Kentucky women’s basketball took the court for the first time inside of Historical Memorial Coliseum for the Blue-White event on Friday, Oct. 18.
Fans watched the new-look team participate in a four quarter format, including the Princeton shooting drill, a block split drill and a scrimmage against their practice squad.
Now, seeing a short taste of what this team’s lineup and chemistry will consist of, here’s three takeaways from the Blue-White event.
Personality reigns
From beginning to end, the women’s team brought the energy, smiling and cracking jokes on the court.
Whether it was building cup pyramids with fans or even buying some ice cream among Big Blue Nation, this Kentucky team seems carefree and unafraid to have a good time.
Dazia Lawrence showed off some dance moves, Clara Strack attempted to help a blindfolded dad make a free-throw — failing miserably — and the team nailed two half-court shots to end its scrimmage.
“It was a fun night,” Kentucky Head Coach Kenny Brooks said. “For me, it was fun to see who could actually shoot when the lights came on, they weren’t nervous and they were having fun with it.”
From the moments fans saw at Big Blue Madness, and now the Blue-White Event, this team likes to have fun, and it translates to its chemistry.
Foundations of chemistry
Despite the event being a scrimmage and not a true game against other women, fans experienced what this team can do on the court and the pace of what it plays.
Georgia Amoore and Cassidy Rowe took the ball up court in their respective minutes, utilizing their shooting abilities with the pick-and-roll game.
Both guards attempted to get Clara Silva, Strack and Teonni Key involved in the paint, showcasing their towering size down low. The three bigs scored eight points each.
Silva was the highlight of the night, shooting tough post fadeaways and using her 6-foot-7 frame to bank the ball in.
“When you have a talent like that, she’s going to continue to grow,” Brooks said. “She’s not there yet, and you’ve got to give her opportunities.”
Amoore and Rowe combined for 11 points and five assists, making sure the ball was moving around the perimeter and not just the paint.
The fast pace the team incorporates, along with the towering fan-favorite bigs will be cornerstones in fan attendance this season.
Potential starting lineup
The lineup to begin the scrimmage consisted of Amoore, Lawrence, Amelia Hassett, Key and Strack, with Silva and freshman Lexi Blue rotating.
However, there is no guarantee that this is the set-in-stone lineup that Brooks will begin the season with.
“I think we’re leaning towards a starting lineup, but that’s not to say that somebody can’t work their way into it,” Brooks said. “We’ll have a situation where it’s not going to be permanent. Even last year we made a change in January (at Virginia Tech).”
With these comments from Brooks, fans can expect the unexpected this season. Blue could make the jump from high-school to college look easy and thrive off the bench, Silva could become more physical down low and turn into a nightmare for defenders, Saniah Tyler could become the permanent rotating piece she was last year for the Wildcats and play big minutes.
Brooks, with his wildcard style, will utilize every player on this team, and fans will experience a plethora of different lineups throughout the season.
