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Kendall Blue, a 6-foot-6, 177-pound rising junior guard from Woodbury (MN) East Ridge, is ranked as sixth of the state’s top players in the Class of 2022.
Blue averaged 14.1 points and 4.9 rebounds per game this season as the Raptors finished 23-6, losing Cretin Derham Hall in the Section 4AAAA finals 51-48, snapping a twelve-game winning streak.
Gopher Hole caught up with Blue after a recent D1 Minnesota practice to learn the latest on his recruitment and upcoming AAU season.
Gopher Hole: How are you surviving in this Covid-19 world?
Kendall Blue: It is sad that we have it and all, but I have been working out at my park and stuff and lifted in my basement, so I have handled it pretty well.
Gopher Hole: How about school? Obviously, you had to do a lot of online stuff. Was that a difficult adjustment?
Kendall Blue: No, not really. It was just kind of confusing the first couple of days, but once I got the hang of it, it went pretty smooth.
Gopher Hole: You are playing with the D1 Minnesota AAU team now. Have you been able to get up a lot of shots?
Kendall Blue: Yes. We just opened our high school at East Ridge, so I have been going up there daily and I got D1 practice and I have just been shooting at my park.
Gopher Hole: You made it to the section finals against Cretin Derham Hall for the third straight year, but came up just a bit short. Was that a bit disappointing with it being (Wisconsin commit) Ben Carlson’s senior year?
Kendall Blue: It was pretty sad. That was his last game and everything. I wouldn’t want to go there, too and hopefully, we get a chance to go back this year.
Gopher Hole: What things have you really been working on to continue to improve yourself as a player?
Kendall Blue: I have been working on my jump shot, my off-hand dribbling. I have got to get stronger, so I have been working out in the weight room and everything, but I just need to get my shot better.
Gopher Hole: I think that one of your strengths because of your size and that you are a good ballhandler, so you can play the point guard spot and create some matchup problems against smaller players. Is that one thing that you have been working on a lot?
Kendall Blue: I have been working on my post moves a lot. Coach Williams said that he would try to post me up. My high school coach said that he would post me up on smaller guard, so I have just been working on my post moves and getting stronger. That is pretty much it.
Gopher Hole: How many offers are you up to right now?
Kendall Blue: Four. Marquette, George Washington, Wyoming and Western Illinois.
Gopher Hole: What other schools are you hearing from besides those four?
Kendall Blue: Stanford, Minnesota, Purdue, California, Butler and Creighton.
Gopher Hole: I know that you still have two more years of high school to play, but do you like the recruiting process so far? Are you starting to see how it can be maybe a little annoying at times?
Kendall Blue: Yes. The first day is kind of overwhelming. Just all the coaches can call us, so I got like over 20 phone calls, but ever since that, it has been pretty dialed down. Coaches have just been texting. They call me once in awhile, so it has slowed down a little bit.
Gopher Hole: The other week was the first week that coaches could call you. What schools did you hear from?
Kendall Blue: Stanford, Minnesota, Butler, Creighton, Iowa, Purdue and Utah State. I can’t remember them all.
Gopher Hole: What is going to mean to have the opportunity to play Division I basketball?
Kendall Blue: I mean, it is a blessing. I have dreamed about it ever since I saw like Duke or college basketball players on TV, so I am just grateful to have all the colleges calling me and giving me scholarships, so it is just a blessing. I’m thankful for it.
Gopher Hole: We had talked before about your mom and her basketball ties and work with the Minnesota High School League. (Lisa Lissimore played at Minnesota and then she transferred to Grandview College in Iowa, where she was a team captain, who led a Viking team that was among the top 25 teams in the nation for three years. She remains seventh among all-time leaders in career steals with 170. She is the Associate Director of the Minnesota State High School League and co-founded the Shooting Stars Basketball Clinic for inner city girls in St. Paul and Minneapolis). Is she kind of helping you with all this since she is familiar with what you are going through?
Kendall Blue: Yes. Once in awhile, she’ll talk to the coaches and everything to see how they are doing, but she just gives me key advice, like what questions to ask coaches, like if they offer my major and how I would fit in, so she just gives me key advice.
Gopher Hole: Have you thought about a major already then?
Kendall Blue: Yes. Mechanical engineering or neurosurgeon.
Gopher Hole: What would it mean to maybe have the chance to play for the homestate school?
Kendall Blue: It would be a blessing. Put on for my city. It would just be a blessing to play for Minnesota and everything. If they offer me, I’d definitely look into to it. I would love to stay home, just be close to family and everything. I’m already familiar with the state and the city, so it would just be a blessing to stay home.
