Asia Boone has spent enough time in the cockpit to know that pressure comes in different forms.
For most players, a contested shot in SEC play is about as tense as it gets. For Boone, that’s familiar territory too - but she’s also logged more than 40 flight hours, completed simulated emergency landings, and is currently working through Aerovision to earn her pilot’s license. Raised by Navy veterans, the San Diego native has grown up around high-pressure moments, and that background has carried over onto the basketball floor.
That calm shows up when the game gets tight. It showed up last season, too, when Boone made an immediate impact in her first year at Kentucky after transferring from Liberty, where she was the 2024 CUSA Freshman of the Year. She became one of the SEC’s most dangerous shooters, burying 96 threes while shooting 36 percent from beyond the arc.
That kind of production doesn’t just turn heads - it starts to change record books. Another year at that pace would push Boone into Kentucky’s top five all-time in career three-pointers, ahead of Stacey Reed and A’dia Mathies.
Last season, though, Boone wasn’t chasing those numbers alone. She and teammate Amelia Hassett were locked in a back-and-forth race from deep, with Hassett finishing with 99 made threes. Boone said the competition was part of what made it so rewarding.
“I really just think about playing my best game each game, and just think about making my teammates better,” Boone told me at Media Day. “I think for myself, I’m not really a selfish person.
So, yes, it’s really nice to hit those goals, and to find out like, ‘Oh wow, I actually hit that.’ When me and Millie started going back and forth... it was a shocker, but it wasn’t.
Because we both had been working hard this whole season.”
Kentucky’s trip to the Sweet 16 raised the bar for what comes next, but this roster looks very different now. Kenny Brooks brought in a group loaded with talent, including three McDonald’s All-American freshmen - Maddyn Greenway, Savvy Swords, Emily McDonald - along with transfers Ayanna Patterson and Me’Arah O’Neal. With so few veterans back, Boone’s role has expanded beyond shot-making.
She knows that part is coming with the territory.
“I expected to be in a leadership position, because I was here last year and there’s not a lot of veterans now,” Boone noted. “But also, when it comes to those details of just putting myself outside of myself, and doing the little things for the newcomers, I think they had to force that on me. I didn’t know what my role specifically was going to be; I just knew it was going to be in leadership.”
And Boone didn’t dance around the ceiling for this team. When asked about the goal for the season, she answered plainly: “Elite 8.”
That would end Kentucky’s drought since its back-to-back runs in 2011 and 2012. The Wildcats have the roster to get there, but nobody is sneaking up on them now. Every opponent will be bringing its best.
Boone is used to that kind of heat. She plans to become a commercial pilot after her playing days are over, but that day doesn’t seem close. For now, her runway is still on the basketball court, and Kentucky is counting on her to help it climb even higher.
In Other News...
Kentucky Is Closing In On A Transfer Forward Mark Pope Needs
Kentuckys pursuit of transfer forward Keyshawn Hall has moved into a more serious phase, with the Wildcats showing clear interest in the fifth-year senior after he entered the portal. Hall, who spent last season at Auburn, brings the kind of versatility Mark Pope has been targeting as Kentucky continues to reshape its roster for the next run in Lexington.
Hall has drawn attention from other programs as well, but Kentucky looks like one of the teams best positioned in his recruitment. The appeal is obvious: he can score, rebound and fit in a variety of frontcourt roles, which is why his name has quickly become one to watch as the Wildcats keep working through their transfer board. [Read more 🡒]
John Wall Just Triggered A Kentucky Loyalty Flashpoint
John Wall has never been shy about his Kentucky roots, and he made that clear again when he previously reaffirmed his loyalty to the University of Kentucky and his support for coach John Calipari. Still, a recent appearance at the Baha Mar Hoops Summer League put him in an awkward crossover moment when he showed up to watch the Arkansas Razorbacks, instantly creating a little social media drama for two fan bases that still care plenty about where he stands.
The Arkansas mens basketball account quickly leaned into the moment with an invitation for Wall to "call the Hogs with us," but that was enough to set off a wave of backlash from Kentucky fans online. For a player whose name still carries real weight in Lexington, even a casual courtside stop can become a loyalty test, and this one reminded everyone how quickly Big Blue Nation notices when one of its most beloved alums seems to drift anywhere near another schools orbit. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky Is Betting On Martels Carter To Fix A Backfield Problem
Kentuckys spring backfield injuries have opened the door for a notable position switch, and Martels Carter Jr. is the latest Wildcat to try to help patch the problem. The former defensive back has moved permanently to running back, giving the staff another athletic option as it tries to stabilize a room that needed bodies and versatility during camp.
Offensive coordinator Joe Sloan and defensive coordinator Jay Bateman have both spoken highly of Carters athleticism, and the move now gives him a clear runway to focus entirely on offense. For Kentucky, it is the sort of in-house adjustment that can matter in a hurry if the backfield stays thin, and Carters next step will be proving he can turn that promise into reliable production once the games begin. [Read more 🡒]