The Road to St. John’s Basketball: DJ Kennedy Before the Red Storm

Before “Big Play” DJ Kennedy made his way to Queens, he was already playing basketball in the spotlight.

As part of the Pennsylvania Boys’ Class AAAA Championship team at Schenley High School (PA) in 2007, he played alongside current San Antonio Spurs forward DeJuan Blair on a squad that finished 29-3. While Blair decided to stay in town to play college ball at Pittsburgh, Kennedy headed to New York City to play for Norm Roberts at St. John’s.

Arriving in Queens, Kennedy did not start out as the focal point, either. After an impressive freshman season by forward Justin Burrell, Kennedy looked to be the swingman complement to another dominant big man down low. In his freshman year, Kennedy played 27 minutes per game, averaging nearly 8 points and 6 rebounds.

But, after a facial fracture sidelined Burrell, Kennedy had to step up in his sophomore season. Playing seven more minutes per game, Kennedy nearly doubled his scoring output, averaging 13 points and almost 7 rebounds. He also began to show his ability to fill up the stat sheet, adding 3 assists per game.

When the dawn of his junior year came, hopes were high and expectations were even higher. The Red Storm added four quality recruits to the roster, including two junior college transfers, Justin Brownlee and Dwight Hardy. Kennedy was made to be the leader from the outset and, though the team fell short of expectations, the 6’6” swingman had the best season of his college career.

Averaging 15 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists, he gained a reputation as one of the most versatile players in the Big East. His length allowed him to not only attack the basket to score points, but he shot a career-high 38% from 3-pt range. He led the Red Storm in nearly every major statistical category and became a team leader, going into his senior season.

Under the new Lavin administration, Kennedy moved from the spotlight to a complementary role, alongside Hardy and Brownlee. His greatest contributions came on defense and on the boards, as well as being a more-than-viable third option in Lavin’s offense.

His most impressive game came February 10th at Madison Square Garden against UConn, when he scored 20 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in an 89-72 victory.

Unfortunately, in the Big East Tournament against Syracuse, Kennedy went down with a knee injury early in the first half, an injury that cut his season short. The Pittsburgh native had successful surgery to repair the knee and is working through the 8 month rehab process on his road back to basketball.

Though he had to watch his team take part in the NCAA Tournament from the sidelines, DJ Kennedy’s mark on this program will be indelible. During his senior season, he passed St. John’s legend Walter Barry on the Johnnies’ all-time scoring list. He will be remembered as one of the integral pieces that helped turn this St. John’s program around. Without David J. Kennedy and the rest of these seniors, the national Red Storm brand would not be what it is today, on its way toward being one of the most recognizable in the country.

Check out JohnnyJungle.com’s previous Road to St. John’s pieces on Dwayne Polee II, Malik Stith, and Paris Horne.