Blue averaged 14.1 points and 4.9 rebounds per game this season as the Raptors finished 23-6, losing Cretin Derham Hall in the Section 4AAAA finals 51-48, snapping a twelve-game winning streak.
Gopher Hole caught up with Blue after a recent D1 Minnesota practice to learn the latest on his recruitment and upcoming AAU season.
Gopher Hole: How are you surviving in this Covid-19 world?
Kendall Blue: It is sad that we have it and all, but I have been working out at my park and stuff and lifted in my basement, so I have handled it pretty well.
Gopher Hole: How about school? Obviously, you had to do a lot of online stuff. Was that a difficult adjustment?
Kendall Blue: No, not really. It was just kind of confusing the first couple of days, but once I got the hang of it, it went pretty smooth.
Gopher Hole: You are playing with the D1 Minnesota AAU team now. Have you been able to get up a lot of shots?
Kendall Blue: Yes. We just opened our high school at East Ridge, so I have been going up there daily and I got D1 practice and I have just been shooting at my park.
Gopher Hole: You made it to the section finals against Cretin Derham Hall for the third straight year, but came up just a bit short. Was that a bit disappointing with it being (Wisconsin commit) Ben Carlson’s senior year?
Kendall Blue: It was pretty sad. That was his last game and everything. I wouldn’t want to go there, too and hopefully, we get a chance to go back this year.
Gopher Hole: What things have you really been working on to continue to improve yourself as a player?
Kendall Blue: I have been working on my jump shot, my off-hand dribbling. I have got to get stronger, so I have been working out in the weight room and everything, but I just need to get my shot better.
Gopher Hole: I think that one of your strengths because of your size and that you are a good ballhandler, so you can play the point guard spot and create some matchup problems against smaller players. Is that one thing that you have been working on a lot?
Kendall Blue: I have been working on my post moves a lot. Coach Williams said that he would try to post me up. My high school coach said that he would post me up on smaller guard, so I have just been working on my post moves and getting stronger. That is pretty much it.
Gopher Hole: How many offers are you up to right now?
Kendall Blue: Four. Marquette, George Washington, Wyoming and Western Illinois.
Gopher Hole: What other schools are you hearing from besides those four?
Kendall Blue: Stanford, Minnesota, Purdue, California, Butler and Creighton.
Gopher Hole: I know that you still have two more years of high school to play, but do you like the recruiting process so far? Are you starting to see how it can be maybe a little annoying at times?
Kendall Blue: Yes. The first day is kind of overwhelming. Just all the coaches can call us, so I got like over 20 phone calls, but ever since that, it has been pretty dialed down. Coaches have just been texting. They call me once in awhile, so it has slowed down a little bit.
Gopher Hole: The other week was the first week that coaches could call you. What schools did you hear from?
Kendall Blue: Stanford, Minnesota, Butler, Creighton, Iowa, Purdue and Utah State. I can’t remember them all.
Gopher Hole: What is going to mean to have the opportunity to play Division I basketball?
Kendall Blue: I mean, it is a blessing. I have dreamed about it ever since I saw like Duke or college basketball players on TV, so I am just grateful to have all the colleges calling me and giving me scholarships, so it is just a blessing. I’m thankful for it.
Gopher Hole: We had talked before about your mom and her basketball ties and work with the Minnesota High School League. (Lisa Lissimore played at Minnesota and then she transferred to Grandview College in Iowa, where she was a team captain, who led a Viking team that was among the top 25 teams in the nation for three years. She remains seventh among all-time leaders in career steals with 170. She is the Associate Director of the Minnesota State High School League and co-founded the Shooting Stars Basketball Clinic for inner city girls in St. Paul and Minneapolis). Is she kind of helping you with all this since she is familiar with what you are going through?
Kendall Blue: Yes. Once in awhile, she’ll talk to the coaches and everything to see how they are doing, but she just gives me key advice, like what questions to ask coaches, like if they offer my major and how I would fit in, so she just gives me key advice.
Gopher Hole: Have you thought about a major already then?
Kendall Blue: Yes. Mechanical engineering or neurosurgeon.
Gopher Hole: What would it mean to maybe have the chance to play for the homestate school?
Kendall Blue: It would be a blessing. Put on for my city. It would just be a blessing to play for Minnesota and everything. If they offer me, I’d definitely look into to it. I would love to stay home, just be close to family and everything. I’m already familiar with the state and the city, so it would just be a blessing to stay home.