Grand Final Game 4 Game Day Program

A basic concept in this game, but one that
Kennedy executes so well.
The best part is, he knows it. And he
knows it well.
“I think it has a lot to do with me as far as
rebounding,” he said.
“That leads to our fast break points when
I’m able to get the ball on a rebound and
get it out, pushing it, we get a lot of easy
buckets and a lot of transition and I think
that’s when we’re at our best, when we’re
in transition.”
“I think we’re trouble.”
Coming in as what he calls ‘the new guy’,
Kennedy could’ve slipped into more of
a support role. Instead, he rose to the
challenge of contributing in a big way and
providing United with something new that
they didn’t have last year.
And last year they won a Championship.
Kennedy wasn’t the only player to walk
into a big role in Melbourne’s quest to
repeat as NBL Champions.
“I think me and [Mitch McCarron] were kind
of in similar positions coming into the team.
We both were the new guys, people were
looking at “How are they going to play?”
and just being in a different situation for us
from last year, being that guy that really
has to buy into the team,” Kennedy said.
seems to think it was something of a
coincidence it stuck.
“I just happened to always make plays
every time the team needed a player to
make something happen,” he said.
“Big Play DJ just carried on, people just
caught on and it just stuck with me from
there.”
When you watch Kennedy play, it’s
evident that Big Play is no coincidence. It’s
an intentional nickname that suits him well
and has become his persona.
“I just try to live up to it.” He said.
Rather than feeling the pressure, Kennedy
flips it on his head and makes himself
a presence that puts pressure on his
opponent.
In the case of this week, the Perth
Wildcats have a lot to deal with, and if they
can’t figure out how to keep Kennedy off
the boards, and in turn United out of their
transition, Kennedy said it: they’re trouble.
“I think games like this, the advantage
is who can lock in more mentally, be
focused,” he said.
“The bigger the moment, I like to lock
in even more just knowing that every
possession, all the little things can be the
opportunity to win the game.”
“Me and [McCarron] understand that role,
and we know what it takes to win. We
play off each other and we make a lot of
sacrifices for the better of the team.”
This provision of big contributions is what
earned Kennedy the nickname Big Play at
a young age. Originally coined in his early
days playing American football, Kennedy