City of Basketball Love

Rich Flanagan (@richflanagan33)

—

Kevair Kennedy recounted one of the most difficult nights of his young career as the turning point in how he approached his individual game and preparation.

The Father Judge point guard was a sophomore playing at upstart West Catholic and he regularly heard Burrs head coach Miguel Bocachica implore his team, including Kennedy’s primary defender Adam “Budd” Clark, to force Kennedy left. Kennedy was beginning to showcase several facets that would make him one of the better floor generals in the Philadelphia Catholic League but on this night, Clark and the Burrs forced Kennedy into making five turnovers in a dominant victory.

While Kennedy was blossoming in perhaps the best league in Pa., he still had a long way to go to become both a premier guard and a prospect Division I coaches wanted to have join their program. It was this night that Kennedy put a greater emphasis on using his left hand and becoming a player who could control the game regardless of who or how an opposing defense chose to play him.

“My sophomore year we were playing West Catholic, and their head coach was telling his team to force me left the whole game,” Kennedy said. “I had a lot of turnovers that game and from there on, I’ve been working on my left hand.”

Coincidentally, Clark put the clamp down on Kennedy for the entire evening -- and a year from now, the two former Philly Pride products will be teammates in North Andover, Mass.

Kennedy verbally committed to Merrimack College on September 10, almost three months after the program formally offered him during Philly Live II. Kennedy shined against top-40 recruit Acaden Lewis and Sidwell Friends (D.C.) and assistant coach Jimmy Langhurst initiated conversations with the 6-1 guard at Philly Live I and things took off from there. Head coach Joey Gallo made the trip to Philadelphia for Philly Live II and following a conversation with the nine-year head man, the decision was final.

“Coach Gallo compared me to the guards he has had in the past, particularly those they’ve had success within the program,” Kennedy said. “They told me I fit their scheme and that I’d be a good fit there.”

Kennedy learned what it took to win from the drubbing at the hands of Clark and now he’ll get the opportunity to learn what it takes to be successful at the Division I level from the 2023-24 Northeast Conference Rookie of the Year. (Merrimack changed conferences this offseason, into the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference).

“He reached out to say congratulations, and that the coaches are great and will help develop me over time,” Kennedy said. “That would be fun to have somebody to battle with but then when we get into the game, we could be a really good backcourt, too.”

When Chris Roantree took over his alma mater in June 2021, Kennedy was one of the first players who joined him there and developed under him on Solly Avenue. Roantree has an extensive track record of developing Division I talent from his days as an assistant coach at Archbishop Wood with Collin Gillespie (Denver Nuggets), Andrew Funk and Rahsool Diggins and Team Final on the AAU circuit with Jalen Duren (Detroit Pistons) and Dereck Lively II (Dallas Mavericks). Kennedy is the next Division I prospect he has a direct hand in and Roantree saw early on that Kennedy had real potential.

“When he came in as a freshman, he never backed down from anybody and pushed guys, thus pushing his way into our lineup,” Roantree said. “I think he’s going to do the same thing at Merrimack. He’s going to push for playing time early there. Joey has done a great job with underrated guards from our area.”

“Just look at what Budd Clark’s doing up there right now. I think Kevair has a lot of that in him and he’s going to push from the get-go with his toughness, leadership and will to win. It’s going to be tough to keep him off the court, just like he did with us.”

Kennedy becomes the first four-year player from Father Judge to commit to a Division I program in quite some time. One of the last known Division I recruits from the program was Matt Alexander, who played 114 games at Drexel from 1990-94. Alexander was a Northern Division First Team All-Catholic in 1990 and led the Crusaders to the Philadelphia Catholic League semifinals then as a senior at Drexel, alongside Malik Rose and Neumann University head coach Jim Rullo, he was part of a team that advanced to the 1994 NCAA Tournament where it fell to the late John Chaney, Aaron McKie and Temple in the opening round.

Roantree emphasized “he’s our first four-year guy to commit to a D-I program” and his rise to stardom is a testament to the advancement of the Father Judge program.

“It goes out and proves that we have the ability to put guys into the next level,” Roantree said. “It’s a program changer. To compete in our league, you need to have Division I-level type guys and he’s a guy for us. He’s been instrumental for us in turning the program around and getting to the Palestra last year. It speaks volumes to his commitment and how we can get guys to the next level.”

Kennedy has been at the forefront of the Crusaders’ resurgence after making the league postseason during his sophomore campaign and his junior year put him in this position. He averaged a team-leading 17.3 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 6.0 apg and 2.0 spg while shooting 45.1 percent from the floor last season, and saved his best performance for the postseason.

He poured in a Father Judge postseason record 33 points and set a Philadelphia Catholic League record with 18 made free throws, 17 of which came in the final quarter, as the Crusaders downed Archbishop Wood on the road to advance to the league semifinals at the Palestra for the first time since 1999 – Roantree’s senior season.

For Kennedy, making a name for himself was a driving force but putting a historic program back on the map was even more paramount. He’s hoping his evolution into a Division I recruit coupled with last season’s success will continue with a strong senior season and even more so with future development within the program once he graduates.

“It means a lot just knowing that I did something in my time at Father Judge,” Kennedy said. “I’ve wanted to win so bad, and it carried over to my teammates and now we all have the mindset to go win it all.”

Merrimack was instantly the top program recruiting Kennedy and conversely it was the top option for him. Wagner offered him shortly after he got on Merrimack’s radar then interest was drawn from Fairleigh Dickinson, Central Connecticut, Colgate, Samford, St. Peter’s, and Albany. Kennedy looked at what the Warriors did last season with Clark at the top of their zone defense leading to a 21-12 record (13-3 NEC), conference regular season title, and conference tournament title game appearance. Kennedy wants to help build upon that success as “I like how they play, and I feel I can be successful in their program. The coaches have been really great.”

The ability to get to the basket and defend the opposing team’s best player are two of Kennedy’s best attributes and two that certainly appealed to Gallo and Merrimack, but the playmaking is what stands out the most, as evidenced by his 279 assists accrued over the last two seasons. Roantree feels it’s the primary reason he could see minutes right away.

“I think it’s the playmaking ability, which is really underrated,” Roantree said. “His last two years, he’s been near the top of the league in assists. It’s his all-around game that appealed to them with his toughness, grit and will to win. He’s got a chance to come in and make an impact early on.”

Kennedy has grown physically and mentally over three seasons at Father Judge, and he has the chance to make history in his final season. He has his future secured with his commitment to Merrimack and it’s the latest chapter in a story of a player who has never been measured by his limitations.

“People would tell me my limits or things that I can’t achieve,” Kennedy said. “When I work out, I’ve always had that in the back of my mind and that has pushed me harder. I wanted to show that there’s no limit to my success. I’m going to keep rising to the top.”