• Height: 6-4
• Weight: 180
• Year: Freshman
• Hometown: New Albany, Ohio
• H.S./Last School: New Albany

BioStatsMedia
Prior to Ohio State

• Played at New Albany High School for veteran head coach Tim Casey and averaged 17 points and three rebounds per game as a senior
• Helped New Albany to a 20-5 record and the school's first league championship in eight years during his senior season
• Was named the OCC-Ohio Player of the Year
• Earned first-team all-district honors as well as honorable mention all-state recognition
• Scored over 1,000 career points, becoming just the second player in New Albany boys’ basketball history to reach that total
• Was also on the football team at New Albany, playing wide receiver as a junior and quarterback as a senior

Ohio State women’s basketball ranked No. 14 in preseason AP poll
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Photo by Jason Mowry/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Buckeyes start the season ranked for the fifth season in a row.

College basketball season is fast approaching and Land-Grant Holy Land is getting you ready with a series of player previews. Before the season starts this fall, check back regularly for more player previews, schedule news, features, and more heading into the 2024-25 Ohio State women’s basketball season.

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The 2024-25 college basketball season is inching closer, with the Associated Press adding the next step at the start of the campaign by releasing the preseason top 25. Ohio State women’s basketball enters the season ranked No. 14.

It’s the fifth season in a row and eighth in the 12 years under head coach Kevin McGuff where the AP included the Buckeyes. Last season, Ohio State entered the year at No. 7, eventually sitting at No. 2 for the second season in a row.

After losing to the Duke Blue Devils in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, the Scarlet and Gray were No. 16 in the final AP poll of the season.

Ohio State is one of six Big Ten teams in the top 25. Newcomers from Los Angeles, California both sit in the top five. The USC Trojans are at No. 3 with the UCLA Bruins two spots behind at No. 5.

Then it’s a long way before the Buckeyes join at No. 14. Behind Ohio State are the Maryland Terrapins at No. 18, Nebraska Cornhuskers at No. 23, and Indiana Hoosiers at No. 25. Sitting just outside of the top 25, with 37 votes, are the Iowa Hawkeyes who no longer have superstar guard Caitlin Clark, with the media not having as much confidence in the guard Lucy Olsen and forward Hannah Stuelke partnership.

Michigan State and Illinois also received votes in the initial poll.

The Big Ten placement mostly aligns with how the media and coaches voted in the conference preseason poll. Nebraska is the lone exception. The conference voters put the Hoosiers above the Cornhuskers in the preseason top five, but AP voters have more confidence in forward Alexis Markowski’s side.

Coach McGuff’s side ranked at No. 14 isn’t too much of a surprise. There are a multitude of roster changes that support the ranking. Departures of graduate senior starters like Jacy Sheldon, Celeste Taylor, and Rebeka Mikulášiková are going to be a hurdle to get over.

Ohio State will have three new starters with No. 2 overall 2024 guard Jaloni Cambridge, Oregon guard transfer Chance Gray, and Kentucky forward transfer Ajae Petty likely in their places.

AP’s top 25 doesn’t do much for the Buckeyes light non-conference schedule. The only Power Four school on the calendar this year was the Stanford Cardinals and voters didn’t put Stanford in the top 25. That could change by the time the two sides play on Dec. 20, but right now, the first ranked opponent for Ohio State won’t come until the Buckeyes welcome the Terrapins on Jan. 23, 2025.

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Coming off redshirt season, Kennedy Cambridge boosts Ohio State defense
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Ohio State women’s basketball on Twitter | @OhioStateWBB

When both Cambridge sisters make it to the court, Kennedy brings a year of experience watching from the sidelines.

College basketball season is fast approaching and Land-Grant Holy Land is getting you ready with a series of player previews. Before the season starts this fall, check back regularly for more player previews, schedule news, features, and more heading into the 2024-25 Ohio State women’s basketball season.

