Amid the current college basketball landscape with players who have signed professional contracts trying to find loopholes to gain extra seasons of eligibility, the Kentucky Wildcats have an interesting situation of their own with freshman guard Ajsa Sivka suiting up this season. Sivka was drafted by the Chicago Sky in the 2025 WNBA Draft, but bypassed the league for the time being to play in college. And Kentucky head coach Kenny Brooks came to the defense of his player amid the mounting criticism, as per Maggie Davis of BBN Tonight.

“People don’t understand her situation. And everybody sees that she was selected to the WNBA. She didn’t ask to be, she didn’t declare for it. When you’re an international player, if they see you, they can just grab and stash you if they want to, and they saw her potential and they did so,” Brooks said.

“They don’t have high school basketball, they don’t have AAU basketball. So their national teams take them and put them with their national team, then they get thrown with older players … she’s where she’s supposed to be.”

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Kentucky has gotten off to a 4-0 start in year three of the Kenny Brooks era as head coach, with Ajsa Sivka making an immediate impact. She’s appeared in all four games averaging a team-high 16.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists with splits of 63.2 percent shooting from the field, 65 percent shooting from the 3-point line and 85.7 percent shooting from the free-throw line.

She was selected in the first round of the draft by the Sky with the No. 10 overall pick. She has not signed a pro contract at all and the Sky currently hold her player rights.