Cal Basketball: Memphis Guard Keonte' Kennedy Says He's Joining the Bears
Cal has added a fourth transfer to its men’s basketball roster since new coach Mark Madsen was hired, with Memphis guard Keonte' Kennedy announcing he will join the Golden Bears as a graduate transfer.
Kennedy shared his decision on social media.
Keonte' Kennedy
Kennedy averaged 9.2 points this past season for a Memphis team that went 26-8, although he missed the final eight games with a hand injury.
A 6-foot-5, 180-pound guard, Kennedy is joining his fourth school after a beginning his college career at Xavier, spending three years at UTEP and last season with Memphis.
He has played 90 college games, averaging 8.3 points ad 3.9 rebounds. He is a career 31-percent 3-point shooter but converted a team-best 38 percent last season at Memphis.
Keonte' Kennedy
Photo courtesy of Memphis Athletics
A four-star prospect out of Westlake High School in Austin, Texas, Kennedy scored double digits 11 times for Memphis last season. He had a season-high 19 points, including 3-for-5 on 3’s, against South Florida.
In his second season at UTEP in 2021-22, Kennedy averaged 14.1 points and 6.1 rebounds in 19 games, missing the first 15 outings with an injury. He scored a career-high 27 points vs. North Carolina Central and had a 22-point, 15-rebound game vs. Western Illinois.
Kennedy is the latest newcomer ready to bolster a Cal roster that needed bodies and talent. Already having announced their plans to join the Bears are 6-11 forward Fardaws Aimaq (Texas Tech), guard Jalen Cone (Northern Arizona) and Mike Meadows (Portland).
Expected back from last year’s roster are guards Jalen Celestine and Devin Askew, and forwards Grant Newell, ND Okafor and Monty Bowser.
The Bears also have two incoming freshman -- 6-6 guard Rodney Brown of Temecula, CA, and 6-11 center Devin Curtis of Los Angeles.
With 11 scholarship players now on board, Madsen is expected to add another one or two more players to the roster.
Cover photo of Keonte' Kennedy by Maria Lysaker, USA Today
Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo
