St. John's University Athletics
Cleveland Cavaliers Sign St. John's Standout D.J. Kennedy
4/21/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
April 21, 2012
CLEVELAND - After battling back from knee surgery and posting huge numbers with the NBA Developmental League's Erie BayHawks, former St. John's men's basketball swingman D.J. Kennedy has signed a deal with the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers for the remainder of the 2011-12 season, as announced by Cavaliers' General Management on Saturday.
"We are pleased D.J. will now realize his dream of playing in the NBA," said Steve Lavin, Red Storm head men's basketball coach. "D.J. and his teammates at St. John's helped springboard the Johnnies back to national prominence. His leadership and versatility served as a catalyst in our run to the 2011 NCAA tournament. With Moe Harkless now being projected as a first round draft pick in the upcoming 2012 NBA Draft the Johnnies will have NBA representation from our last two teams. We believe this is further evidence of our program's bright future."
"I am thankful to the Cavaliers for giving me the chance to pursue my NBA dream," said Kennedy. "This is an incredible opportunity and I want to thank my family, friends and fans for sticking with me throughout my career and my comeback from injury. Special shoutout to Coach Lavin and all of my coaches at St. John's for believing in me and preparing me to help my dream come true. I am very blessed."
A 2011 graduate, the Pittsburgh native finished his Red Storm career 12th on STJ's all-time scoring list with 1,504 career points, 11th on the all-time rebounding list with 781 boards, fifth among sharpshooters with 122 3-point field goals and sixth on the all-time steals chart with 183 thefts. Those totals make him one of only three players in St. John's history to total 1,450 points, 750 rebounds and 150 steals, joining legends Malik Sealy (2,402 points, 880 rebounds, 238 steals) and George Johnson (1,763 points, 1,240 rebounds, 153 steals). Kennedy finished his St. John's career averaging 11.7 points on .436 shooting, 6.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 30.4 minutes in 129 games, 125 of which were starts.
St. John's third-leading scorer (10.4 points per game) and leading rebounder (5.6 rebounds per game) in 2010-11, Kennedy helped drive the 2010-11 Red Storm back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the program's now-vacated appearance in 2002. His senior year included a 21-12 overall record, marking St. John's most wins since the 2002-03 season, with six Top 25 victories and four over Top 10 opponents.
In 44 regular season games (all starts) with the BayHawks in 2011-12, Kennedy averaged 15.7 points on .447 shooting, 7.3 rebounds and 4.4 assists in 37.4 minutes per game. He shot .378 (51-135) from 3-point range and 81.6 percent from the free throw line (168-206). The 6-foot-6, 215-pounder also played in three of Erie's postseason games, averaging 14.3 points, 9.7 boards and 5.3 assists in 42.0 minutes per contest.
Kennedy, who becomes the 58th GATORADE Call-Up from the NBA Developmental League of the season, will wear No. 12 with the Cavaliers. He joins former St. John's standout Ron Artest, now-Metta World Peace, who plays small forward for the Los Angeles Lakers, to bring St. John's total to two current NBA players. Harkless, the 2011-12 BIG EAST Rookie of the Year, looks to become the third after declaring for the NBA Draft on March 19.
Harkless, who is projected to be selected in the draft's first round on June 28th, and as high as the No. 13 pick according to draft websites, looks to become the 60th all-time St. John's men's basketball player selected in the NBA Draft - and the first since 2001. St. John's second-ever BIG EAST Rookie of the Year and the first since the 1979-80 season when David Russell took home the honor, Harkless averaged 15.5 points per contest in 2011-12, ranking him second in the conference and sixth in the nation among rookies. His 15.5 points per game also ranked him fourth among St. John's all-time freshman scoring leaders. He finished the season tied as the conference's top rebounding frosh with 8.6 boards per game, good for second in the nation. The freshman's scoring average ranked him 11th among all BIG EAST players, while his rebound average was tied for sixth, his 1.4 blocks per game ranked 10th and his 1.6 steals were tied for 13th. Harkless' 32 starts in 32 games led the Red Storm and his 36.1 minutes per contest, which also led the team, ranked in the top three among rookies and was tied for 10th overall in the BIG EAST Conference.
The BIG EAST Honorable Mention and All-Rookie Team honoree's 11 double-doubles this regular season, including six in BIG EAST action, ranked tied for third among conference players this season and tied for 10th among all active BIG EAST players in a career. Harkless grabbed 276 rebounds, the most for a freshman since St. John's all-time most prolific rebounder George Johnson notched a freshman record with 285 boards in 1974-75. The swingman poured in 497 points during the season, which is fifth all-time on the freshman scoring list behind teammate and new rookie scoring leader D'Angelo Harrison (544), who averaged 17.0 ppg during the season to lead all BIG EAST freshmen and rank third nationally.
Entering the last week of the NBA's regular season, the Cavaliers conclude their campaign with road games at San Antonio (April 22) and Memphis (April 23), a home contest against the Wizards (April 25), and with their season finale at the Chicago Bulls (April 26).
