The University of Kentucky women’s basketball team announced on May 3 that Ayanna Patterson, a 6-foot-2 forward, will join the program as a redshirt junior for the 2026-27 season.
Patterson’s addition is seen as an important move for the Wildcats, who look to strengthen their roster with experienced players. Head coach Kenny Brooks said, “I’m excited to welcome Ayanna to our program. Ayanna had a storied high school career followed by being a part of a championship culture at UConn. Being fully healthy now, I’m looking forward to seeing her compete at the level that got her recognized as the fourth-best player in the country. AP’s athletic ability will add to our team’s overall makeup and will give us the versatility to play different ways. I can’t wait to see her flourish in front of BBN. You guys will love AP.”
Patterson spent four seasons at Connecticut but played only two due to injuries during back-to-back years in 2023-24 and 2024-25. In her most recent season as a redshirt sophomore (2025-26), she appeared in 30 games and made one start, averaging five minutes per game while scoring 52 points on over fifty percent shooting and collecting 42 rebounds. She also participated in all five games during UConn’s Final Four run that year.
During her freshman campaign in 2022-23, Patterson played another thirty games and contributed both offensively and defensively with totals of sixty-five points and sixty-seven rebounds.
Coming out of Homestead High School in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Patterson was rated by ESPN as the number one wing and fourth overall prospect nationally for the Class of 2022. She earned recognition as both McDonald’s All-American and SLAM All-American, participated in the Jordan Brand Classic game, and was named Indiana Miss Basketball after averaging nearly twenty-six points per game along with double-digit rebounds her senior year.
Patterson comes from an athletic family; her father Andre Patterson played basketball at New Mexico State while her brother Andre Patterson Jr. competed at UCLA and Tennessee.
