sophomore season, averaging 2.6 PPG, one RPG and compiled 39 assists and six steals. The Kentucky native should only improve this year now that multiple shooters will surround her compared to last season.
7 – Teonni Key
Year: Junior
Hometown: Cary, North Carolina
Position: Forward
Previous school: North Carolina
Career highlights:
-ACC Newcomer watch list
Key spent two years with the Tar Heels before announcing her commitment to Kentucky. During her freshman season, she was named to the ACC Newcomer watch list (Blue Ribbon panel), however, she suffered an ACL tear and missed the winter 2021-22 season. Last year, she played her most successful season, averaging 2.7 PPG and 2.5 RPG. The former top-10 recruit is a player to look out for as she is expected to play to her full potential in the upcoming season thanks to the depth and size of the frontcourt.
8 – Tanah Becker
Year: Freshman
Hometown: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Position: Guard
Previous school: N/A
A versatile star, Becker comes from a place with a familiar name as she became the third player out of Hamilton Heights Christian Academy to attend Kentucky (Hunt 20-22, Jazmine Massengill 20-22). The guard spent time playing for the Canadian National Team, winning a silver medal with the 16U squad. She was most notably named in the All-Canadian Game in both 2023 and 2024, recognizing Canada’s top 24 female basketball players.
10 – Dazia Lawrence
Year: Redshirt senior
Hometown: Greenville, North Carolina
Position: Guard
Previous school: Charlotte (UNC-Charlotte)
Career highlights:
-2023-24 AAC Preseason Second Team
-2023-24 AAC First Team
-2024 NCAA Student-Athlete Leadership Forum
-2022-23 Conference USA First Team
-2022-23 Conference USA Player of the Week (2x)
Lawrence is one of the veterans on this year’s roster, spending four years at Charlotte. She is coming off her best season yet, averaging 18.2 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 2.6 APG and 1.7 SPG, and ended the year being named to the AAC First Team. Her knowledge and experience as a player will be fundamental for her role as a leader on the court, which is essential to a team with so many young players.
11 – Gabby Brooks
Year: Sophomore
Hometown: Harrisonburg, Virginia
Position: Guard
Previous school: Virginia Tech
Brooks spent one season as a walk-on at Virginia Tech before announcing she’d be following her father to Kentucky. Although she is listed as a sophomore, she redshirted last season, which would technically make her a redshirt freshman. Brooks is expected to see little playing time this season as she adjusts to competing at such a high level, but will benefit the team in practice as she understands her father’s system.
12 – Dominika Paurová
Year: Sophomore
Hometown: Mlada Boleslav, Czech Republic
Position: Guard
Previous school: Oregon State
Career highlights:
-2023-24 PAC-12 All-Freshman Team honorable mention
Paurová spent her freshman season with Oregon State, playing every game for the Beavers, including all four NCAA Tournament games where they ran to the Elite Eight. She has played on the Czech Republic national squad since 2018, with her most notable season on the U18 team in 2022, where she was considered an MVP candidate at the FIBA European Championship. Paurová is sidelined indefinitely following an injury she sustained while playing in the Czech Republic’s U20 game against Iceland in July.
13 – Clara Strack
Year: Sophomore
Hometown: Buffalo, New York
Position: Center
Previous school: Virginia Tech
The third and final Hokie who followed her former coach to Kentucky is Strack. The four-star recruit played one year with Tech, averaging 4.5 points (56.4% shooting), 4.1 rebounds and 1.2 blocks. Her most notable game came at a crucial time for Tech during the NCAA Tournament, where she recorded 17 points (7/7 shooting) in the Round of 64 with 18 points (6/8 shooting) in the Round of 32. She combined for 15 rebounds, six blocks and four assists during the two games.
17 – Clara Silva
Year: Freshman
Hometown: Faro, Portugal
Position: Center
Previous school: N/A, former commit of Virginia Tech
Silva will be one of only two Wildcats ever to hit 6-feet, 7-inches, and is currently one of the tallest women in college basketball at only 18 years old. She was viewed as one of the world’s top international prospects. She spent the summer playing for the Portugal U18 team, going undefeated in the EuroBasket group phase during the FIBA U18 EuroBasket Championships. She led the team in points per game (20.3), blocks per game (2.3) and rebounds per game (7.7).
32 – Amelia Hassett
Year: Junior
Hometown: Forward
Position: Albury, New South Wales, Australia
Previous school: Eastern Florida State College
Career highlights:
-2023-24 National Junior College Athletic Association Division I All-America Third Team
-2023-24 Citrus Conference Player of the Year
-2023-24 Florida College Systems Activities Association (FCSAA) Player of the Year
-2024 3-on-3 Showcase All-American
During her time with EFSC, the 6-foot-3 Australian shot 54.5% from the field and 40.4% from the three-point line, adding 12.7 rebounds. During her standout sophomore season, she became the first player in EFSC history to win an FCSAA Player of the Year honor, setting a program record of over 20 double-doubles during the season and leading her team to a third straight Citrus Conference Championship.
