Willie Kemp (basketball) facts for kids

Willie Devale Kemp was born on January 1, 1987. He is an American professional basketball player. He played as a point guard or shooting guard. His last team was Keravnos B.C. in Cyprus.

Willie Kemp's Basketball Journey

High School Success

Willie Kemp was a star player in high school. In 2006, he was named Tennessee's Class AA Mr. Basketball. This award goes to the best high school basketball player in his division. He was also named Player of the Year by The Jackson Sun.

Willie helped his team, Bolivar Central, win many games. They had an amazing record of 29 wins and 11 losses. He led them to the state quarterfinals. During his four years on the varsity team, Bolivar Central won 117 games and lost only 25.

He scored over 1,900 points in his high school career. He also made over 800 assists. Willie led Bolivar Central to win two state championships in a row. They won in 2004 and 2005. He was even named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the state tournament in 2005. Experts rated him as one of the top point guards in the country.

College Basketball Career

Willie Kemp played college basketball for the University of Memphis. He was part of the Memphis Tigers team. This team made it to the 2008 NCAA Finals. This is a very big achievement in college basketball.

Freshman Year (2006-2007)

As a freshman, Willie played in almost every game. He started in 36 out of 37 games. He averaged 6.4 points per game. He also helped his team with rebounds and assists.

Sophomore Year (2007-2008)

In his second year, Willie played in all 40 games. This set a school record for most games played in a single season. He often came off the bench as the team's sixth man. He averaged 5.0 points per game. He was known for having very few turnovers. He made 51 three-pointers this season.

Junior Year (2008-2009)

Willie played in 36 games during his junior year. He made two starts. He averaged 2.9 points per game. He also had 33 steals, showing his defensive skills.

Senior Year (2009-2010)

His senior year was his best in college. He played in all 34 games and started 26 of them. He played the most minutes of his college career. He scored a career-high 251 points. He also had his best season for assists (145) and steals (51). He was one of the top players in his conference for assists and steals.

Professional Basketball Journey

After college, Willie Kemp became a professional basketball player. He played for many teams around the world.

Early Professional Teams

In 2010, he started his professional career with the Dakota Wizards. He then played for Etoile du Sahel in Tunisia. He also played for Astrum Levice and CS Gaz Metan Mediaş.

Winning a Championship

In February 2014, Willie joined BK Ventspils. He helped this team win the Latvian Basketball League championship. This was a major highlight in his career.

Playing in Poland and Romania

In August 2014, he signed with Trefl Sopot in the Polish Basketball League. Later, in 2015, he played for BC Mureș in Romania.

Success in Cyprus and the Arabian Cup

From 2015 to 2017, Willie played for Sigal Prishtina. In November 2016, he won the Arabian Cup of Champions Clubs with Etoile Sportive du Sahel. He later played for APOEL B.C. and Keravnos B.C. in Cyprus in 2018.

The Basketball Tournament

Willie Kemp also played in The Basketball Tournament. This is a special basketball competition. In 2018, he played for Team Memphis State. He averaged 3.5 points, 1.5 assists, and 1.5 rebounds per game. His team made it to the second round of the tournament.