In Kentucky’s new-look women’s basketball debut, everything came up ‘Clara’

Kenny Brooks is confident that Kentucky fans are going to love center duo Clara Strack and Clara Silva.

And, from what the pair displayed in their debut performances in Monday night’s 98-43 victory over South Carolina Upstate, the new UK head coach might be on to something.

The Wildcats (1-0) received great production from Strack, a sophomore transfer from Virginia Tech and a member of the Wildcats’ starting five who led all players in scoring with 22 points and added six rebounds, two assists, two blocks and two steals in 21 minutes on the floor. Silva, a highly touted international prospect and the first substitution off the bench, tacked on 14 points (on a perfect 6-for-6 from the field), seven rebounds, two assists and six blocks in 23 minutes.

“I think the two Claras, I think they push each other,” Brooks said. “They’re competitive. They’re quiet competitors, they will go at each other trying to one-up each other. And I think that’s going to continue. We have them together for the next three years, and I think that’s going to continue to grow both of them.”

The concept of the pair — Strack standing 6-foot-5, and Silva, 6-foot-7 — making a significant impact this season is one for which fans have a lot of hope, partly because the program has never been known to recruit and utilize long, elite bigs. Furthermore, Brooks is ready right now to try to use the talent and size at his disposal. Especially since long-term injuries to potential impact transfers Jordan Obi and Dominika Paurová necessitated an adjustment to both the team’s depth and plan of attack.

Strack’s versatility creates options for Kentucky

Brooks said last week that fans are going to see plenty of Strack and Silva on the floor at the same time — “they’re too talented not to have them on the floor together,” — an approach made possible by Strack’s versatility.

“She honestly can play four positions, and play ‘em well,” Brooks said. “It’s not a gimmick. The 1 is a little bit different, but she’s, at a very young age. ... She’s one of the smartest players that I’ve had, and she just understands it. She understands my offense. She doesn’t memorize it. If it’s a play, she knows why she’s supposed to go from A to B to get to C.”

Strack spent the majority of her freshman season with the Hokies learning under All-America center Liz Kitley, but was forced into greater responsibility and minutes once Kitley suffered an ACL injury late in the season. After a stellar showing in her final games of the year and a clear chemistry demonstrated with All-America point guard Georgia Amoore, expectations skyrocketed for Strack and her development ahead of her Kentucky premier.

“She’s special,” Brooks said. “She really is, and we talk about it. Georgia was there when Elizabeth Kitley and her development, and her massive jump, that I sound like an Australian saying ‘massive,’ her jump from freshman to sophomore. And Clara Strack has done the same thing. She looks phenomenal in practice. She has days where she’s just so dominant. There’s days that she does things and it just, it wows us.”

In the season opener, Strack’s minutes on the floor were limited because of early foul trouble, something Brooks would like to see the sophomore improve upon in competition.

“That’s something she hasn’t mastered,” Brooks said. “But we’re going to need her to be on the court. But she’s a very confident young lady, and the sky’s the limit for her. And I promise you, Kentucky fans are going to be excited for the next three years watching her.”

When asked how to prepare for and adjust to Strack, USC Upstate head coach Jason Williams smiled and answered, “Hope and pray.”

“It’s awesome to be able to see (Brooks’) ability to develop and to be able to develop kids over time,” Williams said. “And you see the skill level that that young lady, that she has. And it’s because of her work ethic, and also the ability for her to be able to be taught. So, from one year to the next, you can see her game stretch and grow. And I’m really excited to be able to see Kentucky consistently have different tools in her tool belt and arsenals to be able to go against doubles and triple teams, and all the other things that she’s going to see. And so, there’s really no game planning for her. It’s just a matter of like, what pieces are you willing to give up at what point in time?”

Silva thrown ‘into the fire’

Strack, on her own, will clearly be a challenge for opposing defenses. In addition, Brooks was able to deploy one of Division I basketball’s tallest players — and a freshman with professional experience in Spain. Called one of the top players in her class, Silva was one of the last players to arrive on campus following international commitments with the Portuguese junior national team. Brooks noted after Monday’s victory that, because Silva “didn’t have a grace period,” due to her late arrival, “we threw her into the fire.”

“She’s smart,” Brooks said. “Coming to a new country when English is not her primary language. And we have a very difficult offense, you know, it’s a lot of plays. And we keep throwing a lot of stuff at her, and she hasn’t messed up a play yet. She comes in and she’s very quiet. She’s unassuming in some areas, but she’s a giant in others, and she’s going to continue to get better because she wants to get better. She’s constantly asking me, ‘Hey, can we do this? Can we watch film? I want to get better. How do I need to do this?’”

Though Brooks said there’s still lots he’d like to see improve from his roster, Strack and Silva — separate and together — give fans a glimpse of a new chapter of Kentucky women’s basketball; a system in which height mismatches and working the ball into a talent-packed frontcourt may make a world of a difference.

“Kenny does a really good job of putting chess pieces in the proper position to be successful,” Williams said. “And being able to spread shooters around you. So, at the end of the day, you can’t really double. But yet, for us, it was all about staying true to our core principles and being able to then use this opportunity to be able to get some good repetition and good opportunities for us to stay in our fundamentals defensively ... even though they are 6-7, 6-5 ... across the board.”

Next game

Northern Kentucky at No. 22 Kentucky

When: 6 p.m. Thursday

TV: SEC Network+

Radio: WLAP-AM 630

Records: Northern Kentucky 0-1, Kentucky 1-0

Series: Kentucky leads 12-4

Last meeting: Kentucky won 84-65 on Dec. 2, 2015, in Highland Heights

Kenny Brooks earns first win at Kentucky in season-opening rout of USC Upstate

Box score from Kentucky’s 98-43 season-opening women’s basketball win over USC Upstate

‘I had to learn.’ Georgia Amoore is the ‘quarterback’ of a UK women’s basketball renaissance.