Before she even played her first high school game, Kennedi Gaines was already being touted as the next big thing in Alaska girls basketball.
The Bartlett freshman’s exploits outside of the state playing with FBC (Finest Basketball Club) Alaska has already earned her multiple NCAA Division I scholarship offers from the University of Hawaii-Manoa, San Jose State University, Bowling Green University and Chicago State University.
While that kind of pressure could get to some young players still making a name for themselves, Gaines just “rolls with it.”
“I don’t let it get to my mind,” she said. “I try to stay humble with all of it and just see it as a regular person.”
Gaines started playing basketball when she was in kindergarten, and growing up, she looked up to legendary Alaska guards such as University of Washington star sophomore guard Sayvia Sellers of Anchorage Christian School fame and Mia ‘Uhila, who led Bartlett to its last state championship in 2021 and is now a senior playing at the University of Hawaii-Manoa.
Gaines loves and welcomes the honor of being one of the young up-and-coming faces of Alaska basketball.
“It’s a dream come true and it’s always been a goal for me,” she said. “I’m just trying to do my best for the people that are looking up to me.”
Gaines thanked her coach, Darian Lawson, for helping her reach the level of success she has already achieved.
“He put in the work for me and got me here,” Gaines said.
Lawson believes that her arrival in the varsity ranks will be “great for Alaska basketball in general.”
“Kennedi is a special kid, she works extremely hard, she’s extremely humble,” he said. “Sometimes I think it can be challenging at her age to be as good as she is, but she does it with grace and doesn’t think she’s above anybody, she wants to work out all the time. She’s a coach’s dream and makes my job easier when I have a kid like that not only makes herself better, but also makes her teammates better and wants to lead and take the initiative.”
According to MaxPreps, Gaines is averaging 27 points per game during the Golden Bears’ sizzling 8-2 start to the season, which has them sitting atop the Cook Inlet Conference standings. She was named tournament MVP of last week’s Alaska Airlines Classic girls tournament.
With senior standouts such as Layla Hays and Mylee Anderson of Wasilla, Jennifer Nash of Tikigaq, Morgan Maldonado of Mountain City Christian Academy and Tonya Karpow of Colony set to graduate this spring, Alaska high school basketball is losing a lot of star power on the girls side.
Thankfully, the ranks are being replenished with rising stars such as Gaines, who has already proven to be one of the top talents the state has seen.
She is excited to assume the mantle of the new guard alongside Service sophomore sensation Aryanna Watson, who Gaines recently went head-to-head with in a Cook Inlet Conference clash.
“Aryanna is a great guard and I love playing against her because it pushes me to be my best,” Gaines said.
The grind doesn’t stop for Gaines outside of the scholastic season. In the offseason, she travels out of state with FBC for competitions three months out of the year on weekend and weeklong trips. Her travels have taken her to California and Phoenix, Arizona, among other places.
Sharing the ball and glory
The most elite guards are the ones who don’t try to carry the load on offense or hog the limelight for themselves, but rather trust and distribute the ball to their teammates, who will often get easier looks because of the gravitational force their presence on the court creates.
Gaines takes pride in being an unselfish player because of the faith she has in those around her.
“I know when to get my own and I know when to find my teammates, and I trust my teammates,” she said.
“I’ll go get a bucket if I need to, but other than that, I like to feed the ball and then find my own,” she added.
Lawson says cultivating the selfless aspect of Gaines’ game has been a “work in progress” and says an underrated part of her game is how much she cares about her teammates.
“She’s a great teammate, and she wants to do whatever it takes to win, whether it’s guarding the opposing team’s best players, whether it’s rebounding or moving the ball,” he said. “Ultimately, she’s a selfless leader, and to have that at the age of 14 I think is super special, and I think it goes to her family and her camp of people who have supported her and helped grow that.”
Establishing a legacy and building up a program
Gaines’ older sister also went to Bartlett and played with ‘Uhila. So following in her footsteps and becoming a Golden Bear has always been a goal.
“Ever since I was 5 years old, I always wanted to go to Bartlett and dreams come true,” she said.
Some of her goals she wants to accomplish during her time with the Golden Bears include being the best defensive player every year, winning regions all four years and, hopefully, winning state all four years as well.
Even though she’s a headliner, Gaines isn’t the only promising up-and-coming talent on the Golden Bears roster, according to Lawson.
“Kennedi is a piece of what we have and ultimately is a really great basketball player, but we have seven freshmen on varsity and every single one of them brings something of value to our program,” he said. “Highlighting that to me is just as important as highlighting a kid like Kennedi, because at the end of the day, Kennedi is going to be great, but you can only be as great as the people you surround yourself with.”
Gaines is surrounded on varsity by fellow freshmen Dallas Watson, Velezia Diaz, Kaylee Lealaisalanoa, Nahliah Houston, Harmony Jenkins-Foster and senior Aviana Stoute.
“We kind of have a good mix of being young but also understanding that we have to grow in our roles and we have to be great at what we do and bring our 100% effort every single game,” he said. “We have a group of special freshmen who ultimately will continue to help Bartlett be better.”
As a high school coach, Lawson knows how rare of an opportunity he has with this group being able to grow together.
“They’re young, they’re freshmen, but my hope is that we can stay together over the next four years and continue to grow as a team,” he said.