Chrissy Brooks: A mother, a fighter, a constant

It’s a quiet Wednesday morning and the sound of Steve Harvey’s voice on “Family Feud” echoes through the living room. 

Stepping into the Brooks household, there are little pieces and clues that remind visitors of who lives there — from a Final Four coaster to custom bobbleheads to Lou, the grey bernedoodle who greets guests at the door. 

In just his second season as the University of Kentucky women’s basketball coach, Kenny Brooks has made an undeniable impact. Kenny was named 2025 Sporting News’ National Coach of the Year and led the Wildcats to fourth place in the SEC conference during the 2024-25 season. 

But coaching is not a new endeavor for Kenny, and there has been one person who has witnessed it all — his wife, Chrissy Brooks.

They met at a “ladies night” in Harrisburg, Virginia. Kenny, at the time, was playing point guard at James Madison University, and Chrissy described herself as “a townie.”

Chrissy said she got the nerve to buy him a “10 cent” beer, and the product of that first drink is 27 years of marriage.

“The old adage of putting all your eggs in one basket, it's what I did,” Chrissy said. “It was all or nothing, so it turned out pretty good.”

Chrissy is also no stranger to basketball. Growing up as the eldest daughter in her family, she said her dad thought he wasn’t going to have a son, so Chrissy was encouraged to play. 

“I like to be at the games. I’m not the quiet one that sits over in the corner,” Chrissy said. “I can get a little fired up sometimes. True story, when Kenny was still at JMU, one of the referees walked over to him during the game. He said, ‘Your wife is giving me a really hard time over there.’ And he (Kenny) said, ‘Well, listen to her.’”

That initial love for basketball from both Kenny and Chrissy has continued in their own family and kids’ lives. 

“As they were getting old enough, like they learned how to walk on the floor at James Madison, and there was always a ball somewhere, so they'd be chasing the ball around or whatever,” Chrissy said. “So when they got old enough to actually play, then that was my job to find places for them to play.”

Both Kenny and Chrissy have gotten the chance to coach some of their four kids in basketball. Chrissy said she coached two of her daughters, Kendyl and Chloe, in seventh and eighth grade. Kenny also coached Kendyl and Chloe at Virginia Tech, and their youngest, Gabby, is currently playing for UK.

Chrissy said their coaching styles are visibly different. 

“I don't know if you've seen Kenny coach, but he's very calm and just think of the polar opposite. I'm one of those crazy people that yell at the refs and yell at the girls, but we were really good,” Chrissy said. 

Kenny’s dedication to coaching is something that Chrissy said she still admires, from his start doing the grunt work at JMU to now leading the program at UK.

“He's just a basketball savant. I'm telling you. I'm still amazed at how he changes kids’ whole game,” Chrissy said. “He will take them as far as he possibly can.”

Coaching, Chrissy said, comes with its own obstacles, both on and off the court. One particular struggle came while Kenny was coaching at Virginia Tech when Chrissy was diagnosed with breast cancer in October 2023.

“When I found out, of course, it's, you know, breast cancer month, and the season is pretty much getting into full swing. And we didn't tell anybody, from the time I found out what was going on, until into December when I had to have my first surgery,” Chrissy said. “And nobody knew, so it was just us, and it was driving Kenny crazy.”

While keeping the diagnosis to themselves, Kenny was still able to lead his team to winning the ACC Championship, the regular title and to the first round of the NCAA tournament. However, Chrissy said the team lost in the second game and the announcement of Kenny leaving Virginia Tech for Kentucky caused a lot of fans to be upset. 

“The stuff that people say is unbelievable,” Chrissy said. “The whole keyboard warriors that can hide behind a fake name and say horrible things, and they have no idea.”

After Chrissy and Kenny had finally told their family, Chrissy said their middle daughter, Chloe, with her parents’ permission finally responded to the outrage on social media.

“She's like me,” Chrissy said. “She's the fighter.”

Chloe, who is now 25, said she also sees her mom as “a fighter” and a constant in their family. When Chrissy was battling cancer, Chloe was not in school, so she accompanied her mom to many appointments and surgeries.

“We used to go to appointments, and I would look right at her, and she would be completely shut down,” Chloe said. “I'm like, ‘lock in.’”

Chrissy rang the bell to signify the end of treatment in May of 2024, surrounded by an “entourage” of friends and family that was so large, she said it brought tears to her oncologist's eyes. 

“I look over at her, and my oncologist is crying,” Chrissy said. “And I'm like, ‘What in the world?’ She said, ‘I've never seen this many people show up. You've got such a village. You're so blessed.’”

From appointments to ringing the bell, Chrissy said that there are people doing every step of their cancer journey alone, and it is something she said needs to change. 

“So many times, people ring that bell all by themselves. There's nobody to take a picture, no family members at all,” Chrissy said, “... I can't even wrap my head around that.”

Today, Chrissy is cancer-free, and enjoying Lexington, a place she said she and Kenny will not be leaving anytime soon. 

“I love Lexington. Love it,” Chrissy said. “ … Lexington has a whole vibe that's something that we've never experienced before.”