Keonté Kennedy immediately reacts to the two questions with a big smile.
The first question on who has the best shoe collection on the team he tackles immediately.
“It’s between (Kendric Davis) and I, and I am No. 1,” he says, laughing. “Jayden Hardaway doesn’t count because his dad is Penny Hardaway.”
But the second question, how would he describe the team’s performance to date, gives him pause.
Memphis had just dropped a tough game on the road to No. 4 Alabama just a few hours before, ending a six-game winning streak for the Tigers.
This time there was no smile, just a sigh.
“For us, we have to continue getting better because we haven't played our best basketball yet,” he says. “Not even close to our best basketball, on either side of the ball. It’s still early and the way we were playing, we're not happy with it.”
“For us, we have to continue getting better because we haven't played our best basketball yet...not even close to our best basketball, on either side of the ball. It’s still early and the way we were playing, we're not happy with it.”
"It actually helped me a lot at an early age, I learned to play with a lot of great guys so coming into going into college, it was less about my ego. These guys were all great players and athletes, so I think that's what really helped me give me an edge to work with people just as good or better as me.”
Before coming to Memphis, Kennedy established himself as one of the most productive players in Conference USA.
Playing 31 minutes a game, Kennedy finished his sophomore season at UTEP ranked third on the team in points (8.6 ppg), second in rebounds (5.9 ppg), second in steals (31) and third in assists (36).
Following Kennedy’s breakout sophomore season in El Paso, teammate and first-team Conference USA guard Bryson Williams was asked to describe Kennedy.
“He’s a killer,” he says.
Kennedy’s knack for filling up the stat sheet started in his high school days at Westlake High School in Austin, Texas.
Even though he was rated a four-star prospect in high school, Kennedy was surrounded by talent.
His teammates, Matthew Mayer (Baylor) Will Baker (Nevada and Texas) and Texas High School District MVP Brock Cunningham (Texas), would all go on to have productive college careers.
“It actually helped me a lot at an early age,” Kennedy says. “I learned to play with a lot of great guys so coming into going into college, it was less about my ego.”
“These guys were all great players and athletes, so I think that's what really helped me give me an edge to work with people just as good or better as me.”
One of Kennedy’s biggest “edges” is his flexibility on the floor. His shooting ability (as a sophomore, Kennedy finished eight games with a shooting percentage over 50 percent) demands the respect of defenses, but his size and defending skills allow him to play almost any position.
At UTEP, Kennedy would often play the four position, matching up with some of the biggest players on the floor. Memphis head coach Penny Hardaway took note, and is also using Kennedy in various lineups.
“I can play the one through the four,” Kennedy says. “And some games I have had to do play all of those.”
“There have been times where I was the tallest on the court so I am playing the four, but I want to be versatile, playing multiple positions at a high level.”
"I've always felt when I was younger, I was a shooter, but my dad always told me ‘if your shot's not falling, what else are you going to be able to do, how are you going to stay on the court? And so that's when I knew I had to be able to defend and be a big guy that rebounds and passes the ball. So I always had to find a niche for it and I always have it if it’s an off night there are things I can do on the court to help my team win. I am all about winning.”
With five straight wins in AAC conference play, Kennedy has been a huge part of the Tigers’ January run.
Following the overtime loss to UCF on January 11, Memphis has gone 5-0, lead in part by Kennedy who continues to grow his role with the Tiers.
In the last four games, Kennedy has been an offensive force, scoring in the double digits each game and helping bury a stubborn Wichita State team after finishing 4-6 from the three-point line.
But Kennedy’s versatility may be better displayed following the Tigers’ close call with Temple.
Despite finishing just 1-7 from the floor, Kennedy was able to put his stamp on the game with four critical assists, three steals and 4-4 free throw shooting, helping Memphis hold off Temple on the road.
“I've always felt when I was younger, I was a shooter, but my dad always told me ‘if your shot's not falling, what else are you going to be able to do, how are you going to stay on the court?’,” Kennedy says. “And so that's when I knew I had to be able to defend and be a big guy that rebounds and passes the ball."
"So I always had to find a niche for it and I always have it if it’s an off night there are things I can do on the court to help my team win. I am all about winning.”