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Ohio Basketball Recruiting Topic
Topic: Typo or some kind of baller?
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bobcatsquared
3/18/2014 7:59 AM
   According to my (early) edition of Dispatch, All-Ohio Div. II first-team selection Luke Kennard of Franklin averaged 41 points a game this past season. Listed as a 6 - 6 junior. Anyone know of this kid?

    Some other Div. 1 juniors of interest: Esa Ahmad (6 - 6, 25.7 ppg) of Shaker Heights was co-player of the year along with Gahanna's Bess; Kipper Nichols (6-7, 18.4) of Lakewood St. Ed first team.
Last Edited: 3/18/2014 8:01:23 AM by bobcatsquared
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Mike Coleman
3/18/2014 9:03 AM
No typo. Kennard is a phenom. Coach K and Wojo make appearances at games. I think he's down to Duke, UK and tOSU.
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Ted Thompson
3/18/2014 10:49 AM
I went to see him a couple of weeks ago in Franklin's playoff game vs. Alter. You had to get there and hour before the first game to get a seat at Kettering's Trent Arena. All of Franklin's home games were complete sellouts. Lots of UK and Duke signs at the game. I saw him sitting behind the Duke bench during the last UNC/Duke regular season game. Word is that he grew up a Kentucky fan and either his dad or grandfather is a grad. UK was thought to be a slam dunk but we'll see. 

Last year, he had a couple of decent teammates but this year he was truly a one-man show.  He basically is the Franklin PG. He gets double and triple-teamed but never seems to have a problem getting off his left-handed shot. Even more impressive is that he is a great right-handed quarterback. He was 1st-team All-State last year. He was being recruited by most everyone during his sophomore year but I think schools have backed off because they know he's going the basketball route.
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brucecuth
3/18/2014 10:29 PM
All 3 of the schools listed above really want Kennard.  As I understand it, both parents attended KY, but that is having little impact on his decision.  He made an official visit to Duke in the last week or so.  Scuttlebutt around Cbus is that right now, his choices are, in order, Duke, OSU and Ky.  I believe he has relatives that live in the Cbus area.

Esa was somewhat under the radar when the season started, but no more.  He's made it on to the top 100 juniors list. OSU has not offered yet, but Indiana and MD have and MD is making his recruitment a priority.  OSU's priority in the Cleveland area is said to be Carlton Bragg.
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Ted Thompson
3/24/2014 7:51 PM
Verbal to Duke. 
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Ted Thompson
1/18/2015 9:06 AM

I went to see Kennard play at Flyin to the Hoop last night. He was coming off a Friday night game against Brookville in which he hit his first 11 3-pointers and had 40 at half. Last night against Montrose Christian (MD), he had 47 points with 14 rebounds and 7 assists. He broke the OHIO HS record for free throws made in a game with 34 (he was 34 for 40). His 47 points moved him past Jerry Lucas into 10th place on the OHSAA all-time scoring list. It was a crazy game with all the free throws but Franklin held on to beat Montrose Christian (which produce Kevin Durant) 77-75.

Saw a decent amount of Ohio gear in the house (see just above 55's head). Also just out of picture across the court was Bobcat football great Matt Muncy. Talked to him a little before the game. His Renegade Warehouse training facility has really grown and has Kennard as one of its clients.

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shabamon
1/18/2015 11:43 AM
I was there, too. It was the first time I had seen Kennard play. I was expecting a Jon Diebler type that shoots nothing but step-back three pointers. His game is much more well-rounded. He is an awesome ball-handler. Very quick, great passer, good rebounder, and as was mentioned, he gets to the foul line. He could be a point guard at Duke.

Their opponent, Montrose, had all the size in the world and didn't know how to use. They played a 6-7, three 6-9s, and a 6-10 committed to Tulane and hardly used them down low. Their point guard, was very, very good. Alani Moore. Think Stevie Taylor with a better jumper.

The game prior was pretty good between La Lumiere and Pro Prep. LL came back to win through sharp shooting by Illini recruit Jalen Coleman and good full court press late to force steals. Pro Prep has the top ranked junior in the country, Josh Jackson, who scored close to 30, but he really didn't like being guarded so closely by the shorter kid who was on him like glue. Pro Prep has an impressive point guard committed to Lehigh. Think Ben Reed from Western Michigan.

Cool event, but I think I'll pony up for chairbacks next time. Still have back pain from being so cramped in the bleachers. Lots of Duke and Ohio State gear in the crowd. Quite a bit of UD gear. More OU gear than I thought. Not as much UK gear as I expected. Kennard had a line of kids seeking autographs during the LL-Pro Prep game.
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UpSan Bobcat
1/18/2015 3:17 PM
shabamon wrote:expand_more
I was there, too. It was the first time I had seen Kennard play. I was expecting a Jon Diebler type that shoots nothing but step-back three pointers. His game is much more well-rounded. He is an awesome ball-handler. Very quick, great passer, good rebounder, and as was mentioned, he gets to the foul line. He could be a point guard at Duke.
Jon Diebler was much more than a 3-point shooter in high school. Diebler drove to the hoop a ton, drew a lot of fouls and was one free throw away from the free throw record for a game prior to the new record set yesterday. Had he kept his original commitment to Valparaiso, he probably would have shown a lot more of that in college, but at Ohio State and now in Europe, he was and is mostly just a shooter. Playing for a smaller school in high school, Diebler did pretty much everything, though it seems Kennard's game may translate more in college and beyond to something other than just a shooter.
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Ted Thompson
2/11/2015 9:20 AM
Last night, moved past Geno Ford into 3rd place on the OHSAA all-time scoring list.
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