For the foreseeable future, Chris Kennedy will be able to return to Signal Mountain High Schol’s gymnasium and see his name high up on the wall atop the list of all-time leading scorers for the Eagles.
On the gym floor below is where Kennedy has poured thousands of hours of work into the game he loves, which produced 1,677 career points – and counting – to go along with nearly 250 3-pointers.
“First off, I have had really good teammates to help me get where I am,” said Kennedy, a 5-foot-11 point guard capable of scoring from anywhere on the court. “I remember watching games here in elementary school and wanting to be like those guys. From there, I have put in a lot of hard work. My dad has devoted so much extra time working with me in the gym. Basketball has always been my No. 1 and a sport my family loves.”
Signal Mountain head coach Steven Redman sensed Kennedy’s potential stardom early when he called up the smooth sharpshooter to the high school varsity as an eighth grader. In one of Kennedy’s first games, he provided a key 3-pointer late to help lead a 45-43 road victory in a rivalry win over Red Bank.
Kennedy would go on to average nearly 13 points per game as a freshman, and as a sophomore he broke out in a big way at the Best of Preps tournament when he made eight second-half 3-pointers on his way to a 33-point effort against Lakeview Fort-Oglethorpe. As a senior, he is averaging 16.5 points per game (including a season high of 28) and has eight games with 20 or more points while scoring double digits in all 27 games.