University of Detroit Mercy men's basketball coach Ray McCallum announced Monday that standout junior college forward Thomas Kennedy from Mott Community College (MI) has signed a national letter of intent to play at UDM next season.

 

"This is a young man who wanted to come back to Detroit," said McCallum. "He wanted to come here and make a difference. For him to be our first signee was a great statement for this program."

A native of Detroit, Mich., Kennedy was one of the most sought after junior college players in the Midwest after leading Mott to its second-straight Division II National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) national championship. He averaged 14.5 points per game, on 51-percent shooting, to go with a team-high 7.7 rebounds a game. The 6-7, 217lb forward also tallied 2.1 assists and 2.0 steals per contest and was named to the NJCAA Division II All-America Second-Team.

 

"He is a pure talent that can score," said McCallum. "He was a winner in junior college with back-to-back national championships."

In his two years there, the Bears owned an unprecedented 70-5 record, including a 33-game winning streak to close out the 2007-08 campaign. Prior to joining Mott, Kennedy played at Southeastern High School in Detroit alongside current Titan Eulis Stephens. As a senior, he was named honorable mention All-PSL by the Detroit News as well as one of the top 100 players in the state of Michigan by the Detroit Free Press.

 

Kennedy, who will have two years of eligibility, joins guard Donavan Foster, (Chicago, IL/Curie), forward Ian Larkin (Detroit, MI/Renaissance) and center Eugene Blue (Pensacola (FL) Junior College) who signed with UDM during the early signing period.