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A Look at the Memorial Coliseum Renovation Project

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UK Athletics

While John Calipari and many fans are calling for a new practice facility, there is one project that must be completed first, and rightfully so, the Memorial Coliseum renovation project.

First completed in 1950 at a cost of approximately $4 million, Memorial Coliseum has played host to just about every type of event imaginable, from professional tennis exhibitions featuring the likes of Jim Courier and two of Kentucky’s basketball championships.

While there have been projects to upgrade minor parts of the Coliseum and the parts around it, such as new basketball and athletics administration offices (1990) and a new video board (2007), there have been no major changes. Case in point, the facility does not even have modern air conditioning.

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Approved earlier this month, the Memorial Coliseum renovation project constitutes the biggest investment in women’s sports facilities in school history, with an estimated construction cost of $82 million.

The University says that the project is expected to be completed by Fall 2024 and will ensure the Kentucky Women’s Basketball, Volleyball, Gymnastics, and STUNT Teams can call home a state-of-the-art facility that honors Kentucky’s historic past.

Memorial Coliseum will also continue to pay tribute to and honor the servicemen and women who died in World War II and also honors those who have fallen in the Korean War, Vietnam War, and subsequent military service. The renovation project will include an upgraded memorial.

Here are visual plans that the architects have created, displaying what Memorial Coliseum will look like after renovations for each sport.

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Women’s Basketball

Volleyball

Gymnastics

STUNT

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Kenny Brooks and Kentucky Land Transfer Guard Asia Boone

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UK Athletics

Kenny Brooks and the Wildcats have landed their second transfer of the offseason, this time featuring Liberty guard Asia Boone. 

The 5-foot-8 guard averaged 10.2 points per game last season and shows promise to become a knockdown shooter for the Cats. 

Boone announced via her Instagram that she had committed to the University of Kentucky on the afternoon of April 10.

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The soon to be junior didn’t see much of a jump in her averages from her 2023-24 campaign, where she won the CUSA Freshman of the Year award, to this past season, but she’s still a promising talent. 

Brooks, with the addition of Boone, seems to be filling his roster out with shooters and experienced players. The San Diego native has started in every single one of her college games thus far. 

Again, it’ll be interesting to see exactly where she “fits in” on next year’s team. However, one can assume that the starting guards will be Jordan Obi and Dominika Paurová, who both were planned to be big pieces on last year’s team, but ultimately faced sidelining injuries. 

It’s been a focal point in women’s college basketball that you have to have depth on your roster to make it far come March. There’s not a case where you can have “too many players” in today’s game, so adding one more piece makes this team seem so much scarier. 

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In hindsight, the offseason is still somewhat young and Brooks is likely far from over when it comes to recruiting more players to put on that Kentucky jersey. 

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The Bat Cats’ Games Are Always Down To The Wire

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It seems like every single time the Bat Cats take the field, you’re in for a treat of a game that will be down to the wire. Well, that’s because more often than not, the Wildcats are in one score games going into the later innings. 

On seven different occasions this season, Kentucky’s games have been decided by one run. Also, since the start of conference play, the Wildcats have gone into extra innings three times.

This weekend’s past series against one of the top SEC teams was the biggest indicator on how close every Kentucky game can be. 

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In a doubleheader against No. 10 Ole Miss on Friday, April 4, Kentucky won game one on the day by a score of 5-4 in the tenth inning.

Kentucky jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead through three, and thanks to a solid outing from Nate Harris, would keep the Rebels off of the board until the fifth inning. 

Ole Miss tallied four runs before the ninth, tying the game and taking advantage of Kentucky’s poor offense. Finally, with the sixth hit of the game, Devin Burkes would laser a ball over the shortstop, winning the game for the Bat Cats.

Game two was a pitchers duel, where the Wildcats would only record four hits. Until the ninth inning, however, the game was tied 1-1. Ole Miss would win 3-1, with 20 of Kentucky’s last 21 batters being retired. 

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After playing 19 innings over seven hours of baseball, the Wildcats would take the field the next day, going 12 innings in yet another long, close game. It took over four hours. 

Both teams would score a run each in the eleventh after being tied 2-2, where Ole Miss would rally and take the series in Lexington. 

Kentucky, with a not so impressive 18-11 record, will face No. 11 Louisville on Tuesday, April 8 in one that’s gearing up to be yet another close one that the Cats cannot lose.

Don’t be surprised if these two rivals inch close to midnight under the bright lights. 

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Meet Josie Gilvin, Kenny Brooks First Transfer Pickup

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Kentucky women's basketball commit Josie Gilvin.
UK Athletics

On April 4, Kenny Brooks and the Wildcats officially brought in their first transfer of the offseason.

As first reported by Phoenix Stevens of KSR, Josie Gilvin, a 6-foot guard from Western Kentucky University, has decided to play her senior season as a Cat. 

After Brooks saw Gilvin up close and personal on Dec. 28 this past season when Western Kentucky came to Historic Memorial Coliseum, and later taking a visit this offseason just days after inserting herself into the transfer portal, it’s clear that Brooks and his team were interested for quite some time.

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In her junior year at WKU, Gilvin averaged 13.1 points per game, 6.3 rebounds per game and 2.6 steals per game. Given her size, and her elite shooting (41.3% from three), the Louisville native adds another dimension to Brooks’ offense.

Gilvin not only can do a little bit of everything on the court, but also adds a layer of experience that Brooks sought out for last offseason when constructing his first team at Kentucky.

Hailing from Sacred Heart, Gilvin was an All-CUSA Second Team honoree and started all 32 games for the Lady Hilltoppers last season. She helped lead her team to a 23-9 record, finishing third in the conference.

The transfer guard took to her Instagram to not only show off her new number, but tell Big Blue Nation how happy she is to be in the blue and white.

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Obviously, as the offseason continues, we’ll learn more about Gilvin’s role on the team and where exactly she fits in.

She is officially the ninth member of the 2025-26 roster and the Wildcats will have six scholarships to work with going forward. 

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