By Jadon Frank

When basketball captain Kendell (Kenny) Boese transferred to Briecrest before the 2011-12 season he brought many intangibles to a young team that had only three returning players.

The team had just lost its top three scorers from the previous season (Matt Myers, Gradyn Childerhose and Christian Sacoman) and Boese promptly had an impact on the team by leading the team in scoring, and being second in assists and third in steals.

Though all three of those top players have returned this season, Boese continues to flourish and his production has increased in every statistical category. With four games remaining in the season he already has more points (238 to 220), steals (47 to 35) and assists (58 to 49) than the whole 2011-12 campaign.

The 6’ 1” shooting guard explained what brought him to Briercrest.

“Through a rough time in my life, God brought me to Briercrest,” he said.

Head coach Rod Adrian is very thankful to have Boese help provide leadership on his team for the first two years of his coaching career.

“Kendell Boese is finishing his fifth year of eligibility coming off an MVP season with the team,” Adrian said. “He leads the league in steals, is top five in assists and is in the top 10 in points per game.  He has a huge impact on each game that he plays.”

“My biggest strength as a person is that I care about people,” the biblical studies student explained. “As an athlete, I bring experience and a defensive mindset as well as scoring threat.”

Adrian agrees with Boese’s assessment of his strengths.

“As one of our captains he sets the tone for our game, and usually guards the opponent’s best player,” Adrian explained. “His lightning speed, crafty experience, and knowledge of the game are second to none.  Kenny is probably one of the physically and mentally toughest players I’ve coached and no matter what competes hard.”

“Off the court he connects well with so many people and his experience playing with a couple of different teams has made him an ambassador for Christ and Briercrest wherever we go,” Adrian continued. “His inclusive personality allows him to make great connections with people and I appreciate the way he bonds our team together.”

The Three Hills, AB native is glad that he chose to conclude his career at Briercrest.

“Home games have been amazing,” Boese said. “My favourite moments at Briercrest have been seeing our fans cheering for us all the time. We have the best fans in the league.”

“We have the potential to win it all this year,” Boese explained. “And we have a team full of followers of Christ that not only has your back on the court, but off the court they are always there to surround you with love.”

Boese’s goals are very connected to those around him.

“My goals as a student this year are to get a GPA of 3.0 or greater,” Boese said. “As an athlete I want to help my team win in any way possible so we can win a championship. Long-term, if money wasn’t an issue I would like to run sports camps across the world for underprivileged kids. If I could do anything to make the world a better place I would make sure everyone knew that they were loved and had a Heavenly Father.”

Boese notes his mother as having the greatest influence on his life.

“She has been through so much in her life and to see her live a life that glorifies God makes me want to be more like her and strive to do the same in my life no matter what it brings me,” the guard explains.

Boese won a Canadian Colleges Athletic Association National championship with Mount Royal University in the 2008-09 season, and he has used that experience to help Briercrest this season as they work towards that same goal. His 161 career steals puts him in third place all-time in the ACAC.

Many times this season Boese has taken the team on his back and shifted the momentum in Briercrest’s favour. He has been chosen as the player of the game award four times this season.

“Finishing his college career at Briercrest has been a blessing to the school and the men’s basketball program, and I know Kenny is working his hardest to make it a memorable season,” Adrian concluded.