Markus Kennedy, a 6-foot-8 junior center from Philly, has left St. Patrick of Elizabeth and will attend Apex Academies in Cherry Hill, N.J.
“I think the reason that he left St. Pat’s was just so he could be closer to home,” said Matt Pauls, Kennedy’s travel coach with Team NJABC 2010. “Second of all, leaving a great program like St. Pat’s under a great coach like Kevin Boyle is never an easy decision. In the end, it ended up being much more of a lifestyle decision than anything else and it was not an easy decision by his family. He really is much closer to home.”
Kennedy is the second high-profile player to leave St. Patrick in recent weeks, following 5-10 PG Shaquille Stokes, now at Brooklyn Lincoln, alongside Lance Stephenson.
St. Patrick still features arguably the best backcourt in the state in North Carolina-bound Dexter Strickland and Kyrie Irving, who has a slew of major offers, as well as 6-6 George Mason commit Paris Bennett, point guard Kevin Boyle Jr. and superstar sophomore Mike Gilchrist
Villanova, Rutgers, Miami, Dayton, Temple, Xavier and Penn State are all recruiting Kennedy, who helped St. Patrick win several prestigious summer events, including the Hoop Group Showcase at Rutgers. Seton Hall is involved but has not yet offered.
“Clearly, Villanova and Rutgers are still the leaders,” Pauls said.
(Photo courtesy Brian Kelley)
