Kentucky nabs Virginia Tech's Brooks to fill coaching vacancy

BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) — Kenny Brooks, who guided Virginia Tech to the ACC regular season championship a year after winning the tournament title and reaching its first Final Four, will take over as Kentucky’s women’s basketball head coach, the school said Tuesaday.

The Kentucky women’s basketball spokeswoman declined to comment on the move when asked by The Associated Press.

Brooks will follow Kyra Elzy at Kentucky. She was fired March 11 after consecutive losing seasons since winning the school’s first Southeastern Conference Tournament title since 1982.

Virginia Tech athletic director Whit Babcock wished Brooks and his family well in a release Tuesday and called him “an incredible mentor” to the program and a terrific representative of the school.

The Waynesboro, Virginia, native went 180-82 with at least 20 wins in seven of his eight seasons in Blacksburg, leading the Hokies to their first Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament title last year before winning the 2024 regular season title. Virginia Tech won a school-record 31 games last season on the way to its Final Four appearance before falling to eventual national champion LSU.

The Hokies (25-7) were seeded fourth in their fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament and reached the second round before falling 75-72 to No. 5 seed Baylor on Sunday.

“We hired Kenny in 2016 with the intent of revitalizing our women’s basketball program," Babcock said. "Needless to say, Kenny, his staff and student-athletes created a culture of excellence on and off the court.”

Babcock added that the school will begin a national search for Brooks’ replacement immediately.

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