The Deacs have their 2nd addition of the offseason in Merrimack guard Kevair Kennedy.
Kennedy is a 6-2 freshman who averaged 18.4 points, 4.2 assists, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.9 steals per game this season for the Warriors
while shooting 45% from the floor and 32% from beyond the arc. He finished his freshman campaign ranked 1st in the MAAC in scoring, 4th in assists, 4th in steals, 6th in field goal percentage, and 1st in both free throws made and free throws attempted—that stellar play helped Merrimack finish with a 23-11 overall record and a 17-3 MAAC record.
For his outstanding play, Kennedy picked up both MAAC Player of the Year and MAAC Rookie of the Year honors, becoming the only player to win both awards in the same season. He scored in a double digits in 33 of Merrimack’s 34 games this season (5 points vs Auburn) and had 9 games with 20+ points and 5+ assists. Kennedy scored a career high 32 points in an overtime win against Siena in which he was a perfect 16-16 from the free throw line.
Based on some of his highlights below, Kennedy is an outstanding finisher at the rim and uses the pump fake very effectively to get guys in the air and get to the free throw line. He has great court vision and passes the ball well, but he did lead the MAAC with 3.0 turnovers per game—that’s not uncommon for a high usage freshman (Cameron Boozer had 6 fewer turnovers this season), but he will have to bring those numbers way down to have an impact in the ACC. He will also need to be more willing to shoot from beyond the arc. While he finished the season shooting 32% from downtown, Kennedy was just 13-40 from 3-point range this season. It will be much harder for him to get to the rim and create shots for himself and his teammates if teams are able to sag off the 3-point line and go under screens.
Go Deacs!
