Impressed Dawn Staley highlights Georgia Amoore's role in what Kenny Brooks is doing at Kentucky: "Put the glue between all the pieces"

Talented Kentucky guard Georgia Amoore was in stellar form during the Wildcats' narrow 69-65 loss to the Oklahoma Sooners in the Southeastern Conference Tournament quarterfinal on Friday evening. The talented guard who followed Wildcats coach Kenny Brooke to Kentucky from Virginia Tech last year tallied 29 points, five rebounds and seven assists in the game.

On Saturday evening after South Carolina beat the Oklahoma Sooners 93-75 in the SEC semifinals, Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley was asked for her assessment of the work done by Brooks. Staley pinpointed the crucial role that Amoore has played in elevating the Wildcats during Brooks' first season in the SEC.

“He’s (Brooks) done a tremendous job. It’s hard, one, to be top-four in this league in the regular season," Staley said (5:38). "To do it with a brand new team, I mean, I was just listening. I didn’t know all of it, but I was listening to the commentators talk about bringing in 11 new players, getting them to play on one accord.

"They’re really good players, but they don’t play as cohesive without coaching. He’s done a great job of getting them to commit to it. When you got a point guard like Georgia Amoore, that helps put the glue between all the pieces to make it fit – and fit well.”

No. 1-seed South Carolina is set to face the No. 2-seed Texas Longhorns in the SEC championship game on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET.

Georgia Amoore and Kenny Brooks have a long history

Georgia Amoore and Kentucky coach Kenny Brooks have a storied history together after the Kentucky coach recruited the talented guard for the Virginia Tech Hokies from Loreto College, Australia, in 2020.

Amoore followed Brooks when he took the Kentucky job last year and has flourished under his coaching. The guard has averaged 19.1 points, 2.2 rebounds and 6.9 assists for the Wildcats.

During an interview with ESPN, Kenny Brooks revealed how Amoore ended up joining him at Kentucky.

"It was never, 'Hey, you've got to go with me,'" Brooks said. "I was leaving it up to her because she still had another decision to make: Whether she was going to put her name in the WNBA draft.

"Now, it's one more year of working together and the excitement of going somewhere and doing it all over again. Creating something just like what we created at Virginia Tech."

On Tuesday, Amoore was named the SEC Newcomer of the Year and first-team All-SEC for her performances since she arrived in Kentucky.

Kenny Brooks and Georgia Amoore led the Hokies to their first Final Four in their history in 2023, and with a 22-7 record good for No. 4 in the SEC, Wildcats fans will hope that the duo can recreate their Virginia Tech magic this year.