Rookie Simeon Kennedy was among the promising young talents taken to Abidjan, Ivory Coast, in July 2024 to represent Liberia in the FIBA-Africa Zone 3 U-18 Championship—a historic moment marking Liberia’s return to international basketball since 2007.
While Simeon showed potential during the tournament, there were notable lapses observed by sports journalists closely following the team. He demonstrated his shooting ability, but was visibly slow on the court, a concern that reflected the general tempo of both Liberia’s male and female teams. At the time, Simeon was playing for second division club T.S Warriors.
Out of the five nations that participated, Liberia finished 3rd in both the male and female categories.
As a sports journalist, I engaged members of the delegation on lessons learned. Nearly the entire squad agreed on one key takeaway: the pace of basketball in Liberia is significantly slower than at the international level. They acknowledged that the Abidjan experience would serve as a case study to improve their style of play.
Fast forward, Simeon has since secured a transfer to NPA Pythons, former champions of the Liberian Basketball Association (LBA) League. It’s worth noting that Simeon—and many of the players from that Ivory Coast trip—have shown remarkable improvement.
In NPA’s recent loss to defending champions Mighty Barrolle, Simeon proved he has the qualities of a first-division player. Coming off the bench, he scored 18 points, shooting 4-of-8 from beyond the arc, and was the only NPA player to hit double digits in scoring.
Beyond his offense, Simeon demonstrated his growth as a two-way player, combining shooting range with solid defensive effort.
His brilliant performance continued in NPA’s matchup against Spartacus, where he successfully neutralized one of the Spartans’ most formidable shooters, Ferdinand Lokko. Simeon’s defensive pressure left Lokko struggling, as NPA went on to secure the win.
In the second half, Simeon held Lokko to just a single shot attempt, after the Spartacus guard had gone 4-of-7 from three-point range in the first half.
In all fairness, international competitions matter. They offer athletes the opportunity to measure their skills, identify weaknesses, and develop new strategies for growth.
I will continue to update you on the progress of all the athletes who represented Liberia in that landmark U-18 tournament in Ivory Coast.
