Joe Kennedy stands at the end of the Northwestern bench during games, shouting orders, wildly waving his arms and pointing out defensive matchup while in a low crouch.
When the Wildcats huddle during timeouts, Kennedy is quick to call attention to something the team needs to correct. He also can help draw schemes for the next possession or help underclassmen see what they’re doing wrong in the complex offense.
While Kennedy is listed as a junior walk-on, he unofficially serves as NU coach Bill Carmody’s fourth assistant.
Kennedy is not yet the mentor, confidant and authority figure of a squad of college basketball players, but coaching is on Kennedy’s horizon.
"One of the major impacts on my life is the fact that I’ve been around (basketball) for so long," Kennedy said. "I just love basketball and being around teams. (Coaching) would just be something I would love to do once I stop playing."
Although coaching may be Kennedy’s dream, it is his father’s livelihood. Pat Kennedy, who is the head coach at Towson in Baltimore, half-jokingly tells his son not to pursue the career.
"It’s a very, very tough profession," Pat Kennedy said. "It’s very draining. It’s very grueling on you and your family. Winning has become relief over the years, and losing is tragedy."
But if his son has his mind made up, Pat Kennedy has only himself to blame.
Joe Kennedy has spent his entire life around college basketball, with his father coaching at numerous Division I schools.
Coming from a basketball family, Kennedy spent his days in the locker room and on the practice court instead of on the playground.
"Since I can remember I was in the locker room with my dad at Florida State and DePaul," Kennedy said. "I’ve been watching basketball games on the sidelines for such a long time."
Knowing Kennedy wants to be a college basketball coach, Carmody has given the 5-foot-10 guard an inside look at the profession.
With fellow walk-on Michael Jenkins practicing with the first team, Kennedy has taken over leadership of the scout team and become an integral part of game planning for NU.
Kennedy works closely with the coaching staff each week to find the strengths of the opposition and to formulate a strategy on how to prepare the Cats each week.
"He could be coaching right now because he knows what’s going on," Carmody said. "He has special way of telling his teammates what might work better without sounding like a know-it-all.
"He has that feeling and the way of going about things that people take to him."
Since he was young, Kennedy has dreamed about coaching with his father. Moving from each of his father’s coaching destinations, Kennedy said he learned the importance of making a team different and finding an advantage over opponents.
As is the case with Oklahoma State coach Eddie Sutton and his assistant and son Sean, fathers and sons coaching together is special.
"It would be super special (to coach with Joe), and I hope some day it will come to that," Pat Kennedy said. "The thing, though, which is important on Joe’s behalf, is his qualifications. I think there have been some types of nepotism in the college athletic world.
"In Joe’s case, whether he’s meeting with an athletic director or an administrator, they’re going to know pretty quickly that (he) is qualified."
But after spending two seasons studying under Carmody, Joe Kennedy also said he would like to spend some time on NU’s staff.
"I’ve been fortunate to learn a lot from my father, and I’ve also learned a ton from Coach Carmody and our staff since coming to Northwestern," Kennedy said.
After competing against Carmody in prep basketball, Pat Kennedy said he expected Joe would learn plenty about the game at NU.
"Both (Carmody) and I are from the Jersey shore, and I guess you can say there were two families of basketball: the Kennedy’s and the Carmody’s," Pat Kennedy said. "I think Billy Carmody is one of the brightest coaches in college basketball."
Enrolled in the School of Education and Social Policy, Kennedy is majoring in secondary education, so as a backup career, he can teach and coach high school basketball.
But if Kennedy does break into college coaching, his father believes he has the potential to become one of the top assistants in the sport, as long as he keeps a few details in mind.
"There is tremendous pressure with Division I coaching," Pat Kennedy said. "Now if he feels that he’s going to be ready to handle that, still being able to be close to his family is the most important thing.
"That will always be my most important advice to Joseph."
Reach Zach Silka at [email protected].
