Joey Kennedy Taking His Game to C-M-S

6 -foot-6, 215 Joey Kennedy of University High and the Bay City Warriors is grounded. That might be the bane of any basketball player's existence when jumping is critical to success but in this case we're talking about never getting too high or too low. Kennedy exudes mindfulness, residing in the moment while prepared for the next. This, as well as his many other positive attributes, will continue to serve him well as he will next be attending Claremont - Mudd - Scripps in southern California.

"I was interested in a lot of high academic schools like Tufts, Emory and University of Chicago," Kennedy recalled. "I went to a Yale camp in June and met Claremont Coach Ken Scalmanini there. A month later when I was in Los Angeles for a tournament, I visited Claremont (the town, which contains a number of college campuses and is 30 miles from downtown Los Angeles). University High has 400 students so I wanted to get out of the smallish environment. I liked what I saw and called Coach Scalmanini, committing in August."

Labeled as a point-center, here's what Kennedy said he will bring to the Stags next season: "my playing style is to get everyone involved -- I like to pass first." He earned All State honors in 2022 alongside selection as the San Francisco Chronicle Regional Player of the Year, a repeat winner after averaging 14 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two blocks per game. He added, "I consider myself a leader on the court. I'm hard on myself -- that pushes me and it rubs off on my teammates. But I'm also encouraging and pump the guys up."

He cited his father and Golden State Warrior Klay Thompson as role models. "My Dad is my biggest influence. "He's very disciplined and embodies what I want to be.” The elder Kennedy rowed for Wisconsin and won a national championship.

"Klay Thompson is my favorite player," Kennedy offered. "I liked him the most in the early 2010s when he was making a name for himself.”

Plus there's ultra-successful Randy Bessolo (his University High team and Bay City Warriors travel team coach). He's a longtime Bay Area coach, heading the University program since 2005, the same year he started up the Bay Area Warriors which morphed into the Bay City Warriors in 2020. Bessolo employs an uptempo offensive style featuring major ball movement. What's interesting is that Scalmanini, with a 25-year tenure thus far at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, is also known for his motion offense.

Asked to detail his best basketball moments, Kennedy reached way back for his initial highlight. "In sixth grade, my team Marin Country Day School played Town School for Boys and first lost by 10-12 points. When we played them again, we won by something like 10-15 points. My three threes in three possessions gave us momentum and we never lost the lead. In my junior year during a game at Marin Catholic, their student section was vociferous. But I like those kind of environments. We came out and led by 13 at halftime. I scored 16 points in the first half. We won 80-67 and I finished with 26 points (two treys) and 12 rebounds with six blocks and four steals."

Kennedy also noted another element during his upbringing. "My neighbors had a hoop in their backyard when I lived near Golden Gate Park. Annabel Schneiberg lived there. She played at Lick-Wilmerding, was named D2 First Team All State (by CalHiSports) and she is now a Division I college basketball player.”  She and I shot around a lot."

Regarding a college major, Kennedy is undecided between economics and kinesiology-physiology.

One setback for Kennedy occurred in May when he tore his labrum. He underwent surgery in June and will be cleared in November. "It will be tougher for me to earn a spot in the rotation." But of course, he remains unruffled.