Jeremy Kendle

Early life

Kendle was born and raised in Jeffersonville, Indiana, and grew up playing basketball. As a sophomore at Jeffersonville High School, Kendle was nearly cut from the basketball team due to his small stature; he was five-foot seven inches tall and 140 pounds. He was told he wasn't good enough to make the varsity basketball team. The head coach on the senior varsity team wanted to cut him, but the junior varsity coach knew his father and they had a mutual respect. He kept Kendle on the team, but he rode the bench for the whole season. The next year, he hit a six-inch growth spurt and worked really hard physically. He subsequently started on the varsity team as a junior.

As a senior in 2005–06 playing for coach Jimmy Just, Kendle averaged 15.1 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. He helped lead the Red Devils to a 23–2 record and the Hoosier Hills Conference Championship, and subsequently earned first team All-District, All-Region and All-Area selection.

During his high school years, Kendle's mother battled ovarian cancer. Kendle has said of those tough times, "It all happened for a reason. It made my character stronger. Having that perseverance in you is a key to life in my opinion."

Injury troubles and second chance

As a freshman in 2006–07, Kendle attended Olney Central Community College but managed just two games for the Blue Knights after sustaining a severe foot injury that required surgery. He returned home to Jeffersonville for the 2007–08 season and fully recovered. After his left foot healed, he re-joined the Blue Knights for the 2008–09 season, but on the first day of practice, he broke his right foot. After three months out, he came back and broke his right foot again in two different places. While a less driven athlete would have pulled the pin on his basketball career, Kendle had other ideas. He subsequently changed his diet and went through a vigorous therapy program.

His comeback in 2009 saw him earn a try-out with Bellarmine University, despite his commitment to being a walk-on at the University of Southern Indiana, a rival school of Bellarmine. He played well in the trial at Bellarmine, and a few days later, he was given a full scholarship. Bellarmine was only a 20-minute drive from his family home which allowed him to spend time with his ill mother and gave his family the chance to watch him play regularly.

2009–10 season

Kendle began playing for the Bellarmine Knights during the 2009–10 season. Stringing together his first full college season, Kendle led the Knights in scoring with 17.7 points per game and subsequently earned second-team All-GLVC honors. During the 2010 GLVC Tournament, he helped his team win the event while earning Tournament MVP and All-Tournament Team honors.

2010–11 season

In his second season playing for the Knights, Kendle garnered numerous awards. The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) named Kendle to their 2011 State Farm Division II All-America Team, and Daktronics (voted on by college sports information directors) named Kendle to their Third Team All-American squad. He also earned NABC Division II All-Midwest Region first team, All-GLVC first team and GLVC Player of the Year honors after averaging 17.3 points and 3.3 rebounds during the regular season. Kendle helped lead Bellarmine to a 30–2 record and a trip to the NCAA Division II Elite 8 for the first time in school history. He went on to lead them even further as the Knights won their first NCAA Division II National Championship in 2010–11. Kendle subsequently earned NCAA Division II All-Tournament Team honors.

2011–12 season

In August 2011, the NCAA granted Kendle two more seasons of college eligibility after deeming his first two seasons at Olney Central did not count due to his injuries. As a junior in 2011–12, Kendle once again led the Knights back to the NCAA Division II Final Four and earned All-GLVC first team and NABC Division II All-America Team honors for a second straight year. In 33 games for the Knights in 2011–12, he averaged 19.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.1 steals per game.

On September 28, 2012, it was announced that Kendle had signed with an agent to pursue professional basketball opportunities and would not return to Bellarmine for the 2012–13 season. Kendle left Bellarmine as the only player in school history to be named to the NABC All-America Team two years in a row, and was on track to become the all-time leading scorer. Kendle ended his career fourth on Bellarmine's all-time scoring list with 1,792 points.

Morocco and Switzerland (2013–2014)

On January 1, 2013, Kendle signed with the Wydad Athletic Club of the Morocco Basketball League. He went on to help Wydad win the 2012–13 Morocco League championship.

In July 2013, Kendle signed with SAM Basket Massagno of Switzerland for the 2013–14 LNBA season. He managed just two games for Massagno before departing the club in late October. The following month, Kendle returned to Morocco and joined Amal Essaouira, where he played out the 2013–14 season. He went on to help Essaouira reach the final of both the Throne Cup and the Morocco League, losing both times to AS Salé.

Toowoomba Mountaineers (2015)

