Redshirt sophomore Kennedy Cambridge (left) with her sister, freshman Jaloni Cambridge (right). Credit: Courtesy of Maria Slovikovski
Sisters by chance, teammates by choice.
Kennedy and Jaloni Cambridge are joining forces again on the basketball court, but this time at Ohio State.
Kennedy Cambridge said she feels lucky to receive an opportunity to play alongside her sister again and knows they each bring a different skill set to the team.
“Have fun and support your siblings,” Kennedy Cambridge said. “Because even if you don’t have what they have, at the end of the day, all you have is family.”
Jaloni Cambridge committed to play basketball for the Buckeyes in December 2023, joining her sister Kennedy Cambridge just seven months after she transferred to Ohio State from the University of Kentucky.
But it won’t be the first time the sisters have collaborated on the basketball court.
In 2022, the duo won a state championship as teammates at Ensworth High School in Nashville, Tennessee.
Their high school coach, Mary Taylor Cowles, said Kennedy and Jaloni Cambridge were great people, which helped make them excellent leaders on and off the hardwood.
“If you sit in the gym and watch them, it’s just so evident,” Cowles said. “If you really get to know Kennedy and Jaloni [Cambridge], you know them for so much more than the tremendous athletes that they are.”
Cowles said the sisters are not just two different players on the court, but also possess distinct personality types outside of the game.
“They are each uniquely different in their ways of playing, and therefore, that lent itself to a true complement,” Cowles said. “[Kennedy Cambridge] is going to say whatever is on her mind and in her heart, whereas Jaloni [Cambridge] is going to be a little more soft-spoken.”
Kennedy Cambridge only played at Kentucky for one season, where she averaged a mere 2.7 points and 2.3 rebounds in just 14.4 minutes per game.
Kennedy Cambridge said that before she decided to leave the Wildcats, she spoke with her sister about reuniting at the collegiate level.
“When I was going to transfer, I knew I had to pick a school that I knew my sister wanted to go to,” Kennedy Cambridge said. “She told me which ones she liked, so I went on my visit, and then we chatted about it.”
Then, Jaloni Cambridge verbally committed to play basketball for the Buckeyes Dec. 29.
Jaloni Cambridge said she felt Ohio State’s basketball program exuded a sense of family, which made it the right choice for her and her sister.
“I chose this school because of the family environment on and off the court, mainly off the court,” Jaloni Cambridge said. “Having my sister here was also a big aspect to it.”
Head coach Kevin McGuff said signing both sisters to the Buckeyes’ squad — especially Jaloni Cambridge, the No. 3 overall recruit in the class of 2024, according to 247 Sports — will be huge for recruiting in the future.
“They are both high-profile people that other people I think want to play with,” McGuff said. “Jaloni [Cambridge] is somebody that people want to play with because she shares the ball, and I think that her impact for recruiting in the next couple of years could be huge.”
McGuff said he believes the sisters mesh so well because of their compatible skill sets, with Jaloni Cambridge being a dominant ball handler, whereas Kennedy excels off the ball.
“Jaloni [Cambridge] is a little better in the open court with the ball in her hands,” McGuff said. “And Kennedy [Cambridge] is probably a little better off the ball — catching, shooting and making plays.”
Jaloni Cambridge said she continues to learn from Kennedy Cambridge each day, naming the latter’s positive attitude as one quality she aims to emulate.
“To keep a smile on your face, that’s what I’ve learned from Kennedy [Cambridge],” Jaloni Cambridge said.
Ahead of the 2024 season, the sisters are tasked with helping Ohio State’s basketball program become stronger. The Buckeyes’ first opportunity will be Dec. 8, when they host the University of Illinois Fighting Illini at the Schottenstein Center.
