A thin UK women’s basketball frontcourt grows thinner with dismissal of suspended forward
Sophomore forward Zennia Thomas was dismissed from the University of Kentucky women’s basketball team Tuesday evening, head coach Kyra Elzy announced.
“We hold our players to a high standard at Kentucky,” Elzy said in a news release. “Unfortunately, when someone does not consistently meet those standards, I have to make the tough decision to dismiss them from the program. We wish Zennia and her family nothing but the best moving forward.”
The departure leaves an already thin UK roster with only 10 active players. The Wildcats are just embarking on the meat of their schedule with the start of Southeastern Conference play. Kentucky (8-8 overall, 1-1 SEC) is preparing for a game Thursday night in Rupp Arena against Vanderbilt.
The 6-foot-2 Thomas, who entered the 2023-24 season as the primary backup for senior forward Ajae Petty, averaged 2.5 points, 1.7 rebounds, 0.1 assists, 0.1 steals and 0.3 blocks in 11.3 minutes across seven games played.
Her last appearance for the Wildcats was in the team’s Nov. 25 loss to Cincinnati, where she recorded one point, three rebounds and one steal. The program first announced her suspension — “suspended indefinitely for a disciplinary matter that is being handled internally” — directly prior to UK’s Nov. 30 victory over Boston College.
Thomas was a late addition to the freshman class of 2022 out of Lyndhurst, Ohio, following a breakout season where she averaged 30.6 points and 14.5 rebounds per game at Warrensville Heights High School. During her freshman season with the Wildcats, Thomas averaged 0.9 points, 0.7 rebounds, 0.1 assists and 0.1 blocks in 4.5 minutes across 10 games.
Thomas is the third player from Kentucky’s six-member 2022 recruiting class no longer with the team. Tionna Herron transferred to Texas and Kennedy Cambridge to Ohio State after last season. Amiya Jenkins, Saniah Tyler and Cassidy Rowe remain with the Wildcats from that class.
UK has navigated this entire year without senior forward Nyah Leveretter, who torn an ACL late last season.
In addition to Jenkins, Tyler, Rowe and Leveretter, Kentucky’s 2023-24 roster includes regular contributors Petty, Emma King, Brooklynn Miles, Eniya Russell, Maddie Scherr and little-used freshmen Janae Walker and Jordy Griggs.
Of that group, only Petty, Walker and Leveretter are listed as frontcourt players.
Next game
When: 7 p.m. Thursday
TV: SEC Network+
Radio: WLAP-AM 630
Records: Kentucky 8-8 (1-1 SEC), Vanderbilt 15-1 (2-0 SEC)
Series: Kentucky leads 38-27
Last meeting: Vanderbilt won 79-59 on Feb. 19, 2023, in Nashville
