Meet this year’s University of Kentucky women’s basketball team
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2019-20 College Basketball Preview
The Lexington Herald-Leader and Kentucky.com preview the 2019-20 college basketball season. Access all of the content in one place here. Check back for new stories and videos each day leading up to the start of the season on Nov. 5.
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Getting to know the 2019-20 Wildcats:
Ogechi Anyagaligbo
Tale of the tape: The 6-foot-1 redshirt senior is from Miami. She graduated in May with a major in biology and was named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll.
The buzz: Anyagaligbo saw her first full season of action at UK last year after transferring from Stony Brook in 2016. She missed two years of basketball after sitting out because of NCAA transfer rules, then suffering a season-ending knee injury during an exhibition game. She averaged 2.5 points and 3.0 rebounds last year but could see an uptick in production and playing time as she has the potential to provide a tough, physical presence to a thin frontcourt.
Nae Nae Cole
Tale of the tape: The 6-foot-3 redshirt senior center is from Gainesville, Va. She transferred from N.C. State and graduated in May with a major in social work and was named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll.
The buzz: The tallest player on the team, Cole practiced with the Cats last season while sitting out due to NCAA transfer rules. In 61 career games with the Wolfpack she averaged 7.0 minutes of playing time.
Dre’una Edwards
Tale of the tape: The 6-foot-2 sophomore forward is from Las Vegas. She transferred to Kentucky from Utah.
The buzz: Edwards will practice with the Cats while sitting out the season due to NCAA transfer rules. She was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Year after averaging 11.6 points and 6.7 rebounds per game with the Utes. She scored 20 or more points three times as a freshman.
Blair Green
Tale of the tape: The 6-foot sophomore guard is from Harlan County. Her major is kinesiology and she was named to the 2019 SEC Academic Honor Roll.
The buzz: Green will be called upon to play an even bigger role for the Cats after being named to the SEC All-Freshman Team by league coaches.
“I’ve been trying to get up a lot of shots and become more versatile because I know they’re going to need me at the wing this year,” Green said at the team’s media day. “I feel like I’m more in my zone.”
Green played in all 33 games for UK last year and scored 10 or more points four times.
Sabrina Haines
Tale of the tape: The 5-foot-10 redshirt senior guard is from Phoenix, Ariz. She transferred from Arizona State and her major is journalism with a minor in sociology. She was named to the 2019 SEC Academic Honor Roll.
The buzz: A crucial cog in the Cats’ push to reload at the guard position, Haines practiced with the team last year while sitting out due to NCAA transfer rules. At the time a knee injury cut her junior season short, she was averaging 10.2 points per game for the Sun Devils, second-most on the team. As a sophomore she had nine points, four rebounds and two steals in a win over Kentucky in Rupp Arena.
Rhyne Howard
Tale of the tape: The 6-foot-2 sophomore guard is from Cleveland, Tenn. Her major is pre-civil engineering.
The buzz: The 2018 Tennessee Gatorade Player of the Year and Tennessee Miss Basketball, Howard has set lofty goals for herself and the team this season.
“I had (SEC) Freshman of the Year as a goal, but I didn’t think I would just kill it like that,” she said at Media Day. Howard added this year she wants to “contend for Player of the Year. But even if (I) don’t, we just want to win a SEC championship.”
Emma King
Tale of the tape: The 5-foot-10 freshman is from Stanford and graduated from Lincoln County High School. She was born in Danville.
The buzz: After averaging 18.5 points per game as a senior, King was named to the All-USA Kentucky Girls’ Basketball Team and the Kentucky-Indiana All-Star Classic roster.
Asked at Media Day how she felt about becoming the most recent Kentucky-born freshman to suit up for the Cats, King said: “It’s so cool. That’s something that I’ve dreamed of since I was little … I told my dad in fifth grade that I wanted to play for UK.”
KeKe McKinney
Tale of the tape: The 6-foot-1 junior forward is from Knoxville, Tenn. Her major is exploratory studies in arts and sciences and she has been named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll two years in a row.
The buzz: A vocal leader who’s comfortable in UK’s up-tempo system, McKinney started 28 games as a sophomore, averaging 4.3 points and 4.9 rebounds.
Deasia Merrill
Tale of the tape: The 6-foot-1 freshman forward is from Villa Rica, Ga.
The buzz: A skilled post player who chose UK over Duke, among others, Merrill will miss this season because of a knee injury suffered during fall practice.
Amanda Paschal
Tale of the tape: The 5-foot-7 senior guard is from Brooklyn, N.Y. She graduated in May with a major in psychology and was named to the 2019 SEC Academic Honor Roll.
The buzz: Finally healthy after playing through a knee injury for much of last season, Paschal has gotten noticeably trimmer. She started six games and averaged 17.8 minutes as a junior.
Chasity Patterson
Tale of the tape: The 5-foot-5 junior guard is from Houston, Texas. She transferred to Kentucky from the University of Texas and her major is media arts and studies.
The buzz: One of the most highly sought after players in the 2017 class, Patterson is looking for a reboot after struggling with the Longhorns. She averaged 2.8 points as a freshman and played in just one game as a sophomore before transferring. She’ll be eligible to suit up after the fall semester.
Kameron Roach
Tale of the tape: The 5-foot-6 junior guard is from Hopkins, S.C. Her major is kinesiology and she has been named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll two straight years.
The buzz: Roach is working her way back from a torn Achilles suffered near the end of last season. Her father, Kendrick, was a member of the Clemson track team.
Jaida Roper
Tale of the tape: The 5-foot-6 senior guard is from Memphis. Her major is psychology and she has been named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll three years in a row.
The buzz: Arguably UK’s most important player off the bench last season, Roper steps into the starting point guard role having developed a reputation as a valuable leader and fantastic locker-room presence. She led the Cats in assists nine times last year.
“I feel like I was groomed by (UK’s previous guards). I was taught a lot by Makayla Epps, Taylor Murray, Maci Morris,” Roper said at UK’s media day. “I was just soaking it all in for this moment now.”
Tatyana Wyatt
Tale of the tape: The 6-foot-2 junior forward is from Columbus, Ga. Her major is biology and she has been named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll two years in a row.
The buzz: A versatile player who won state championships in basketball and volleyball in high school, Wyatt started all but one game last year and averaged 6.9 points and 3.8 rebounds. She’ll likely be the most important piece to UK’s frontcourt.
This story was originally published November 5, 2019 at 11:38 AM.
