Coaches play a vital role as mentors and leaders for their teams, offering exceptional guidance to their athletes. One such leader is Coach Kenny Books, who recently announced that he would join the University of Kentucky's women's basketball program as their new head coach. As Brooks moves forward in his career, we're sure he will continue to be an unwavering leader in women's basketball.
Brooks built the Virginia Tech Hokies into a champion brand, guiding the program to its first ACC tournament title in 2023 and first ACC regular-season championship in 2024. While in Virginia, Brooks garnered an overall 180-82 record, which included a school-record 31 wins in 2022-23 that resulted in the program's first-ever Final Four appearance.
In his eight seasons, Brooks led the Hokies to the NCAA tournament for four straight seasons (2021-2024).
Recently, Brooks has this to say about his decision to leave Virginia:
“I’ve been a women’s basketball fan for a long time. I switched over because I wanted to be a women’s basketball coach—not because I had to, but because I wanted to. And ever since, I’ve been fighting for respectability. For it finally to be recognized for what it should be as a beautiful sport."
With this year's NCAA Division I Championship garnering 18.7M viewers, it is because of passionate leaders like Brooks that the sport is continuing to grow.
Brooks will find himself playing against Dawn Staley at South Carolina and Kim Mulkey at LSU. His style of play, his ability to develop players, and his strategic mind will all continue while switching his colors to blue and white.
In historically underserved communities, young girls face a significant opportunity gap due to complex social, economic, and educational challenges, creating formidable barriers to their overall success.
Of our three programs, 318 SPORTS is dedicated to empowering exceptionally talented athletes who may lack the exposure or the necessary support to unlock their full potential. Our mission is to create transformative elite training experiences that not only enhance their athletic abilities but also focus on personal growth and empowerment.
It is our goal to give the girls of the 318 Foundation the access and opportunity to find coaches and mentors like Kenny Brooks, to help them grow.
Taking inspiration, we aim to help guide the next generation. Join us in the journey towards excellence with 318 SPORTS.
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