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NEXT AT ST. PATRICK’S: MARKUS KENNEDY

Class of 2010 big man ready to explode nationally.

When you play for the powerful New Jersey prep program guided by Kevin Boyle at St. Patrick’s in Elizabeth (NJ), you will get noticed. Even if you’re a reserve, the amount of college coaches coming into the gym to watch practices and workouts will give you plenty of opportunity to turn some heads, even if you’re backing up one of the nation’s best players.

That has been what class of 2010 prospect Markus Kennedy has learned this past year. Even when he is not getting a lot of time on the court in games, he has had the opportunity to be seen by dozens of Division 1-A head coaches and has left them impressed with his potential. Coaches will continue to follow Kennedy as he prepares for his turn to be the ‘now’ for St. Patrick’s in the near future as he competes for Team New Jersey’s ABC U-16 club this AAU season.

Alex Schwartz recently caught up with Kennedy and gives us an update on his development.

After a one season apprenticeship under Kansas-bound Quintrell Thomas, Markus Kennedy is showing on the AAU circuit this spring that he will be ready to assume the reigns next year for St. Patrick’s. The rebounding machine with expanding range on the jump shot has already become a priority recruit for several Big East schools.

Villanova was the first school to tender a scholarship offer to Kennedy and the class of 2010 star is very high on Jay Wright and the Wildcats. Not too long after the offer from Villanova, schools like Rutgers, Michigan State and, most recently, Ohio State have followed with scholarship offers and St. John’s and Georgetown could follow as well. Syracuse is another team showing interest and that is fine by Kennedy as he has grown up with the Orange and Hoyas as his ‘dream schools.’

Markus On . . .

Rutgers: “I like the style of play, they use their bigs, . . . and I like the environment of the school too, it’s pretty settled and calm, and I can see myself . . . adjusting to the way Rutgers plays, . . . they run their bigs a lot. . . . The way they play is . . . like we play now [at St. Patrick's]. . . . It’s a great school.”

Villanova: “Jay Wright is . . . [an] amazing coach. For them to go as far as they did in the [NCAA] Tournament, and the way he treats . . . [the] kids, . . . just the way he coaches, you’ll never see him sitting down, he [is] always pacing back and forth. . . . It could be a sell-out crowd, . . . and the only voice you hear . . . is [that of] Jay Wright. . . . He just knows to coach. . . . The relationship they [Wright and the players] have on an off the court, . . . they [are] like a family, . . . and that’s really what I’m looking for . . . in a college, . . . how well the staff and the kids . . . stick together.”

Whether Corey Fisher, a St. Pat’s Grad, Playing at VU Will Have an Affect On Him: “Well, I’m not really sure . . . because I didn’t play with Corey Fisher last year, . . . [but] from seeing tapes, . . . I can see the transformation [that has occurred at Villanova for] . . . him.”

Alex Schwartz’s Scouting Report:
Markus Kennedy is an extremely talented basketball player. The overall game of the 6′9 sophomore has greatly improved over the spring AAU season. Kennedy is quite versatile for a big man. He can knock it down from beyond the free throw line, yet can also bang down low with the bigs. At both the Providence and Pitt Jam Fests, no team had a player that could shut down Markus in NJABC’s 11 games, through which the squad has a 9-2 record. On the season, the team is 11-3, and Kennedy is a major part of that. The big man grabs every rebound in sight, and although he disappears at times due to, like he said, his stamina, Kennedy has a strong game at both ends of the floor. Markus needs a bit of work on his post moves, though he has a nice fade-away from about six-feet that he likes to use. A bonus with Kennedy is that he is a solid free throw shooter, not a frequent trait in high school big men. Markus Kennedy is the full package, and the offers should continue to pour in for him over the next two years.

Alex Schwartz is the President and Writer of Northstar Basketball. Visit his site for complete interviews and other player updates from his travels around the AAU and high school basketball circuit.