Former Kentucky basketball 5-star transfers, moves out west to Pac-12

Former Kentucky basketball five-star Keion Brooks is leaving the Wildcats after three seasons to join the Washington Huskies in the Pac-12.

Keion Brooks has had to make some big decisions recently, from entering the NBA Draft pool to withdrawing and then entering the transfer portal.

Now he’s made the biggest one of all, picking Washington as his transfer destination.

The former five-star recruit made it official on Instagram in his new threads.

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John Calipari wished Brooks well on Twitter.

“Keion gave his best to our program, was loyal, improved every year and was a great teammate,” the head coach wrote. “I have great respect for Washington and will be rooting for them and Keion – unless we have to play them!”

Keion Brooks is leaving Kentucky basketball for Washington

Brooks was part of the absolutely stacked 2019 recruiting class for Kentucky. Ranking No. 24 nationally, the five-star wing joined the Wildcats with big expectations.

At times, Brooks looked like a star. In 2021, he scored a career-high 27 points against Kansas. He put up 19 points against Tennessee in the SEC Tournament.

However, he also struggled with inconsistency and played a role he wasn’t exactly enthusiastic about. He started most of his final season in a more traditional forward role rather than playing as a wing.

The move to Washington will give Brooks the opportunity to prove John Calipari right or wrong about his positioning. He’ll be a centerpiece with the Huskies.

Kentucky obviously would have wanted Brooks to return after averaging 10.8 points this past season but the Wildcats should be able to cope without him. Jacob Toppin and Daimon Collins are coming back to compete while five-star forward Chris Livingston is joining the fray as well.

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