Kenny Brooks lands experienced Kentucky native in women’s basketball transfer portal
Kenny Brooks has landed his first transfer commitment of the offseason.
Louisville native Josie Gilvin is now a Kentucky Wildcat, she announced via social media on Friday night. The 6-foot guard spent the past three seasons at Western Kentucky, and was reported to have taken a visit to UK last weekend. She entered the portal on March 25.
“Always will be a Kentucky Girl,” Gilvin posted on Instagram.
A 2024-25 All-Conference USA Second Team and CUSA All-Defensive Team selection, Gilvin averaged 13.1 points on 53.2% shooting this season, including 41.3% from 3-point range. The Toppers’ second-leading scorer also led WKU in rebounds (6.3), steals (2.6) and blocks (0.8) per game across 32 contests. She averaged 31.0 minutes per game as a junior, making 32 starts, and brings with her 97 games of Division I basketball experience.
When the Toppers and the Wildcats faced off at the end of December in Memorial Coliseum — the programs’ first clash since December 2008 — Gilvin contributed 10 points , three rebounds and two steals. When asked about Gilvin’s impact after the game, WKU head coach Greg Collins spoke to how easy it is to root for the Kentuckian, even going so far as to say that his son wears the number 33 jersey in baseball because “he loves Josie,” so much.
“Josie just plays so hard,” Collins said. “All the girls worked really hard in the offseason to improve, but nobody worked any harder than Josie did, and she’s continued to grow.”
Collins went on to explain how Gilvin is “still not even close,” to reaching her ceiling, and cited a couple of missed layups in the loss as evidence of both her strengths and weaknesses.
“Even then,” Collins said. “She’s come out and she’s like, ‘No, Coach, I know I gotta get back on two feet.’ Because she missed those layups because she’s just flying a hundred miles per hour. Now, that’s Josie’s strength, is playing hard and playing fast. We just got to get her under control in some of those situations. So she can be a little more efficient.”
The former All-State selection in cross country and track for Sacred Heart Academy was also a Miss Kentucky Basketball candidate in 2022, and helped guide the Valkyries to their first and second titles of what would become a five-peat. Collins also noted how Gilvin, the daughter of former University of Louisville guard Dayna McGrath (Gilvin), understands all that goes in to winning at a high level.
“She comes from a championship background,” Collins said. “Back-to-back state championships at Sacred Heart, Mom played at the University of Louisville, so she knows what it takes.”
Kentucky’s roster increases to nine players
Gilvin is the first transfer portal addition to a 2025-26 Kentucky roster that now includes nine players.
That group includes seven returnees in 6-2 guard Lexi Blue, 5-10 guard Gabby Brooks, 6-3 forward Amelia Hassett, 6-4 forward Teonni Key, 6-1 guard Jordan Obi, 6-1 guard Dominika Paurová and 6-5 center Clara Strack. Kaelyn Carroll, the nation’s No. 15 2025 recruit, is the lone incoming freshman on next season’s team.
After Kentucky’s season-ending loss to Kansas State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, two players from 2024-25 had used up all their eligibility — Georgia Amoore and Dazia Lawrence — and four others announced their departures from the program — Tanah Becker, Cassidy Rowe, Clara Silva and Saniah Tyler.