On March 27, 2015, Kendle signed with the Toowoomba Mountaineers for the 2015 Queensland Basketball League season. After missing the team's season opener, he made his debut for the Mountaineers on May 9, recording a triple-double with 31 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists in a 110–83 win over the Ipswich Force. On June 7, he scored 40 points in a 101–83 win over the Cairns Marlins. On July 6, he was named Player of the Week for Round 10 after scoring 31 points against Gold Coast on July 3, and 44 points against Logan on July 4. On July 18, he recorded his second triple-double of the season with 29 points, 14 rebounds, 19 assists and seven steals in a 112–79 win over the Bundaberg Bulls. He helped the Mountaineers finish the regular season in fifth place with an 11–6 win/loss record. In their quarter-final match-up with the Northside Wizards on August 15, Kendle scored a season-high 46 points to help guide the Mountaineers to a 108–96 overtime win. Three days later, he played for the QBL All-Stars in an exhibition match against the LSU Tigers men's basketball team, scoring a team-high 22 points in a 91–88 loss. With their win over Northside, the Mountaineers moved on to the semi-finals where they faced the No. 1 seeded Mackay Meteors. There they met their match, losing 104–92, bowing out of the playoffs despite a 24-point, 12-rebound effort from Kendle. Kendle helped the Mountaineers go from last on the ladder in 2014, to a semi-final appearance in 2015. He subsequently earned league MVP honors and was named to the All-League Team alongside teammate Erron Maxey. In 18 games for the Mountaineers, he averaged 30.2 points, 7.3 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 1.9 steals per game.

Bendigo Braves (2016)

On December 22, 2015, Kendle signed with the Bendigo Braves for the 2016 SEABL season. He made his debut for the Braves in the team's season opener on April 1, scoring a team-high 24 points to go with eight rebounds, five assists, one steal and one block in just under 38 minutes of action in a 93–68 win over the Ballarat Miners. On April 23, he scored a season-high 32 points in an 89–55 win over the Albury Wodonga Bandits. A week later, he tied that mark with 32 points in a 97–59 win over the Canberra Gunners. On May 22, he set a new season high with 34 points in a 91–87 loss to the Dandenong Rangers. Kendle's form over the first half of the season saw SEABL.com.au consider him as an MVP candidate in their mid-season report. As a result of his form with Bendigo, Kendle attended the inaugural National Pro Combine in Melbourne, a two-day event (June 20–21) used to expose non-contracted potential players to NBL coaches and scouts.

Between June 18 and July 24, Kendle scored 30 points or more in six out of seven games, including a season-high 43 points on July 16 against the NW Tasmania Thunder. During that stretch, he earned Player of the Week honors three times, and earned an invitation to attend a session run by NBL club Melbourne United on July 20. Entering Round 17 on a 10-game winning streak, Kendle scored 38 points on July 30 against the Sandringham Sabres to extend the streak to 11 games with a 96–74 win. In the Braves' regular season finale on August 13, Kendle scored a game-high 34 points in a 108–105 overtime win over the Albury Wodonga Bandits, extending their winning streak to 13 games. The Braves finished first on the ladder with a 21–3 record, while Kendle earned the league's scoring title with a 27.7-points-per-game average. In their semi-final match-up with the Brisbane Spartans on August 20, Kendle scored a game-high 33 points in an 83–60 win. The win moved them onto the East Conference grand final, where they faced the Nunawading Spectres on September 3. Despite Kendle's shooting slump during the conference final, the Braves were victorious in overtime with a 76–64 win, as Kendle finished with 17 points on 3-of-18 from the field and 9-of-10 from the free throw line. In the SEABL National Championship final on September 10, Kendle scored a game-high 34 points to guide Bendigo to their first SEABL title since 2005, as they defeated the Mount Gambier Pioneers 79–61. Kendle subsequently won the Hugh McMenamin Medal as game MVP. The following day, Kendle was named the SEABL's Most Valuable Player and earned All-SEABL Team honors. He appeared in all 27 games for the Braves in 2016, averaging 27.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.6 steals per game.

Following the 2016 season, Kendle made the decision to not return to Bendigo for the 2017 season.

Brisbane Bullets (2017–present)

In late December 2016, Kendle joined the NBL's Brisbane Bullets at practice as an option to provide additional guard coverage within the roster. Backing himself completely, when Kendle became aware Brisbane was looking to further supplement its line-up, he flew himself out at cost from Louisville, Kentucky to trial with the club. He was set to join the playing squad prior to the Bullets' New Year's Eve clash with the Cairns Taipans before being ruled out with a low grade calf strain. Despite not having fully recovered from the injury, Kendle officially signed with the Bullets for the rest of the 2016–17 season on January 11, 2017. He made his debut for the Bullets four days later, recording five points, one rebound and one steal in just under 12 minutes off the bench in an 84–82 loss to the New Zealand Breakers. In his second game for the Bullets on January 19, Kendle recorded five points, five rebounds and three assists in 19 minutes off the bench in a 101–68 loss to the Adelaide 36ers. Two days later, following the release of Jermaine Beal, Kendle made his first start in the NBL and subsequently recorded 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting, as well as six rebounds, four assists and one steal in just under 29 minutes, helping the Bullets defeat Melbourne United 88–71. He continued on as a starter in the following game on January 27 and scored a season-high 16 points in an 80–77 loss to the Sydney Kings. Two days later, he scored a team-high 24 points on 10-of-14 shooting in a 97–83 loss to the Cairns Taipans. In the Bullets' regular season finale on February 11, Kendle scored 11 points in a 106–79 loss to the Illawarra Hawks. As a result of their late season drop off, the Bullets finished the season in last place on the ladder with a 10–18 record.

Canterbury Rams (2017–present)

On January 27, 2017, Kendle signed with the Canterbury Rams for the 2017 New Zealand NBL season.