Fremont takes Kennedy in season opener

It was just the first game, but Kennedy head coach DeUndrae Perteete has already found something to work on: rebounding. The team had just eight boards the entire night.

And because Kennedy (0-1) forgot to bring some Windex and paper towels to clean the glass Wednesday night, Fremont (1-0) rolled on to a 57-39 victory.

The quarter-capacity crowd saw Kennedy use its speed and hustle to stay close for most of the game. And after three quarters the Eagles only trailed by five points. But in the fourth, Kennedy lost its composure and was outscored by 13 points.

After the game Perteete told his players in the quiet locker room that Fremont got all their points on second chance points.

“That’s not coaching or Xs and Os,” he said standing in front of an erase board with pregame strategies scribbled on it. “That’s right here fellas,” he continued in an urgent voice, pounding his chest implying Fremont had more heart to win the game.

To play basketball without heart is unacceptable for a coach who got a scholarship to play ball at Southwest Minnesota State University. Just in his first year, Perteete is taking over a team that went 4-23 last year.

His goals for this year are not only to win more games, but also to teach players discipline and accountability. This was evident both at halftime and at the end of the game when frustrated players questioned the coaching staff’s play calls, and blamed the referees for holding the ball too long on in-bound plays—not letting them run fast break plays.

“Y’all have too many excuses,” Perteete said about players finger pointing. “Ownership! If you make a mistake just say ‘My bad.’ And let’s move on.”

Kennedy’s next game is Friday night at 7 p.m. when they travel to Walnut Creek and take on Berean Christian.