Kenny Brooks' 90/10 philosophy pulled Kentucky through in West Virginia win

Kenny Brooks has a philosophy that he has shared with his players regarding fighting and overcoming adversity — “10% of life is what happens to you and 90% is how you respond”.

Against West Virginia, Kentucky dealt with more than its fair share of adversity. When the Cats got up 28-17 following two Tonie Morgan free throws with 6:39 to go in the first half, it really felt like Kentucky was starting to take control of the game, but West Virginia would fight back to knot things up at 36 points apiece at the break.

Then, Kentucky managed to build up a lead again fueled by a 9-0 run to begin the third quarter. With 56 seconds to go in the period, Brooks’ squad had a 14-point, 62-48 lead, but again, Mark Kellogg’s Mountaineers continued to give Kentucky trouble, and if it weren’t for a Gia Cooke mid-range jumper rolling off the rim, they pull off the comeback win.

But they didn’t. Kentucky won, hanging in there and battling through tough stretch after tough stretch to advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time in a decade.

Brooks’ 90/10 philosophy — one that he preaches religiously to drill that mindset into his players — was a big factor in the 74-73 victory.

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“It’s March. I mean, teams are going to go on runs,” Tonie Morgan said after the game regarding battling through adversity. “You got to expect it at all times. You can never get too comfortable, no matter how much you’re up. It’s March, just be prepared for anything.”

Clara Strack, who had 18 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks in the grueling one-point win, added to what Morgan said of the game and how Brooks’ 90/10 philosophy propelled the team to the finish line.

“It was huge because like Tonie just mentioned, they did go on runs. We went on runs,” Strack said to KSR. “It was never really like a settled point in the game where you could relax at all. So, I think that was huge. We faced a lot of adversity. There was a lot. It was a physical game. So, I think that was huge today, and I think we did a really good job with it.”

“10% of life is what happens to you and 90% is how you respond” is a pretty good way to go about things, it seems. Sometimes, it can be the smallest of things like that phrase that can be the difference in a Sweet 16 appearance or not.