Kevair Kennedy knew this summer what everyone else learned this winter.
The Crusaders are for real.
Kennedy is a senior on the Father Judge High School basketball team, and he’s been with the program since making the Catholic League playoffs was a struggle.
But as his junior year ended, and he helped the Crusaders make the Palestra for the first time in decades, he saw a spark.
He knew the Crusaders were on the verge of something special, and by the time the team met up to play in summer leagues, he had a feeling something special was on the horizon.
“I knew our first workout back together and seeing the growth everyone made throughout the summer, I knew we were going to have a chance to have a special season,” Kennedy said. “I knew I had to change. We needed someone to step up. They were halfway there themselves, I just had to put the icing on the cake and keep everyone confident.
“It was a little hard. My coach (Chris Roantree) told me I had to be the leader we needed. That was a little hard for me because I’ve never been the guy to do that, I’m usually not very outspoken. But they needed me to do it, and I really wanted it, so I had to do it. It wasn’t hard because of the team, but I learned to do it.”
Mission complete.
Kennedy didn’t just get the Crusaders back to the Palestra, he put them in the record books by leading Judge to not only its first Catholic League championship in 27 seasons but also helped the team earn its first basketball state championship.
He scored a game-high 29 points and went 8-for-8 from the free throw line in the final two minutes of the game to lead the Crusaders to a 71-60 victory over Roman Catholic at the Giant Center in Hershey. Judge not only made history by winning the state crown, it did it by knocking off a very good Cahillites team three times, including wins in both the Catholic League championship and the state title game.
“Basketball has been the talk of the high school the past two or three weeks, everyone was excited about this,” Kennedy said. “Last night, I just got hot. I knew at halftime that I was feeling it, and in the second half, I just had to get to my spots. It worked out. When I heat up, it helps my teammates and vice versa. When they heat up, it helps me. We all work to help each other.”
Derrick Morton-Rivera added 19 points and Nazir Tayler chipped in seven. Everett Barnes and Rocco Westfield each added six.
It was the perfect ending to a season that produced Judge’s third state championship in school history. It also won a soccer championship in 2009 and the baseball team brought home a state championship two years ago.
This wasn’t just a banner year for Judge. Neumann-Goretti (5A), Devon Prep (4A) and West Catholic (3A) also won state championships in Hershey.
“My best memory will be winning the PCL championship,” Kennedy said. “Holding on that plaque, that was a great feeling. It means so much knowing we’re in the league with the best of the best, that means a lot.
“But the state championship, that means so much, too. Everyone said we couldn’t beat Roman three times because they’re very good. But we knew we could. Being out there, being on a court like that, it was like being in the NBA. You could see yourself on the screen. It was a great experience and fun because it let us keep playing together.”
If there were any reasons to shed tears of sadness this weekend, it’s because the season is over.
Yes, it produced everything they wanted it and this isn’t a team that will completely go their separate ways once they hand in the uniforms, but it will be very different.
“That’s the hardest part, just knowing you won’t be seeing these guys every day, we were together every day no matter what,” Kennedy said. “That made this team special. We just really all bonded. Everyone on the team.
“That made being a leader on this team easy. The bond we had not just in basketball but away from basketball helped me be a leader. Before when people weren’t doing drills right, I just would do the drill. This year I would tell them to do it right, and everyone knew I wasn’t saying it because I was mad at them. We had to do it that way to be successful. We all knew what we wanted and all wanted the same thing.”
Kennedy is bound for Merrimack College, where he will continue his growth as a student and a basketball player. But he’s not going without tons of support.
He knows the guys he played with on this year’s team will be there with him for the rest of his life. But he’s lucky to have a wide circle that all wants what’s best for him. It starts with his family.
“I have my dad, my mom, my big bro and my little bro,” Kennedy said. “All of them. My neighborhood, too. Hunting Park. Everyone is pushing me to be a better person and better myself. They were all there. It’s great. They told me a win for me is a win for everyone. That means a lot.
“Everyone pushed me. Coach Roantree definitely helped me a lot. He really taught me to be a better (leader). He told me we needed that and I wanted to do it.”
Kennedy walks out of Judge a legend. But when he tells the story, it won’t be about him.
“This was the entire team, we were better because of our bond,” Kennedy said. “We are the first team in school history to do this. That means a lot to all of us. This means everything.”
