Following the 76-54 Sweet 16 loss to Texas, a major part of the narrative surrounding Kentucky women’s basketball centered on the five key seniors who were set to depart the team.
Good news for Big Blue Nation came, though, when head coach Kenny Brooks confirmed that star center Clara Strack would be returning for the 2026-27 season.
When discussing plans for next year, including what it would take to make it further in the NCAA Tournament and what caliber his team will be at, Brooks commented on Strack returning for her senior year.
“We have an All-American center coming back next year,” Brooks said.
He also commented on how out of all five finalists for the Lisa Leslie award – an award for the nation’s top center – Strack was the only one that was a junior and returning for another season of action.
“The one that’s coming back, is coming back to us,” Brooks said. “[…] and we have to surround her with some really good players – and we will.”
Strack, a 6-foot-5 junior, transferred to Kentucky two years ago whenever Brooks was hired on as Kentucky’s new head coach. Taking a chance alongside Brooks to rebuild the Wildcats’ program, Strack has been integral to Kentucky’s success.
This season, the center averaged 16.9 points per game, 10.3 rebounds per game, 1.2 steals per game and 2.6 blocks per game. She led the team in all of those marks, and is the only player in the nation averaging all of those stats.
If past years are any indication of the growth she’s had in Lexington, next year will be no different in how Strack will continue to develop into one of the nation’s best players.
“I’m just excited for her future,” Brooks said before the Round of 32 game against West Virginia. “She can go down as one of the best players that I’ve ever coached in my life because of her versatility.”
In her first year with Virginia Tech, she averaged 4.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, 0.1 steals and 1.2 blocks per game. During that freshman season, Strack played an average of 13.8 minutes per game.
Then, in her first year with Kentucky, Strack’s playing time more than doubled (31.7 minutes), and she moved to 15.4 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 0.8 SPG and 2.4 BPG.
This season alone, Strack was named to the All-SEC First Team, earned All-American Honorable Mention honors (AP and USBWA) and was selected to the SEC All-Defensive Team.
In two years, Brooks has completely transformed the Kentucky women’s basketball program, taking it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in his first season – the first time they had reached the tournament since 2021-22. He followed up that Round of 32 run with this year’s Sweet 16 appearance.
Strack has been alongside him for all of it, and much of Kentucky’s game plan is built around her.
The announcement of the center’s return is a major boost for Kentucky as it looks to continue its upward trend as a women’s basketball power.
“[…] This place is a sleeping giant, and I think that we’ve done a pretty good job of tickling it to wake it up a little bit,” Brooks said following the loss to Texas. “And now, we want to get over top with continuing to capitalize on the momentum that we have […].”
Strack’s return is the first news about UK’s current roster that has been confirmed. However, with the exhausted eligibility of Tonie Morgan, Jordan Obi, Teonni Key, Amelia Hassett and Josie Gilvin, more announcements are sure to be made in the near future.
