The Frustration and Sadness of Kenny Brooks' Departure From Virginia Tech
Fans are understandably upset that the greatest basketball coach in the university's history is moving on to bluer opportunities at Kentucky.
A young sports reporter named Ricky LaBlue covered his first game in-person in the Fall of 2015. It was a Virginia Tech women’s basketball game — less than a thousand fans walked into Cassell Coliseum that day to watch a struggling program win their first of just 12 games that season.
I cut my teeth as a writer and reporter covering the Virginia Tech women's basketball program. And that's why Kenny Brooks' departure from Blacksburg was so disheartening to watch.
For readers that are new to this program — Virginia Tech went 15 years without an NCAA Tournament appearance before Brooks ended that streak in 2021. While the Hokies were nationally relevant around the turn of the century, the program has historically been a doormat.
Things changed immediately when Tech director of athletics Whit Babcock hired Brooks prior to the 2016-17 season. The Hokies eclipsed the 20-win mark that season and just a few years later, Brooks would start a four-year streak of NCAA Tournament appearances.
That, of course, just scratches the surface of what Brooks and his team accomplished. Tech's magical 2022-23 season included an ACC Championship and an incredible Final Four run. The Hokies followed that with a regular-season ACC title and if it weren't for an injury to Liz Kitley's knee, this team may still be playing in this year's tournament.
Unfortunately, we all know how the story ended.
Brooks leaving for Kentucky elicited many emotions, ranging from anger and frustration to downright sadness. While the football program struggled and the basketball program rebuilt from Buzz Williams' departure, Brooks and his girls provided some of the most fun fans have had in Blacksburg in a long time.
Why am I frustrated? Nobody likes to be seen as a stepping stone. It's hard not to view Virginia Tech as such, considering a Virginia native who built one of the best programs in the nation jumped ship to rebuild somewhere else. There are tangible reasons for Brooks to leave, namely a handsome raise, but the person that gets left behind never feels great afterwards.
Why am I sad? Virginia Tech seems to be further and further away from competing with the elite in any of the three major college sports. Despite real progress in Year Two, does anyone see Brent Pry overcoming the likes of Georgia, Alabama, Michigan and Ohio State anytime soon? Mike Young thrilled Hokies across the land with a miraculous ACC Championship, but his team has since missed the NCAA Tournament in two consecutive seasons.
With Brooks, Kitley, Cayla King, and likely most of this year's rotation out the door, what are the chances that Babcock's next hire can pick up right where Brooks left off? They're small, I'd say.
This column probably reads like I'm throwing myself a pity party, and maybe that's accurate. But after watching Virginia Tech not be able to keep the greatest basketball coach (men's or women's) in school history, I'm finding it hard to feel jaded. I imagine many Hokies feel the same way.
The departure of Kenny Brooks is a stark reminder that Frank Beamer and Bud Foster were exceptions, not the rule. Virginia Tech fans have been blessed with an abundance of stability for the last 40 years and we're used to loyalty going both ways.
Things have changed.
That loyalty is only as strong as the direct deposit that hits the bank account. Once that direct deposit isn't enough, all bets are off the table. That's the landscape of college athletics that we're operating in right now.
Virginia Tech's Department of Communication is a growing program and has numerous young reporters coming up through the ranks like I did. What kind of program they get to cover is important to me and I hope that sooner rather than later, they'll get to experience the rise of the program in the same way I did.
I actually do believe that if Coach Pry sticks around the Hokie football team can be truly relevant. Real talk.
Good perspective and sad for Hokies. There is a pecking order in the Power 5 and we, like many others are not in the top half. Do you think Rice fans will be happy if we take their coach. The portal, NIL, huge coaches deals, it’s just the nature of college sports now and it’s driving away a lot of fans.