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Photo by MONT DAWSON – Lexington, KY
Big Blue Madness tipped off basketball in Kentucky on Friday night at Rupp Arena in
front of a packed crowd. The signature event officially marks the annual start of
basketball for both the Men’s and Women’s programs. This year, Big Blue Madness
was about 2 weeks earlier than usual due to the addition of an extra exhibition game
leading into the regular season. As always, the night began with the Women’s team’s
introduction to Big Blue Nation. The Kentucky Women’s team finished the season with a
25-11 record and ended their season with a Sweet Sixteen loss to Texas. The Women’s
team returns just four players from last years Sweet Sixteen team in Clara Strack, Asia
Boone, Gabby Brooks and Dominika Paurova. Coach Kenny Brooks brought in both a
top 6 recruiting class and transfer class this year, highlighted by Maddyn Greenway,
Savvy Swords and Emily McDonald. Coach Brooks and the ‘Cats head into the season
with lofty expectations as Brooks continues to lead the program on an upward
trajectory. They will kick off their season against Morehead State on November 2 nd .
Introducing your 2026-2027 Kentucky Women’s Basketball team!
Women’s Basketball Roster
#2 Me’arah O’Neal (Forward, Junior)
#3 Emily McDonald (Guard, Freshman)
#4 Jemma Amoore (Guard, Junior)
#7 Ajsa Sivka (Guard, TBA)
#8 Asia Boone (Guard, Senior)*
#11 Gabby Brooks (Guard, Senior)*
(#12 Dominika Paurova (Guard, Redshirt Sophomore)*
#13 Clara Strack (Center, Senior)*
#20 Diana Collins (Guard, Senior)
#21 Savvy Swords (Forward, Freshman)
#30 Maddyn Greenway (Guard, Freshman)
#34 Ayanna Patterson (Forward, Redshirt Junior)
* returning from last season
Women’s Competition Winners:
Three-Point Contest Winner: Me’arah O’Neil, Emily McDonald and Asia Boone tied in
the final of the contest (20 points each). The contest moved to halfcourt and Asia Boone
nailed her third attempt to win the contest!
Next up on the Big Blue Madness Docket was the annual cheerleading and dance team
routine.
Next up was the Kentucky Men’s Basketball team, led by head coach Mark Pope, who
is leading the ‘Cats in his 3 rd season. The ‘Cats had a rocky road last year, finishing with
a 22-14 record with a season ending loss to Iowa State in the second round. It may or
may not be a make it or break it year for Pope’s tenure at Kentucky. He once again put
together a formidable squad that lacks a true identity on paper, but has the potential to
make its mark in the SEC and go on a run in March. The exciting introductions were led
by a large ovation for Kentucky-native and fan favorite Malachi Moreno.
Introducing your 2026-2027 Kentucky Men’s Basketball team!
Men's Basketball Roster
#0 Zyon Hawthorne (Guard, Freshman)
#1 Jerone Morton (Guard, Senior)
#2 Brayden Hawthorne (Forward, Sophomore)*
#3 Kam Williams (Guard, Junior)*
#4 Mason Williams (Guard, Freshman)
#5 Zoom Diallo (Guard, Junior)
#9 Trent Noah (Forward, Junior)*
#10 Alex Wilkins (Guard, Sophomore)
#11 Franck Kepnang (Center, Graduate Student)
#19 Ousmane N’Diaye (Forward, TBA)
#21 Justin McBride (Forward, Senior)
#22 Milan Momcilovic (Forward, Senior)
#24 Malachi Moreno (Center, Sophomore)*
#33 Reece Potter (Forward, Senior)*
* returning from last season
Men’s Competition Winners:
Three-Point Contest: Alex Wilkins
King of the Court: Zoom Diallo
Dunk Contest: Justin McBride
It was a fun night in Lexington as basketball is set to get underway later this month, with
the Men’s first exhibition game taking place in two weeks, October 16 th against Travis
Ford and Arkansas Little Rock.
Go ‘Cats!
