LSU guard Jeanne Kenney isn’t a stranger to putting a team on her back — it’s second nature to the Baton Rouge native.
Teammates and coaches from throughout her playing career rave about the junior’s ability to motivate her teammates to be the best they can be. It’s not just a trait she’s acquired in college; Kenney has been displaying her team-first mentality since high school.
“The biggest thing she brings to the team is she’s unselfish and a vocal leader,” said Tami Reynolds-McClure, Kenney’s coach at St. Michael High School in Baton Rouge.
At St. Michael, Kenney formed one of the best backcourts in the state with guard KK Babin, who now plays at Nicholls State. The two helped the school win back-to-back 4A State Championships in 2008 and 2009.
In her sophomore season at St. Michael, when the Lady Warriors beat Ellender in the 4A State Championship Game for the first of their two back-to-back titles, Kenney changed the entire complexion of the game with a quintessential example of an unselfish play.
Down by two with less than a minute left in the game and Ellender in possession, Kenney drew a huge charge. St. Michael then retained possession, scored and the rest is history.
“Not many kids are going to take a charge in that situation, that changed the momentum,” Reynolds-McClure said. “I will never forget that moment.”
Even when Kenney had to sit out most of her senior season because of an ankle injury, Reynolds-McClure valued the insightfulness from the 2009 Louisiana Sports Writer’s Association Class 4A Most Outstanding Player as a coach on the sideline.
When it was time for her to make her decision on where to play college ball, she wasn’t short of offers from high-profile programs. Rated the No. 31 overall player by ESPN Hoopgurlz.com, Kenney had offers from Stanford, Florida State and LSU, among others.
Despite having the option of competing at LSU in her own backyard, her college choice wasn’t as cut-and-dry as it seemed.
“I went on most of the unofficial visits with her,” Reynolds-McClure said. “It was a roller coaster ride for her. A lot of people don’t realize what these kids go through.”
When it came down to it, playing at a prominent women’s basketball program in front of close family and friends was a win-win proposition Kenney couldn’t pass up.
“It was just that little voice in my head that said stay here,” Kenney said. “Staying close to home is always a good thing.”
Kenney committed to play under former LSU coach Van Chancellor, but now finds herself as a junior in the second season of coach Nikki Caldwell’s tenure. Last season, she was forced to shift to the point guard position after senior Destini Hughes suffered a knee injury Jan. 19.
The sharp-shooting Kenney saw her three-point attempts drop from 111 in her freshman campaign to only 65 a season ago. Adding point guard freshman Danielle Ballard to the mix allows her to move back to her natural shooting guard position, something Caldwell is excited to see.
“That [addition of Danielle Ballard] will allow us to give Jeanne Kenney more opportunities to score off the basketball,” Caldwell said. “Last year, she had to sacrifice some of her game in order to run the point. This year we expect her to be an offensive threat.”
Not only will more of the scoring load be dumped on Kenney’s plate, but the lack of upperclassmen will also make her more involved with helping younger players along with senior Adrienne Webb in the upcoming 2012 season.
“With the loss of five seniors, we are leaning on Jeanne Kenney and Adrienne Webb to carry that leadership role,” Caldwell said.
Webb, one of two seniors on the roster, has taken notice of the junior’s ability to encourage her teammates, even when the odds aren’t in her favor.
“She is not only a great player, but a great person and a great leader,” Webb said. “She is one that if we’re down in the game and we can’t seem to turn it around, she may be the one to give us that spark on the court, that way we can turn it around.”
But the vocal Kenney suggests another reason her teammates look to her in crucial moments.
“We have a lot of leadership on this team and people have really stepped up,” Kenney said. “I just happen to be the loudest.”
