The Southeastern Conference and the Big Ten generate so much revenue for their schools that those two leagues have separated themselves from the ACC and other major conferences.
That fact was not lost on Kenny Brooks, who stepped down as Virginia Tech’s women’s basketball coach Tuesday to take the reins at SEC member Kentucky.
“This situation came and to be honest with you, the landscape of college athletics is changing,” he said Thursday at his introductory Kentucky press conference, which was streamed on Kentucky’s athletics website. “With the leadership of the SEC and where it’s going alongside … the Big Ten, you kind of want to align yourself to be able to compete at the highest level year in and year out.
“I looked into all those factors and everything that it presented — the resources to be able to go out and compete consistently — and I just thought in my gut it was the right move.
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“It was going to take something that’s extremely special for me to move and I thought this was the right opportunity.”
Brooks steered Tech to 180 wins in eight seasons. He guided the Hokies to the 2023 Final Four.
“When I got to Virginia Tech, I felt like it was a sleeping giant,” Brooks, 55, said. “As I continued to research everything about Kentucky, I know the academics here are wonderful, I know that the fan base is very passionate. I know that resources will allow you to get to a level where you can compete with anyone. I know it’s in the rich history of the SEC. And the SEC’s leadership and where it’s going, you want to be aligned with that to try to create something very, very special.
“When I added all that up, what I came up with was it was going to be a sleeping giant. It just needs to be awakened.”
According to The Athletic, Brooks will make $1.3 million in the first year of his five-year contract with Kentucky. He will make $1.4 million in his second year, $1.5 million in his third year, $1.7 million in his fourth year and $1.8 million in his fifth year.
Brooks had signed a three-year contract extension with Tech in July that was to run through the 2028-29 season. The deal was for $6.4 million in total pay over those six years, beginning with the 2023-24 season. He was set to reap $975,000 in total pay for the second year of the deal. He was set to make $1.2 million in total pay in the final year of the deal.
Brooks said he was “very, very comfortable” at Virginia Tech.
“When you think about Kentucky, you think about basketball,” Brooks said. “When I was approached about a situation that could possibly be with Kentucky basketball, I wasn’t looking. I wasn’t looking. We had a wonderful thing going … at Virginia Tech. It was very, very special. … We created a buzz for women’s basketball that is much needed and much deserved.”
Brooks, who steered Tech to the ACC regular-season title this year, replaces Kyra Elzy at Kentucky. She was fired on March 11.
The SEC boasts women’s basketball powers such as South Carolina and LSU. Oklahoma and Texas are coming aboard.
“The SEC is the best women’s basketball league in the country, and it just got stronger with the additions that we brought in,” Brooks said.
But Brooks said “the sky’s the limit” for his new program.
“With the resources waiting to burst, … you can capitalize on it,” he said. “No one thought we were going to go to the Final Four at Virginia Tech.”
Brooks said NIL money is a “high priority” for his new program.
“This league is abundant with some teams with their NIL opportunities,” he said. “If you’re going to be competitive, … you have to be in the ballpark.
“It’s a necessity … to be able to compete in the best league in the country.”
Brooks met Kentucky men’s basketball coach John Calipari on Thursday.
“I’m going to lean on him,” Brooks said. “I’m looking forward to picking his brain … about Kentucky basketball. Because when we talk Kentucky basketball, it’s an umbrella that you want to be under.”
Brooks hopes the Kentucky basketball brand will help him in recruiting.
“With the brand of Kentucky, I think you’ll be able to recruit a higher-level kid,” he said.
An $82 million renovation of Memorial Coliseum, which is where the Kentucky women’s basketball, women’s gymnastics and women’s volleyball teams play, is expected to be ready for the fall.
“I’m not sure I would be here if it weren’t [being renovated],” he said. “It’s an arms race sometimes for facilities.”
Brooks’ family flew with him to Kentucky on Thursday, including his wife; their youngest daughter, Gabrielle Brooks, who was redshirted as a freshman on the Tech team this season; their middle daughter, former Tech women’s basketball player Chloe Brooks; Chloe’s fiance, former Tech men’s basketball standout Hunter Cattoor; and their granddaughter.