The UNBC Women's Basketball squad will have solid local representation in the seasons to come. Head coach Sergey Shchepotkin announced today that shooting guard Kayleigh Kennedy (Prince George, B.C.) has committed to the Green and Gold for the 2025-2026 season and beyond.

Kennedy checks in at 5'8" and will soon be graduating from College Heights Secondary. This season, Kennedy served as a co-captain for Wade Loukes' College Heights Cougars who recently finished sixth in the 3A Girls provincial tournament in Langley. During her final season of high school ball, Kennedy averaged nearly 17 points-per-game and had a game-high of 22, while also providing a solid defensive presence.

"It's a great opportunity. My family is here and I wanted to stay at home anyway so being able to play university basketball in my hometown is special," explained Kennedy who has been playing basketball locally since the age of six. "I'm quick on defense. I like to anticipate passes and get steals that turn into fastbreaks. Shooting is also a good point of my game, but that's always a work in progress."

At the club level Kennedy plays for Jordan Yu at Northern Bounce Elite and during her younger years was a regular in UNBC Jr. Timberwolves basketball camps which were led by Sergey Shchepotkin.
"It's a great story to have Kayleigh commit to the UNBC Timberwolves," shared Sergey Shchepotkin. "She's worked hard and is fully deserving of this opportunity. She provides a strong mix of leadership, competitiveness and strong defensive abilities."

The respect between Shchepotkin and Kennedy is mutual. Kennedy shared, "Sergey is very encouraging and I'm excited to play for him. I've seen the players that he's coached and the progress that he's helped them make and I'm excited to have that for myself."

Scholastically Kennedy has already been taking courses at UNBC and plans to pursue Biomedical Studies with the career goal of one day becoming a pediatrician. She's captured Academic Excellence awards at College Heights Secondary in each of the past five years and does weekly volunteer work in a local kindergarten classroom while also coaching academies and youth camps at Northern Bounce.

The pride Kennedy feels for her hometown and its basketball culture is obvious.

"It's going to be amazing when I put that jersey on the first time because I'm going to have all my family in the crowd and that's really going to help my confidence and energy," concluded Kennedy. "I've learned so much about myself because of basketball. I've loved the friendships I've made with my teammates and coaches and I've learned skills that are going to help me for the rest of my life."

UNBC Athletics is thrilled to welcome Kayleigh to the UNBC Timberwolves family.