Jeremy Paul Kendle (born March 15, 1988) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Southern Districts Spartans of the NBL1 North.
He played three seasons of college basketball for Bellarmine University, becoming the only player in school history to be named to the NABC All-America Team two years in a row.
He was also a key member of the Bellarmine Knights' 2011 championship-winning team, helping the school claim their first NCAA Division II National Championship.
Kendle moved to Australia in 2015 and earned the QBL Most Valuable Player award as a member of the Toowoomba Mountaineers.
As a sophomore at Jeffersonville High School, Kendle was nearly cut from the basketball team due to his small stature; he was 5 feet 7 inches (1.70 m) tall and weighed 140 pounds (64 kg).
He helped lead the Red Devils to a 23–2 record and the Hoosier Hills Conference Championship, and subsequently earned first team All-District, All-Region and All-Area selection.
"[1] As a freshman in 2006–07, Kendle attended Olney Central Community College but managed just two games for the Blue Knights after sustaining a severe foot injury that required surgery.
Stringing together his first full college season, Kendle led the Knights in scoring with 17.7 points per game and subsequently earned second-team All-GLVC honors.
Kendle helped lead Bellarmine to a 30–2 record and a trip to the NCAA Division II Elite 8 for the first time in school history.
[9] On September 28, 2012, it was announced that Kendle had signed with an agent to pursue professional basketball opportunities and would not return to Bellarmine for the 2012–13 season.
Kendle left Bellarmine as the only player in school history to be named to the NABC All-America Team two years in a row, and was on track to become the all-time leading scorer.
[32] As a result of his season in Toowoomba, Kendle was touted as a possible injury replacement for the Cairns Taipans of the National Basketball League in December 2015.
[35][36] He made his debut for the Braves in the team's season opener on April 1, 2016, scoring a team-high 24 points in a 93–68 win over the Ballarat Miners.
[48] The Braves finished first on the standings with a 21–3 record, while Kendle earned the league's scoring title with an average of 27.7 points per game.
[58] In late December 2016, Kendle joined the NBL's Brisbane Bullets at practice as an option to provide additional guard coverage within the roster.
[59][60][61] He was set to join the playing squad prior to the Bullets' New Year's Eve clash with the Cairns Taipans before being ruled out with a low grade calf strain.
[62] He made his debut for the Bullets four days later, recording five points, one rebound and one steal in just under 12 minutes off the bench in an 84–82 loss to the New Zealand Breakers.
[63] In his second game for the Bullets on January 19, Kendle recorded five points, five rebounds and three assists in 19 minutes off the bench in a 101–68 loss to the Adelaide 36ers.
[64] Two days later, following the release of Jermaine Beal, Kendle made his first start in the NBL and subsequently scored 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting to go with six rebounds, four assists and one steal in just under 29 minutes in an 88–71 win over Melbourne United.
[70] He made his debut for the Rams in their season opener on March 18, 2017, recording a game-high 39 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in a 114–107 loss to the Super City Rangers.
[72] Kendle was named Player of the Week for Round 2 after tallying 24 points (10/15 FG, 4/7 3pt), nine assists, five rebounds and two steals in a 114–80 win over the Nelson Giants on March 25.
[76] The Rams finished the regular season in fourth place with a 10–8 record, and lost to the first-seeded Wellington Saints 94–73 in their semi-final match-up.
[83][84] The Pirates finished the regular season in sixth place with an 11–6 record, and faced the third-seeded Townsville Heat in the quarter-finals.
[86][87] On October 18, 2017, Kendle signed with the Sydney Kings as an injury replacement for Kevin Lisch, returning to the Australian NBL for a second stint.
[88] He made his debut for the Kings the following night, recording five points, two rebounds and two assists in a 90–73 loss to the New Zealand Breakers.
[103] In his first game back for the Bullets on December 8, Kendle played a crucial fourth-quarter role and finished with 15 points in a 97–94 win over Melbourne United.
[126] On April 22, 2021, Kendle signed a three-game deal with the Auckland Huskies for the start of the 2021 New Zealand NBL season.
[130] In his debut for the Thunder in their season opener on May 15, he recorded 29 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in a 107–89 win over the RedCity Roar.
[134] He helped the Thunder finish on top of the ladder in the regular season with a 12–1 record, averaging 21.5 points, 9.2 assists and 6.1 rebounds.
[155] In 2019, he made his return to the Pro Hustle Tour in the hopes of qualifying to represent the United States in 3-on-3 at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.