Petersen helped guide Miami to the 2023 NCAA Tournament Elite Eight
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Josh Petersen, who helped guide Miami to the 2023 NCAA Tournament Elite Eight, has been hired as the University of Kentucky women’s basketball assistant coach, it was announced by head coach Kenny Brooks on Thursday.
“I can’t express how excited I am to learn from one of the most admired and respected coaches in the game, Kenny Brooks,” Petersen said. “To be on this staff and at the University of Kentucky is an absolute dream. The team of coaches and support staff he is putting together is topnotch. I’m proud to have the opportunity to call them my peers, and I look forward to what we will accomplish together. I know that there are exciting times ahead, and I can’t wait to get started.”
Peterson arrives in Lexington after two seasons as an assistant coach at Miami (2022-23, 2023-24).
In his first season there in 2022-23, the Hurricanes reached their first Elite Eight, falling to eventual national champions LSU. Serving as the primary coach to the post players, Petersen helped Miami rank in the top five in rebounding in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Hurricanes went from ranking 11th and 13th in both defensive rebounding and offensive rebounding, respectively, in 2021-22, to ranking fifth in both categories in 2022-23.
Last season in Coral Gables, the Hurricanes earned a 19-12 record, including a 14-4 mark at home in 2023-24. He helped prepare Miami for an upset over then-No. 4/5 N.C. State on Jan. 18, which tied Miami’s highest-ranked triumph in program history. The Hurricanes also reached the ACC Tournament quarterfinals, ultimately dropping to Brooks’ Virginia Tech team.
Prior to his time at Miami, Petersen served four seasons as an assistant coach at Pittsburgh (2019-22).
During his Panthers tenure, he coached seven ACC All-Academic Team selections, an ACC All-Freshman Team choice and an All-ACC Team Honorable Mention pick.
During Petersen’s four seasons in Pittsburgh, he coached the Panthers’ rebounding effort from 14th in the conference in both offensive rebounds per game and offensive rebounding percentage to first in each category.
While there, Petersen also was instrumental in the recruiting and development of Rita Igbokwe and Amber Brown, who were part of a recruiting class that combined to score 31.0 points per game, the highest-scoring freshman class in program history.
Prior to joining the Panthers, Petersen served as an assistant coach under Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick at UNC Asheville for four seasons (2015-18).
During his time in Asheville, the Bulldogs earned back-to-back Big South Conference Tournament crowns (2016, 2017), two NCAA Tournament berths (2016, 2017), three consecutive postseason berths (2016-2018) and one Big South Conference regular season title (2016).
With Petersen on the sidelines, nine Bulldogs earned All-Big South Conference honors, including 2015-16 league player of the year in Chatori Major.
Petersen got his start in coaching as an undergraduate student at Florida State, where he worked as the Seminoles’ head manager from 2008-09 to 2011-12, before moving into a graduate assistant position from 2012-13 to 2013-14.
In his six years at Florida State, the Seminoles went to five NCAA Tournaments, including an appearance in the Elite Eight in 2010.
A native of Abernathy, Texas, Petersen moved to Tallahassee, Florida, prior to his senior year of high school and graduated from Godby High School.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance in 2012 and his master’s degree in sports management the spring of 2014, both from FSU.
For more information on the Kentucky women’s basketball team, visit UKathletics.com or follow @KentuckyWBB on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.