The Kennedy Clippers senior boys basketball team is looking forward to returning to the local hardwood when basketball reboots in the upcoming days.
The team hasn't competed locally since winning their 6th straight city title in February of 2020 at the St. Clair College Sportsplex but players have been busy playing club games through Core City Hoops.
"They're being seen. They're being scouted by colleges and universities which is basically the goals. We want kids to go to college and university and if it can be paid for, that much better for them" said head coach Pat Osborne.
The Kennedy Prep team recently finished 2nd at tournament at Royal Crown Academic School. Osbourne says their opponents, who won 68-45, had a lot of size and many of their players were American D1 prospects, "We didn't take shots we normally would. Some guys were overthinking just based on their length".
Kennedy found themselves tied at 23 with Royal Crown at half time. Osbourne feels playing a highly skilled team helped his players learn a valuable lesson, "Playing against team like that will make you better and make you understand there is no difference.
We had to find different ways to score than we normally would and shots that were open they contested pretty quickly".
The team followed that up going 3-0 in Oshawa and went 2-0 in Sarnia this past weekend. Overall Kennedy is 28-5 in a season that started in November.
Players now turn their attention to getting ready for a high school season, expected to start February 28th. The Clippers open against Massey. "I'm excited for the kids", said assistant coach Jeff Nekkers. "They haven't played senior basketball yet. They haven't worn a Kennedy seniors jersey and they can't wait to don the KCI on their chest".
In a recent post, Kennedy Prep ranked #1 heading into the season. Herman, Holy Names, Lajeunesse and Riverside were mentioned. Could one of them or someone else stop Kennedy from earning lucky #7? Who do you think belongs on that Top 5 list?
It is yet unknown whether there will be fans in the stands or not. Either way, players and coaches are pleased to be able to play ball again.
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