Now fully healthy, Ayanna Patterson can follow in Teonni Key’s footsteps

The path to playing for Kentucky women’s basketball looks strangely similar on paper for Teonni Key and Ayanna Patterson. Kenny Brooks is hoping history will repeat itself. Key’s college arc was one of resilience. A five-star high school recruit, she was soon plagued by injuries during her three college years at North Carolina. After missing her freshman campaign due to a torn ACL, the 6-foot-4 forward went on to appear in 51 games for the Tar Heels in 2022-23 and 2023-24, but never averaged more than 11 minutes per contest. Her final season in Chapel Hill began with her missing 10 games to another injury. But there was no denying the talent. A fresh start was needed to unlock it. Brooks took a chance (or what was viewed as a chance at the time) on Key when he brought her in ahead of the 2024-25 season, but it wasn’t a risk for him. With the injury bug (mostly) behind her, Key was crucial to Kentucky’s success the last two seasons. She averaged 11.4 points and 7.9 rebounds per outing as a Wildcat while starting all 59 games played. Key went on to be a second-round pick in this year’s WNBA Draft. She now suits up for the Toronto Tempo, having already played in 28 games as a pro this season, but she made sure to pass the torch before leaving Lexington. Patterson is the one who took it. A 6-foot-2 forward, she was also a five-star high school recruit before committing to UConn. Like Key, injuries have followed her. She’s been in college for four years, but only played in two of those due to season-ending injuries in 2023-24 and 2024-25. Patterson still managed 60 games played in the two seasons she was good to go, but her role was limited with the Huskies. So she did exactly what Key did a couple of years ago: hit the portal and transfer to Kentucky. While talking with the media last week, Patterson said that Key actually played a role in her recruiting process with UK. Key’s voice being in the room was certainly no coincidence. “It’s nothing that was wrong at UConn — she just wanted an opportunity to play,” Brooks said of Patterson last month. “Her situation is similar to Teonni’s, where she went to a situation where she was highly-ranked, had an injury early, kinda derailed her progress, sat behind some really good players, and now just wants a fresh start.” Patterson says she’s now “100 percent healthy” going into what is technically her redshirt junior season. Her role heading into 2026-27 is still undefined, but Brooks likes it that way for now. Patterson’s versatility (she can dunk, you know) is arguably her biggest strength, and her head coach plans to lean on it. “First and foremost, she’s a great kid,” Brooks said. “She’s a great person, great personality. Probably has one of the most beautiful smiles you’ll ever see. She comes into a room, she just smiles and lights it up. “Her coming in, we were very excited about her athleticism, her ability to guard multiple players; she can guard the perimeter, she can guard outside. Still working on some things on the offensive end. If it was a football team, she’d be classified as an athlete. So I don’t know what position she is — I just know she’s an athlete.” Brooks admits that they looked at other players in the portal who put up better numbers than Patterson. But it wasn’t just his track record with Key that made him feel confident Patterson can do something similar — it was her time at UConn. Being coached by Geno Auriemma, one of the greatest basketball coaches of all time, and having been around championship teams is what stood out to Brooks. There is championship pedigree within Patterson. “I’m crazy,” Brooks said, “But if she can handle him (Auriemma), then she can handle me.” Subscribe to the KSR YouTube Channel for press conferences, interviews, original shows, fan features, and exclusive content.