"I heard some of it, you know," Ajae Petty said with a shrug.
The Kentucky women's basketball senior forward dominated the hoops headlines this summer, with talk of her off-season transformation. Head Coach Kyra Elzy praised her work ethic; the program named Petty the summer's Most Valuable Player. Still, she remained humble.
"They’re saying this? So let’s go show them."
🗣 talk of the town, talk of the town 🗣
— BBN Tonight (@BBNTonight) January 10, 2024
Tonight, we're ~talking about Ajae Petty! See you at 7:30 #BBN pic.twitter.com/tKA8J7AVrQ
Petty's done exactly that, thanks to a total transformation. She dialed in on her fitness routine, educated herself on the importance of nutrition and recovery, and fully committed to this renewed mindset.
"It’s a lot of conversations with myself cause you wake up, there’s been a lot of days where I wanted to come in here and not do what I wanted to do," Petty said. "But when you have goals, you put that aside and do what you need to do."
Petty's dedication has translated into success on the court, where she's doubled her production in nearly every statistical category. Throughout Kentucky's first 16 games of the season, she's averaging a double-double: 16.1 points and 10.7 rebounds per game.
Over the past three games, she's been even better.
BBN Tonight anchor Maggie Davis and photographer Nick Lazaroff take you behind-the-scenes with Petty, to give you a look into what goes into her intentional effort each and every day.
The Cats are back in action Thursday, January 11 at 7 p.m., hosting the Vanderbilt Commodores. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. on the SEC Network+
