Former Ivy League standout commits to Kentucky women’s basketball

Kenny Brooks has tapped into the Ivy League to add depth and experience to his first University of Kentucky women’s basketball roster.

The program announced Thursday via social media that graduate guard Jordan Obi would be transferring to UK after four seasons at the University of Pennsylvania.

“I’m very excited about the addition of Jordan to our BBN family,” UK’s new head coach said. “Her experience and basketball ability will be valuable to our team in many ways. She’s a versatile player and will offer leadership from the start.”

The 6-foot-1 Obi, originally from Hartford, Connecticut, was the Quakers’ second-leading scorer this past season while leading the team in both rebounds and blocks, delivering 14.8 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 34.1 minutes per contest. The 2024 First Team All-Ivy League and 2024 Academic All-Ivy selection also eclipsed 1,000 career points in 2023-24, becoming the 25th player in program history to do so, and the seventh-fastest to hit the mark (74 games).

The Ivy League canceling all winter sports during the 2020-21 season because of the COVID-19 pandemic caused Obi to wait longer than expected for her first season of college basketball, but she made an instant impact during the 2021-22 campaign. Obi started in each of the Quakers’ 26 games that season, and was named a 2022 Second Team All-Ivy League selection. She received the same honor in 2023. Obi averaged double-figure scoring in each of her three playing seasons.

Because the Ivy League does not allow graduate students to participate in varsity sports, Obi joined a list of recent high-profile players in search of a destination to end their collegiate careers that also included Abby Meyers (Princeton to Maryland for the 2022-23 season) and 2023-24 Southern California standout trio Kaitlyn Davis (Columbia), McKenzie Forbes (Harvard) and Obi’s former Penn teammate Kayla Padilla.

Kentucky’s 2024-25 roster for new head coach Brooks now holds 10 players, including transfers Georgia Amoore and Clara Strack from Virginia Tech, Teonni Key from North Carolina and Obi. That group joins UK’s only holdovers from last season in Cassidy Rowe and Saniah Tyler.

The Wildcats will also roster four incoming recruits: 6-2 guard Lexi Blue (ranked No. 40 nationally by espnW) of Lake Highland (Florida) Prep, 6-3 sophomore forward Amelia Hassett of Eastern Florida State College, 6-7 center Clara Silva, an international prospect, and 6-1 wing Tanah Becker from Hamilton Heights Christian Academy in Chattanooga, Tennessee, by way of Canada.

Four Wildcats who saw significant playing time during the 2023-24 season have announced transfer destinations. Starting point guard and 2021 Miss Kentucky Basketball Brooklynn Miles committed to Pittsburgh. Second-leading scorer and 2020 Miss Kentucky Basketball Maddie Scherr chose Texas Christian. Leading scorer Ajae Petty committed to Ohio State and senior guard Eniya Russell picked Mississippi State. Senior forward Nyah Leveretter, who missed last season recovering from a knee injury, transferred to Georgia. Rutgers announced the signing of freshman forward Janaé Walker, who averaged 7.6 minutes per game, on Friday.

Freshman Jordy Griggs has also announced her entry to the transfer portal, but hasn’t yet named a destination. Sophomore guard Amiya Jenkins issued a goodbye post addressed to Big Blue Nation on Monday following reports that she had entered the transfer portal, but has yet to declare a destination.

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