Kendall Renard (2020) Recruiting Journey

October 11, 2018

Scott Venci, Green Bay Press-GazettePublished 3:03 p.m. CT Oct. 11, 2018


It’s been a busy two months on the recruiting trail for Green Bay Preble girls basketball standout Kendall Renard.

The 6-foot-3 junior forward has made visits to Illinois State, IUPUI, Northern Illinois and Toledo. She has scholarship offers from all four, as well as Miami of Ohio and North Dakota State.

She also is expected to visit the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and Marquette.

“It’s been a pretty fun experience so far,” said Renard, who also plays volleyball for the Hornets. “I put a lot of work in last year, and it is fun seeing it paying off.

“With phone calls and visits, especially during this time of year, it stays pretty busy.”

Her dream of playing collegiate basketball started in middle school, when she told her father, Dean, that she wanted to be at that level after watching games on TV and attending some in person.

It became even more real in July, when she received her first offer from Illinois State.

“It kind of boosted my self-confidence,” Renard said. “I was kind of like, “Wow, I did this.’

“It was a super exciting day. It just relieves you, because you know all your hard work paid off.”

Renard already was earning buzz at the beginning of her sophomore season. She is the most highly recruited Green Bay area player for the 2020 class next to Green Bay Southwest point guard Jaddan Simmons. The duo plays on the same AAU team as members of the Purple Aces.

Renard was a second-team all-conference pick in the Fox River Classic in 2017-18. She averaged a team-high 13.2 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks while shooting 46.7 percent. She also ranked second with 34 steals, just one behind then-freshman guard Carley Duffney.

“She is very coachable, that is definitely the big upside to her is that she listens well,” said Preble coach Jim Doell, who is preparing for his second season with the Hornets after a 12-year career at Pulaski that culminated in an outright FRCC title during his final season in 2013-14. “She worked hard on the toughness of her game, just becoming more physical. That showed in the second half of the season for us.

“It was a big change to us, kind of turning our season around in the second half.” Green Bay Preble standout Kendall Renard recently visited Toledo, which offered the junior forward a scholarship.

Preble started 2-5 but went 8-7 to finish the season, losing to state qualifier Hartland Arrowhead in a WIAA Division 1 regional championship.

Renard scored 20 or more points five times, including a career-high 29 against Southwest, 27 at Manitowoc, 21 against De Pere and back-to-back 20-point games against Sheboygan North and the Ships.

Her work on the boards toward the end of the season was nothing short of dominant. She had 10 or more rebounds in five of her final six games after having four in her first 16, mostly thanks to a tweak in the offense.

In her final four contests, she had 12 rebounds against Bay Port, a career-high 17 against Manitowoc, 11 against De Pere and 10 against Arrowhead.

“We probably did simplify the game a little bit more for her the second half of the season,” Doell said. “We were in a 5-out offense last year to start the season, and then we put her around the basket. She could really get involved in the rebounding game. … Let her focus on rebounding and the post moves that she is very good at.”

Renard also impressed during AAU this summer, ranking first on her team in rebounds and blocks and second in scoring.

She constantly is looking to improve, so it’s not surprising to hear what she wants to get better at this season: Offense. Defense. Scoring. Shooting. Ball-handling.

Everything.

“Kendall made a tremendous jump in her mental toughness during the grassroots hoops season,” Purple Aces program director Cordero Barkley said. “She pushed herself in the weight room at Aurora BayCare Sports Medicine and responded to the challenges we presented her with on the court. It is awesome to see how she has been rewarded for her willingness to work hard.”

Renard has no timetable to decide her future. Being from the area, she knows all about the history of UWGB if it should happen to make an offer, but she remains open to every possibility while figuring out the best fit.

“This winter, I’m planning on taking a couple more visits and watching a lot of games on TV and going to games,” Renard said. “When it feels right, that’s when I will commit.”

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