Fresh off a Sweet 16 campaign, Kenny Brooks is putting the pieces together for his third Kentucky women’s basketball team. The Wildcats just landed a player from the transfer portal who has a few impressive accolades on her resume.

On3’s Talia Goodman reports Ayanna Patterson is transferring from UConn to Kentucky. A 6-foot-2 forward from Ft. Wayne, she’ll have two years of eligibility remaining.

Patterson was one of the top recruits in America when she committed to UConn. Named Indiana Miss Basketball and a McDonald’s All-American, she was ranked by ESPN as the No. 4 player in the 2022 recruiting class.

Unfortunately, injuries have prevented Patterson from reaching her potential. She’s spent four years in Storrs, but has only been able to play in two of them.

After playing in 30 games as a true freshman, she underwent offseason knee surgery. Rehab complications forced her to have another surgery that sent her to the sideline. Then her third college basketball season was put on hold by a shoulder injury. Patterson returned last season and appeared in 30 games for the Huskies, yet she was never a part of the regular rotation.

“Yanna, from the time that she got here as a freshman, has always been one of the best people to have as a teammate, because she engages with everyone,” Geno Auriemma said in February. “She works exceptionally hard. She’s no maintenance. … Yanna has gotten a lot out of this. Unfortunately, it didn’t translate to having the opportunity to do it on the court.”

Patterson has plenty of potential and a National Championship on her resume. Hopefully, Brooks can unlock some of that potential while pairing Patterson with Clara Strack in the Kentucky frontcourt next season.

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