Tennessee signee Kennedy Chandler Will Bring ‘Winning Mentality’ to Knoxville

Chandler is the top ranked point guard in the SI99 high school basketball rankings.

Last spring when Kennedy Chandler made the decision to transfer from Briarcrest Christian (Eads, Tenn.) to Sunrise Christian (Bel Aire, Kan.) the determining factor was the chance to expand his game while playing with a roster stocked with high major Division I talent against other high major D-I talent on a consistent basis.

“It was a business decision,” said Chandler, the top point guard in the SI99. “But it wasn’t an easy one.”

After all, Chandler had attended Briarcrest since the second grade the move meant he’d be a 12-hour drive from his family, friends and “all the great food.”

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“Man, I’m from Memphis, so you already know that barbecue!” Chandler said with a laugh. “It was a hard move to make, but I knew it was something that was gonna take my game to the next level.”

At the time, Chandler, a Tennessee signee, had no way of knowing about the formation of the National Interscholastic Basketball Conference (NIBC), a league which was formed to combat the lack of competition due pandemic cancellations. The league includes national hoops powerhouses like Sunrise Christian, Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), Montverde (Fla.) Academy, IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) and others.

The teams compete against each other multiple times in different sessions, the first was in Virginia and currently the NIBC is being held at Montverde Academy.

“This was the best scenario for me,” Chandler said. “In every game I’m going against elite players. We don’t have games where you can slack off or not bring your best. I have really tried to grow as a leader, and I feel like I’ve done a solid job with that. We have a lot more growing to do, but we’re buying in.”

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Chandler is clear that his short-term goal is to win the GEICO Nationals High School Showcase, but he’s also using the experience to gain tools that he feels will help him compete for a national title next season in Knoxville.

“That’s always been my goal as a kid, to win a national title in college,” Chandler said. “I’m a winner. I’ve won at every level, and that’s my only goal. Next season at Tennessee is no different; I don’t think it matters who’s there with me. It’s all about heart for me. It’s about if you’re gonna fight or not. Look at Loyola, no one thought they could make it to the Final Four, but they were a group of fighters. That’s what I want to bring to Tennessee, that mentality. If we all have that I believe we can get it done.”