Following a record-setting year that culminated in the program's first trip to the Final Four, Virginia Tech women's basketball head coach Kenny Brooks, center Elizabeth Kitley and guard Cayla King met with the media Friday afternoon. Brooks recapped the Hokies' 2022-23 season while Kitley and King talked about what went into their respective decisions to come back to Blacksburg for a fifth year.
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Read what Brooks, King and Kitley had to say below.
HEAD COACH KENNY BROOKS
(Opening statement) "For me personally, it was the best year I've ever had coaching basketball, and not just because we got to the Final Four, not just because we won 31 games or that we were the ACC champions. It was because I got to work with these young ladies. They're fun to be around. It's fun to watch their success, fun to watch them get everything they deserved. Just a tremendous year, all year long, through the ups, the downs, the challenges, the distractions. They always came out on top. To not only represent our program, which they put up on a national stage, but also the positive energy they brought to the University, and they also helped themselves out tremendously.
"Just very happy, and extremely happy that these two are coming back next year. You won't hear us say that we're going to do it again. I think that would discredit how hard it is to get there, and we want to really appreciate how hard it was to get there and the achievement that we had, but our goal is still the same. We'll come back next year and try and add some pieces that will go well with this group, and we'll do everything we can to get back because when you participate in the Final Four, you kind of get addicted to it, and you love the atmosphere. Very special year with all the individual accolades these kids garnered. Just a tremendous year for us in general."
(On what went through his mind when he learned King and Kitley would be returning) "To know us is to know we're very, very close. They're like my daughters. I've watched them come in here and they've grown not only as basketball players but as people. A lot of that has to do with our relationship. We talk, and it's more than just basketball. They can come up into my office and we can sit around and talk, and we don't even talk about basketball. I've gotten to know them extremely well, probably like a dad. When we talked at the beginning of the year, I said, 'I want you to go out and enjoy every aspect of the season and we'll talk when the time is appropriate.' As a parent, everyone knows if you just sit in front of your kids and listen to them, they'll tell you everything. Throughout the year, I could hear in their voices kind of which way they were leaning. We never put any pressure on them about what they were going to do. I was walking into HomeGoods when [Elizabeth] dropped her 'I'm back' deal which was kind of ironic because last year I was going into HomeGoods when certain situations happened for us.
I'm very proud of the way they've handled it, very happy that they're back. They've done so much for our program other than just the things on the court. Their leadership, the way that they lead is spectacular. They've taken bits and pieces from people before them and they've made it better. It was never any pressure. I don't think we even talked about it during the year after we had those initial conversations. I wasn't surprised when they announced it… They are the foundation, they've been my foundation. For them to come in and be able to mentor the next group of kids who I think will be the next foundation for us is tremendous."
GUARD CAYLA KING
(On what went into her decision to return to Blacksburg for a fifth year) "I think it's just honestly Hokie Nation. Being here for four years and getting an opportunity for another is not something I really wanted to pass up. COVID of course was not the best situation, but it gave me this opportunity and not a lot of people have this opportunity. I think if I didn't take it, I would look back and be like, 'What if,' and I didn't really want that. Just staying with Coach Brooks, especially knowing that [Elizabeth] is going to be here, too, and Georgia [Amoore]. I've been here with them for an entire four years. I'm just excited for next year."
(On whether or not returning to Blacksburg was on her mind throughout the year) "It was a similar situation to [Elizabeth]. We wanted to be in the moment and be focused on our season. I think it's also respectful to the players on the team. You want to make it like it's your last, because it was some of our teammates' last year, so you always want to give them your best effort. I don't think it was something in the back of my mind. I knew I had another year and most likely I was going to come back, but at the end of the day, I wanted to be in the moment this year."
CENTER ELIZABETH KITLEY
(On what went into her decision to return to Blacksburg for a fifth year) "I'm very excited also, the same as Cayla said. Just to be able to have the opportunity to be somewhere for another year where I know that I'm loved and appreciated, and where I know I can get better and I have a great support system and just be surrounded by amazing people. I would feel very sad if I left that unfinished to its full capacity. Very excited for that, and for the opportunity to play with Cayla. We've done eight whole years now. It's just normal, I can't imagine what it would be like without her."
(On her thought process around whether or not to enter her name into the WNBA draft or return to Blacksburg) "When we first realized there was going to be an extra year, I was a bit more like, 'Four years, that's what everyone does, that's normal, I'll just do that,' but as time progressed and as this program progressed and we got better, I realized how good of a fit it was for me and how much I love being here. That really is what it came down to, honestly. I just love it here. It's a secure place for me where I know I can help out the program and in turn, it makes me a better person and player. It's just extremely beneficial for me and can only help."