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Basketball or football in college for Luke Kennard?

luke-kennard.jpg

daytondailynews.com

There are some athletes growing up that are seemingly the best at every sport they play. Whether it is throwing on the shoulder pads or lacing up a pair of high-tops, these kids are on every all star team and always are earning all-league status in their respective sport.

Luke Kennard, of Franklin High School in Ohio, is one of these athletes.

Based solely on his offers in basketball and football, it would appear that Kennard is better on the hardwood. The rising junior boasts a slew of offers from big-time programs such as Kentucky, Louisville, Duke, Michigan State, Indiana, Michigan, Iowa, Notre Dame, Cincinnati and Ohio State, according to an article by Central Kentucky News.

The best word to describe Luke Kennard?

He’s just a winner. Anything he’s a part of whether it is football, basketball or in the classroom, he wins. He’s a 4.3 (grade-point average) student. He’s No. 4 (academically) in his class. On the football field, he went 9-1 as a freshman and sophomore during the regular season and got his team into the playoffs both years. In basketball he’s started every game for two years. We’ve gone 40-5 and won back-to-back league championships. He was MVP of both teams and Division II player of the year in Ohio, said his basketball coach Brian Bales.

In an era where fundamentals and a sound knowledge of the game of basketball has gone to the wayside, to a large extent thanks to the AAU culture, Kennard has a great foundation from which to build his game on.

According to Bales: “Ever since he was a little boy, his dad made him work at his skills like dribbling with both hands, seeing the court, shooting. All the big-name coaches are impressed with his skills.”

The big question that most college suitors are wondering is: Will it be basketball or football?

Rodney Roberts, the athletic director at Franklin High School, explained that the football recruiting process has been slower than the basketball primarily because Kennard plays in so many more basketball games than football during the year:

To be honest, a lot of football coaches are waiting to see if he is all-in on basketball in college or whether he will play football. My only response is, ‘When I know, you’ll know.’ Guys have more access to him during the AAU circuit (in basketball). But if they think he will play college football, he will has as many, or maybe more, suitors than he does in basketball.

By all accounts, Kennard appears to be the kind of kid who will be successful at whichever sport he elects to play at the next level. In this day and age, it’s so rare to see a Division 1 athlete play multiple sports -- especially ones that come in consecutive seasons -- but is that a possibility for Kennard? Furthermore, is that even a route he would entertain?

You can find Kevin on twitter @KLDoyle11