King Kendrick is about to have himself a game.
Early in the first quarter at the NBPA Top 100 Camp, Kendrick dazzled onlooking college and NBA scouts with two lightning-quick drives to his right on consecutive plays, leaving his defender frozen and finishing with a layup and then a midrange jumper.
On the next play, Kendrick’s defender made a smart adjustment, crouching down in a fundamental defensive stance and setting up on the 6-foot point guard’s right side, virtually shutting down all possibility of a trifecta scoring scenario.
Or so he thought.
Kendrick went southpaw and hit his defender with an in-and-out dribble followed by a hesitation dribble, darting left and launching a short floater.
The result? Swish!
Kendrick flashed a grin as he ran down the floor while the defender wore an incredulous squint.
“Every time I have scenarios like that, I get happy because, clearly, the defender didn’t do their research,” said Kendrick, a rising senior at Caldwell Academy in North Carolina. “That’s what you’re supposed to do, force someone to their weak hand, but that’s what I want them to do. Now I can have my way.”
Such is the life of an ambidextrous baller.
Kendrick isn’t just capable with both hands, he’s dominant with them.
“I can’t say one hand is stronger than the other,” Kendrick said. “I can hurt you with either one. It just depends on how a guy is guarding me and what scenario he puts me in.”
For instance, Kendrick said his left hand is more fundamentally sound while his right hand is better for elevation and has better touch.
“It’s a real advantage,” Kendrick said.
And rare.
So much so that when asked which player he patterns his game after, Kendrick drew a blank.
“There’s no one that does it like I do,” Kendrick said. “Some guys use both hands, but I don’t see them dominating with both. I always say it’s a real gift from God.”
Both of Kendrick’s parents are left-handed and up until the age of 3, he followed suit.
“My mom said it’s like a switch turned on and I started doing everything with my right,” Kendrick said. “To this day, I don’t know why. I could always do everything just as good with my left because that’s how I started.”
Kendrick went with the flow, using both hands freely while playing sports until the sixth grade, when he began to train them through consistent drills and practicing scenarios using each hand.
“That’s when everything went to another level,” Kendrick said.
Last high school season, Kendrick led the Eagles to the state title game, averaging 16 points and seven assists per game. That carried over to the Nike EYBL spring and summer season, where he’s averaging 15 points and six assists a game while manning the controls for Team CP3.
That has earned him offers and interest from Michigan, Ohio State, Charlotte, South Florida, East Carolina, VCU, Northwestern and Washington, among others.
“The coaches love that I use both hands,” Kendrick said. “I definitely think that it makes me stand apart because it’s how I’m able to produce. I just want to end up somewhere that I can help the team win, play my game and have the ball in my hand.”
Be it right or left.
