July 1, 2009
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern head women's basketball coach Joe McKeown today announced the addition of Kendall Hackney (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mount Notre Dame) to the 2009-10 Wildcat freshmen class. As part of McKeown's first recruiting class at Northwestern, Ohio's Miss Basketball joins fellow top-100 signees Inga Orekhova (No. 40), Inesha Hale (No. 87) and Dannielle Diamant.
"Kendall is a great addition to Northwestern, both as a student and an athlete," McKeown said. "As the Player of the Year in Ohio, she brings great credentials to the basketball court. Having won multiple state championships, she understands the commitment it takes to play on a great team. She is very unselfish. As a student, Kendall fits the Northwestern profile and makes the same commitment in the classroom that she does on the court. We are really excited that she chose to become part of the Wildcat family."
A 6-2 forward ranked No. 55 by HoopGurlz and 38th in Scout.com, Hackney guided Mount Notre Dame to four-consecutive state titles and earned back-to-back picks as the Ohio Division I State Championship MVP. The forward also garnered first-team all-league honors in 2007.
Hackney was awarded first-team all-state honors this past season while averaging 13.3 points per game and shooting an outstanding 50 percent from the floor. Hackney also was tabbed by the Cincinnati Enquirer and the Greater Cincinnati Northern Kentucky Women's Sports Foundation as their high school basketball Player of the Year. She excelled off the court as well, serving as president of her high school National Honor Society.
One of the most highly recruited players in the country, Hackney originally signed an NLI with USC but was released from that commitment.
Her complete bio is below.
Kendall Hackney
6-2 Forward
Cincinnati, Ohio/Mount Notre Dame
High School: 2009 Miss Ohio basketball ... Ranked the 38th forward in the nation by Scout.com ... Slotted at 55th in the country by ESPN's HoopGurlz ... Four-time Ohio Division 1 State Champion ... Co-Division 1 Player of the Year ... First-team all-state senior year ... MVP of state championship game her sophomore and junior year ... Named Most Outstanding Player of state tournament in 2008-09 ... Honored as Player of the Year by the Cincinnati Enquirer her senior season ... 2008-09 Greater Cincinnati Northern Kentucky Women's Sports Foundation high school basketball Player of the Year ... LaRosa's Female Athlete of the Year (2008-09) ... Averaged 13.3 points per game during her senior season ... Shot 50 percent from the field and 83.5 percent from the free throw line for the 2008-09 campaign ... Scored 1,212 points in her high school career ... Recorded 110 wins and only 10 losses during high school career ... Member of All-Ohio AAU team ... President of National Honor Society ... Honor roll every quarter ... Played against current Wildcat Brittany Orban her freshman season and against fellow NU freshman Dannielle Diamant in AAU.
Personal: Born Kendall Lauren Hackney in Cincinnati, Ohio ... Parents are Carol and Ed Hackney ... Father played basketball at Hanover College ... Plans to major in broadcast journalism.