DETROIT (6/4/2020) -- Thomas Kennedy '10 knows what it takes to succeed. It's all about hard work and dedication and with those attributes, the Detroit Mercy alum known as TK rose from a lightly recruited player out of high school to a highly-successful professional career.

He came to the Titans after a great career in junior college, helping Mott Community College to a pair of NJCAA national championships. He was a Second Team All-American as a senior after tallying 14.5 points and 7.7 rebounds, while shooting 51.0 percent from the field. Before that, he starred at Southeastern High School in Detroit and was an 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. 

"I remember like it was yesterday when I sat down with coach Mac (Ray McCallum) and he said it's time to get Detroit headed in the right direction and I wanted to be apart of it," Kennedy said. "To be able to play college basketball in my hometown was amazing for me."

Kennedy was part of a big turnaround at Detroit Mercy, but his first year was a struggle for the team as the red, white and blue won just seven games. He had a fine season leading the team in scoring at 11.6 points per game, 14th in the conference, to go with 4.5 rebounds per contest. In his second season, he was part of the biggest turnaround in school history as the Titans won 20 games and he was named the Robert Calihan Most Valuable Player at the team banquet after posting 11.2 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, shooting over 45.0 percent from the field and 70.0 percent from the free-throw line.

"Every game, all of my family and friends were there," Kennedy said. "Sometimes, it was from 25 people to 100 coming to the game that was family and friends and their family and friends. I wouldn't have traded that for anything. I remember my first season, we had a lot of good players, but some couldn't play due to the fact they were transfers and had to sit a year. So our first season my junior year did not go as planned, but we learned a lot about what it was going to take to win. My senior year, we were at full strength we were really good. There wasn't a dull moment on this team I can tell you. I had a great experience with all of the coaches and all of my teammates the two years I was there."

After graduation, Kennedy pursued a career overseas and the rest has been history as he has become one of the best players in Japan. He played one season in Austria before heading to Japan, where he has helped his teams to championships, while scoring over 8,000 points and setting a league record with 57 points in a game in 2018. 

"Japan has been great for me," said Kennedy. "The professionalism is great and the game is growing more and more each year. I just finished my 10th season of pro ball and nine of them have been here. It's a great place to play and live."

But how did he end up in Japan? The Titan family runs deep and another former Titan helped him find his way to a country that he calls home and is dominating in. 

"Funny story of how I found my way to Japan. During my first season playing overseas, I was in Austria and Chuck Bailey kept in contact with me a lot because he was still playing in Kuwait at the time. We were talking one day and I was telling him I wanted to find another place to play and he put me in contact with an agent name Steve James who helped me get started in Japan with an expansion team in 2011 and the rest is history," added Kennedy. 

Now Japan is home and now that the shock of playing overseas has long been gone, Kennedy and his family has adjusted to foreign life. 

"My wife and children have been with me here for the last five seasons," said Kennedy. "It has been great to be able to live this life together. My family likes it here as well. They have their community of friends that have become like family to us."

"In the beginning, it was a total culture shock. Just flying 13 hours on one flight to get there at the time was such a long flight, but one that I make with ease now. When I first came here, I didn't realize how expensive it is. Many things that are cheap back home cost much more here. But even with that, I love it here, it's home to me. I've spent the majority of my adulthood here. I can remember using Google translator for everything and where I would go. Those days are long gone now though. It was so confusing for me to catch the train back in my earlier days that I thought if I got lost, no one would find me and I would be lost forever. I'm well adjusted to the culture and living here."

Kennedy was on his way to another great season in Japan as he was helping his team cruise through the competition and looking for a championship when the pandemic hit. 

"Over the past few months, things have been shut down that weren't deemed essential here just like everywhere else in the world," Kennedy said. "Our season ended in mid-March and we were rolling at 41-7, had 13 games to go and we were looking forward to trying to get 50-plus wins before heading into the playoffs. Then the coronavirus showed up and the rest is history.

"As I completed my 10th season, my body feels great. Time really flies when you are living in the moment. When I look back, I just can believe how fast it went, but I would love to continue for another 10 more seasons, God willing and I take care of my body. I'm at the age now where everything matters. What you eat, drink, how much sleep, all play a role in how well you will be able to sustain a certain level of performance on the court. But with that being said, I still feel like a kid every time I touch the basketball. It takes me to all the time playing in the park with friends or outside in the driveway at home by myself."

Kennedy still loves and misses his hometown and he will never forget where he came from. 

"The biggest thing I miss about Detroit is the culture. I miss all of the foods from back home. From the restaurants downtown to my favorite Coney Island on the Westside. Detroit is where just about all of my family lives and I don't get to see them as much as I would like to. I try to come to the school in the summer to play an open gym when I can. I love being in Calihan Hall and seeing how much has changed there. I always remember that I'm a Titan for life no matter where I go, I bleed that red, white and blue."