UK’s leading scorer enters transfer portal one day after women’s basketball coach is fired

Kentucky women’s basketball’s leading scorer will enter the transfer portal.

Senior forward Ajae Petty announced Tuesday via social media that she intends to transfer after two seasons as a Wildcat. Petty led the team in points (14.2), rebounds (10.6) and blocks (0.8) during the 2023-24 season, averaging 31.2 minutes per game and starting in each of the team’s 32 games. She has one year of eligibility remaining, granted by the NCAA due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I wanted to take a moment to express my gratitude for the opportunity to be a part of the University of Kentucky,” Petty wrote in an Instagram post. “The experiences and memories I’ve gained during my time here will always hold a special place in my heart. As I enter the transfer portal and pursue new opportunities, I want to thank the entire coaching staff for their guidance, support, and belief in me. It’s been an incredible journey, and I am grateful for the lessons learned, the friendships made, and the growth both as a player and as a person. While I may be leaving, I will always cherish the time spent at the University of Kentucky. Thank you for everything.”

Petty, who transferred to UK ahead of the 2022-23 season after two years with LSU, finished the regular season as one of four players in the Southeastern Conference to record at least 15 double-doubles; she posted 16 double-doubles during the regular season, and did so in each of the Wildcats’ SEC Tournament games. The most improved player on the roster, Petty’s production jumped after an offseason of strength, conditioning and focus. As a junior, Petty averaged 5.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 0.7 blocks per game in 29 contests with no starts.

She was lauded by several SEC coaches throughout the year and called the most improved player in the conference by Arkansas’ Mike Neighbors, Texas A&M’s Joni Taylor and Missouri’s Robin Pingeton.

“I think Petty’s the most improved player in the SEC,” Neighbors said after UK beat Arkansas on Jan. 4. “I’ve watched it throughout the nonconference. I watch it very closely. I’m on the WBCA Awards Committee so I watch individual play, and I’ve just been wowed by what she’s done in the offseason and how their staff has gotten her focused, how they use her, how they play through her.”

“Petty, in my opinion, is the most improved player in the league,” Taylor said after the Aggies beat the Wildcats on Feb. 11. “Like when you look at what her numbers are this year compared to last year.”

“Petty is ... just so much respect,” Pingeton said after Kentucky beat Missouri on Jan. 21. “You know, when you look at her and the growth in her game, and it’s 100% just hard work. Just probably the most improved player in the league. We haven’t faced everybody yet, but just looking back on film of her a year ago to where she’s at today, and that doesn’t just happen, right? You got to really be diligent and put in the work. And she’s, I think, a very elite player. I think she’s a future pro. And so hats off to her for sure.”

Petty’s announcement comes one day after UK athletics director Mitch Barnhart announced Kyra Elzy would no longer be the head coach of the program, and hours after dismissed sophomore forward Zennia Thomas retweeted a post that she would be transferring. College basketball players are able to officially enter the transfer portal when the window opens the day after NCAA Tournament Selection Sunday — Monday, March 18 this year — and until its closing 45 days later.

Two freshmen are currently committed to the Wildcats’ 2024 recruiting class: 6-foot-5 center Ramiya White of Butler Traditional (Louisville), who signed her letter of intent in November, and late-February verbal commitment Tanah Becker, a 6-1 wing out of Hamilton Heights Christian Academy (Chattanooga, Tennessee).

Fifth-year graduate guard Emma King is the only member of the Wildcats’ roster who has exhausted her eligibility. Seniors Nyah Leveretter, Eniya Russell and Maddie Scherr, as well as junior Brooklynn Miles, sophomores Amiya Jenkins, Cassidy Rowe and Saniah Tyler and freshmen Jordy Griggs and Janaé Walker all have the option to return for the 2024-25 season.

Athletes who enter the transfer portal are not obligated to leave their existing team, but are not automatically welcomed back if they have a change of heart. In the case of a player like Petty, who will be coveted for her 6-foot-3 size and her skill around the rim, she could play the field while also taking into consideration what Kentucky and its new coach might have to offer.

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