Ohio State junior guard Kennedy Cambridge received recognition for her efforts on the defensive end on Tuesday when she was named to the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Watch List.
Cambridge joined 24 other players on the list and three others from the Big Ten.
Her inclusion on the list comes as no surprise, because Cambridge has not just been the Buckeyes’ most productive defender, but also one of the best defenders in the country this season.
The former Kentucky transfer ranks fourth in the country, averaging just over four steals per game.
Despite only being 5-8, Cambridge has also been one of Ohio State’s best shot-blockers. Cambridge’s 17 total blocks are tied for the second-most on the team. Sophomore center Elsa Lemmilä is the only Buckeye who has more blocks than Cambridge.
Back in December, Cambridge had one of the best defensive performances of her career when she recorded a career-high 10 steals in Ohio State’s 94-62 win over Northern Kentucky. After the game, Ohio State coach Kevin McGuff said Cambridge’s attitude plays an important role in her success on the defensive end.
“She plays really hard,” McGuff said. “Probably as important, or maybe more importantly, she takes a lot of pride in it. And I don’t think there’s anyone on our team who takes more pride in their defense and trying to disrupt the other team than Kennedy. So I’m happy for her that she’s having success in that space, because she’s working really hard at it.”
Cambridge has always flashed the defensive intensity she’s shown this year, but in her second year playing for the Buckeyes, she’s also progressed offensively. Cambridge is averaging 8.7 points per game on 42.1 percent shooting.
Cambridge showed how valuable she can be in Ohio State’s 81-67 win over Indiana on Jan. 22 when she finished the game with 13 points and six steals.
After the game, McGuff praised Cambridge for her development on both sides of the ball.
“Especially when we went kind of small, and she had some really favorable matchups, they had a hard time guarding her,” McGuff said. “I thought we executed it in a manner that our spacing was good, and she really attacked off the dribble, so she did a good job of finding her spots to attack them, and was really effective. And we want that out of her. She’s really grown as a player on both ends of the floor, and a lot of people see her defense, and rightfully so, they talk about it. But she’s also absolutely a really effective offensive player.”
