Rowe Happy to be Part of Kentucky All-Star Team, then Headed to UK

By LARRY VAUGHT

No one is happier to be part of the Kentucky all-star team that will take on Indiana June 10 and 11 than University of Kentucky signee Cassidy Rowe.

“It is always a dream for Kentucky kids to play on this team and play for the University of Kentucky. I am just living out my dream and am very thankful that all my hard work has paid off,” said the Shelby Valley senior.

Rowe had to overcome knee injuries both her freshman and sophomore seasons and then in late February broke her right wrist. She did not get cleared to resume full basketball workouts until last week —several weeks after tryouts for the team were held.

“I am so glad to be on this team. In tryouts I was not able to participate because I had a cast on. I still got to come and thankfully the coaches and (selection) committee were still gracious enough to give me this chance. I am very thankful for that,” Rowe said.

The 5-5 guard certainly has impressive numbers. She finished her career with 1,544 points, 434 rebounds, 305 steals and 250 3-pointers. Rowe even took 42 charges her senior season.

Off the court, she graduated with a 4.0-plus grade point average and associate’s degree.

Her father, Shelby Valley coach Lonnie Rowe, had to try and keep her out of the gym after her wrist injury. It didn’t last long.

“I worked on a lot of left-handed stuff. I still went to the gym. I did ball handling stuff. I was not able to run for a little while because of the risk of falling and as soon as I could run I started doing that. I also did a lot of leg workouts to just keep in shape,” she said.

“All this actually made me more comfortable with my left hand because I had never had to use just my left hand like this. I got used to shooting longer floaters (with the left hand).”

Lonnie Rowe said his daughter did worry how the wrist injury might impact her shooting when she was released to start shooting.

“The first couple of shots I took had no arch because I couldn’t get any lift from my hand and flick it real good. After that, I was fine,” Rowe said. “It didn’t really worry me. I knew once I got going it was going to be fine.”

She knows when she starts her collegiate career it going to be a “big jump” in a lot of ways for a player from eastern Kentucky.

“The pace is so different, the atmosphere is so different,” she said.

She’s glad seniors Blair Green of Harlan and Emma King of Lincoln County are at Kentucky to help her.

“They grew up close to the same part (of Kentucky) as I did. Blair just went through an injury like I did. They are both going to be mentors for me and I will need that,” Rowe said.

Her current Kentucky all-star teammate, Miss Basketball Amiya Jenkins of Anderson County, is also headed to Kentucky. They will be joined by eight other new players on coach Kyra Elzy’s roster next season.

“I love her (Jenkins) and I am really excited to get on the floor with her. I am glad we have this opportunity to play together before we go to Lexington,” Rowe said. “We are going to have a full roster next season and I am so excited about that. I am excited to get to meet all the players on the team.”

Rowe admits she was a bit “shocked” when so many players transferred after UK’s season ended but she believes Elzy and her staff restocked the roster with talented players.

“I am going to be whatever coach Elzy needs me to be. I am going to work as hard as I can. If she needs me to be a shooter, I will be a shooter. If she needs me to be a role player, I will be a role player,” Rowe said.

“Whatever she needs me to do I am willing to do. It’s the same on the all-star team. All this is just letting me live out my dream so whatever my coaches want, that’s what I want to do.”