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Transfer season’s become one of the most exciting off-the-court times of the college basketball calendar. It’s when players declare their intent to transfer, teams shuffle their rosters and athletes don new garb to finish out their collegiate careers.

Last summer, Ohio State women’s basketball made a splash by adding a finalist for National Defensive Player of the Year in Celeste Taylor. That addition plus an in-conference transfer with Taiyier Parks from Michigan State gave the Buckeyes names they could bring into the lineup for an immediate impact.

Kennedy Cambridge was part of that group, but Ohio State fans never saw her play a minute on the court. Entering head coach Kevin McGuff’s program as a sophomore, Cambridge was redshirted. Now, with three years available in scarlet and gray, Cambridge is likely to make her debut as a Buckeye on the court, and with that she brings defense and energy the Buckeyes need.

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Name: Kennedy Cambridge
Position: Guard
Class: Redshirt sophomore
High School: The Ensworth School (Nashville, Tennessee)
2022-23 Stats: 2.7 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 1.2 apg, .488 FG%, .250 3FG%, .350 FT%

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Last Season​

To look at Cambridge’s work on the court, you have to go back two seasons. That’s when the freshman debuted for the Kentucky Wildcats of the SEC.

In one season, Cambridge started once in 19 appearances, that came in the regular season against the Georgie Bulldogs. Cambridge didn’t see the court again for the Wildcats, despite having performances where the guard stood out in an area Ohio State desperately needs — rebounding.

Cambridge twice had games with eight rebounds, and half of them came on the offensive boards, including the Feb. 16 defeat to the Bulldogs; her final appearance of the year.

The freshman who led all Kentucky freshman with 273 minutes wasn’t injured. Then Wildcats’ head coach Kyra Elzy sat Cambridge on a “coach’s decision.” In May, Cambridge announced her decision to join the Buckeyes, referencing the Buckeyes culture and assistant head coach Jalen Powell as key reasons she chose the Scarlet and Gray.

“JP [assistant coach Jalen Powell brings something that I didn’t have at Kentucky. And I’m not going to say they didn’t care about me, but it’s a different care over here.”

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What to Expect​

Cambridge brings intensity on the offensive and defensive ends of the court. When asked what fans can expect from her, Cambridge said she’ll be smiling the whole time she’s on the court. Cambridge loves the game and of all things defense sticks out.

Coach McGuff can use Cambridge for just that, on a side that lost key defensive guards like Celeste Taylor and Jacy Sheldon. Cambridge will also use her energy to get between players and grab a high number of rebounds for a guard.

The guard’s one year of sitting on the bench and watching also gives her a leg up in knowing the system. Cambridge practiced with the side last season, often playing on the scout team to challenge her teammates and learn the ropes before settling into a role this season.

Also, Cambridge knows two of her teammates on the court well. Joining Ohio State one year after Cambridge is forward Ajae Petty. The two played with each other the lone year Cambridge played in the Bluegrass State. Then there’s Jaloni Cambridge.

Last year, Kennedy didn’t reference any injury when talking about the redshirt classification. Which means it could have been to give her three seasons to play alongside her younger sister and No. 1 overall point guard in the 2024 class, Jaloni.

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Prediction​

There will be competition for minutes at the guard position this year, with Jaloni Cambridge and Chance Gray the likely backcourt duo for McGuff. That means Cambridge will have to battle with Madison Greene, Ava Watson and Kaia Henderson for minutes.

With Cambridge’s defensive mindset, and years of playing together with Jaloni on high school championship-winning teams, Cambridge should see minutes on the court.

The non-conference schedule is light, and watching how minutes get divvied up by McGuff will give a hint as to how the guard battle shapes up heading into conference play.

Expect Cambridge to be part of that group, likely coming in behind Greene for a defensive spark.

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Highlights​

In 2021, Cambridge herself shared a highlight reel of her work on both sides of the ball.

No words needed pic.twitter.com/P6i3JpcciS

— kennedy cambridge (@kencambridge_) May 23, 2021​

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