Kennedy Boys Basketball

Healthy Misener is ‘huge’ key for Cougars

Kennedy senior Jake Misener is a point guard in a league that’s stocked with outstanding players at his position, so his job is tough enough. Trying to play with a sore shoulder makes it even tougher.

Misener separated his left shoulder on the fourth day of practice last month, missed the first two games of the season and figures he’s about 80 percent now. “It’s a little better every day,” he said Saturday night.

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Max Martino enjoys Sweet 16 afterglow at UNI

CEDAR FALLS — Max Martino is a smart guy. We’re talking really smart, class valedictorian at Kennedy and all that, so if people want to think he helped the University of Northern Iowa reach the Sweet 16 of the NCAA basketball tournament last season, that’s OK with him.

He’ll accept the compliment, even though he was a senior at Kennedy last March when the Panthers upset Kansas for the biggest win in school history. Martino is part of the program now, however, and loving it.

“It’s really incredible,” he said Nov. 6  after UNI beat the University of Mary, 57-38, in an exhibition game at the McLeod Center. “When you’re walking in the Wal-Mart and you have a basketball T-shirt on, it’s ‘Hey, you play for UNI. Good job last year.’ Everybody in Cedar Falls is like that. It’s just really cool to be part of the team.”

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Basketball (not football) was French’s 1st love

Christian French was a basketball player as a young kid. He was bigger, stronger and better than everyone else.

It looked like he had a future in the sport. Football came later.

“Yeah, I used to play a lot of basketball when I was younger,” he said. “If anything, I thought I’d be in the same position for basketball instead of football.”

That’s not how it turned out, however.

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Christian French helps Kennedy dunk Senior

 Christian French is known as a football player these days, but he hasn’t forgotten what to do on a basketball court. He proved that Tuesday night (Dec. 14).

French scored 19 points, blocked three shots and handcuffed Dubuque Senior’s top player as No. 9 Kennedy stuffed the Rams, 68-40, in a Mississippi Valley Conference game at Kennedy.

French struggled in Kennedy’s first two games this season, scoring just two points per contest, but he’s feeling loose and easy now after committing to play football at the University of Oregon last week.

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