. Making 3’s and taking names is how Jeremy Kendle evolved in the world of basketball.

Doing these things at a young age eventually helped lead him to realize that he has a future in this game and no matter what, continue to push forward toward his ultimate goal: becoming a professional basketball player.

For Kendle, he did reach his dream despite the hardships of growing up in a small town like Jeffersonville.

. Kendle had a pretty normal childhood growing up. His father, Brad, put a basketball in his hands at a fairly young age and he fell in love with it. At Northaven Elementary, he had the opportunity to be coached by former Louisville basketball player Robby Valentine during his fifth grade year. He eventually went to River Valley Middle School and won the district championship his eighth grade season.

. With high school basketball being such a big deal in southern Indiana, attending Jeffersonville High School gave Kendle a perfect opportunity to get his name out.

It didn’t take long for him to leave his mark, being promoted to JV just five games into his freshman season. In his sophomore season, Kendle played JV the entire season.

But during that season, a comment from a JHS coach during practice left a lasting impression.

. “I was told my sophomore year that I would never play at the Varsity level at Jeff,” Kendle said.

. Kendle knew he would continue to improve to the level he needed to be to play Varsity, but there was still a decision to make: leave Jeff to play basketball at a Louisville-area school like St. X or Trinity, or let the comment fuel his fire at Jeff.

“I felt like if I left Jeff, I would be letting myself down,” Kendle said.

During his junior year, Kendle improved with just a little bit of help. He grew from 5-foot-7 to 6-foot-1, and ended up making the Varsity team for the season.

However his senior year is when all the magic happened.

. “He was a very good one-on-one player that was very unselfish at the same time. When things broke down offensively, I always knew I could go to Jeremy and he could create a shot for himself or a teammate against anybody we played,” former teammate and backcourt partner Josh Lowery said.

. In 2007, as a senior, he led the Red Devils to a 23–2 record and averaged 15.1 points. and 4.4 rebounds per game while starting at guard. That team was ranked as high as No.4 in the state, narrowly missing a semi-state matchup against future NBA players Greg Oden and Mike Conley Jr. of Lawrence North.

Kendle earned 1st team All-District, All-Region, and All-Area. At the end of the season, he found out that he played with a broken foot for almost the entire season.

. “For me to play Varsity and be one of the best players on a fabulous team with six or so seniors that all played ball together for so long made it truly awesome,” Kendle said.

. That season also showed the character of Kendle. Midway through his senior year, his family took in teammate Antonio Ballard to live with them. Ballard was going through rough times. at home and needed a way out, but moving in with Kendle ensured he could remain eligible to play at Jeff. He also helped Ballard focus on basketball and school.

It paid off for Ballard, who received a scholarship to play basketball at Miami (OH).

. “(Kendle has) one of the biggest hearts of anyone I’ve known. He would go out of his way to help someone he saw in need,” Lowery said.

. Following high school he signed with Olney Central Junior College in Olney, Illinois. Injuries plagued his college career early, as he broke a bone in his left foot a week before his first practice of the season. Kendle was forced to sit out his entire freshman year of college, and would never suit up for the Blue Knights.

Following a disappointing start to college, he left Olney Central and planned to walk-on at Southern Indiana University.

His plans changed, though, after a simple phone call.

. “I got a phone call over the summer from Bellarmine’s assistant coach, Jimmy Just, my high school coach,” Kendle said. “He saw Bellarmine head coach Scott Davenport at some kind of camp and Coach Just gave him my name. He said to give this guy a call and bring him in.”

. The tryout went perfect for him and he got offered a full scholarship to Bellarmine. He decided to pursue his MBA while playing for the Knights.

. “It was set up perfectly it seemed like. I thank God for my coaches (during) my senior year doing that for me, since they didn’t have to give them my name after not playing my first three years of college because of injuries I suffered,” Kendle said.

. He ended up playing three seasons at Bellarmine and averaged 17.9 PPG. He earned NABC All-America team honors three years in a row, while leading Bellarmine to back-to-back Final Fours. Kendle was also named Player of the Year in the Great Lakes Valley conference in 2011.

He was named the Most Outstanding Player of the GLVC Tournament in 2011 after averaging 24.3 PPG, 4.6 RPG, and 3.6 APG, leading the Knights to a National Championship, the team’s first. Jeremy was on route to be the all-time leading scorer, but left Bellarmine being ranked in the top five in points and assists because he wanted a new challenge in his career after doing all he could with the Knights.

. “He is a tremendous young man. His abilities as a basketball player and his competitiveness made him a tremendous addition to your basketball team,” Bellarmine head coach Scott Davenport said.

. He decided to take his talents overseas and try to pursue a professional basketball career. Eventually Jeremy found a few interested teams and earned an opportunity to further his career in basketball. He had the choice to play in leagues located in Dublin, Ireland or play in Casablanca, Morocco. Kendle chose Morocco as the place where his professional basketball career finally takes off.

. Jeremy played in Morocco for two different seasons. During his first season playing under Wydad Athletic Club in 2012–2013, Kendle led them to a championship. The following season, he decided to play in Switzerland with the Massagno Club and averaged 9.5 points and three rebounds after only playing in two games because he got injured and was sent back home on medical compensation.

He returned to Morocco and played for the Athletic Club of Essaouira in 2013–2014 where he led them to the title game, but fell short.

. “Living in an Arabic country made my perspective on life and what’s really relevant stand out,” Kendle said.

. Jeremy is now back in the United States after playing in Morocco. He is currently working out to still try to stay in shape for more opportunities in basketball and job searching so he can still provide for himself even without playing basketball at the moment.

. “I’m hoping to get some clarity in what God wants me to do to glorify Jesus,” Kendle said.

Jeremy got the chance to live out his dream as a professional basketball player. He proved everyone wrong including the people who told him that he couldn’t achieve greatness.

Even coming from a small town like Jeffersonville, Kendle proved this town actually holds more opportunities than it seems.