It took a while - probably much longer than it should have - but one of the top basketball prospects from the Class of 2021 in the Commonwealth is finally starting to get noticed. Douglas Freeman 6-foot-5 forward Caleb Kenney has pulled in three Division I offers this month from the likes of Hampton, Holy Cross and Morgan State to go with ones previously courtesy of North Florida and Sam Houston State.
For a long while, most of his recruiting attention was limited to Division II and Division III programs, schools such as Lees-McRae, Hampden-Sydney and Randolph-Macon among those most prominently in the picture. However, in recent weeks, Kenny has seen his recruitment take off to where and may allow him to give a pledge to a D-1 school before his senior season at Freeman even begins.
"Caleb Kenney is one of the best all around basketball players in the area," declared Douglas Freeman Head Basketball Coach Chapin George of Kenney last winter.
"He can play all five positions on the floor. He is developing a consistent jump shot and there are very few players who can score against him at the rim. In conjunction, he's an honor roll student and enrolled in the Leadership program at Douglas Freeman. He's an even better young man than he is a basketball player."
As a sophomore, Kenney averaged 13 points and six rebounds per game as the Rebels went 17-7 overall in the final season of Larry Parpart's decorated coaching career at Freeman. They knocked off perennial state contender Henrico, 64-60 in overtime, to open region tournament play before falling to L.C. Bird, 56-41 in the regional semifinals. His length, above average timing on defense in blocking shots, and all-around athleticism garnered praise from other coaches throughout the Richmond area.
While a coaching occurred with George taking over, Kenney was one of three starters back for a junior-heavy squad in 2019-20 and continued to flourish with averages of roughly 17 points and 10 rebounds per game while shooting 70% from the foul line. That earned him 1st Team All-Region 5B accolades. For the second straight year, Freeman finished a win shy of the State Tournament as the squad went 14-10 overall, upsetting third-seeded Meadowbrook 56-52 in the regional quarterfinals before falling to Region 5B Champ Henrico, 56-49 in the region semis.
Kenney, who poured in a season-high of 30 points during his junior campaign, has stated that in additional to playing basketball at the next level, his goal is to obtain a degree in Law or Political Science. His senior season at Freeman is scheduled to start on Monday, December 21 at home against Colonial District rival Hermitage.
