A visit with Kennedy Todd-Williams: Star UNC transfer discusses her game, why she chose Coach Yo and the Rebels
OXFORD, Miss. — After the Rebels’ exit from the NCAA Tournament in the Sweet 16, Ole Miss women’s basketball head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin put everyone on notice in her postgame press conference.
“I am the queen-pin of the portal. I have five star-studded freshmen coming in, and I’m about to do the damage in the portal.”
Ole Miss head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin
The Rebels finished the year 25-9 overall and 11-5 in SEC action, making it to the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back years for the first time since the 2003-04 and 2004-05 seasons. Ole Miss also marked its first back-to-back 20-win seasons for the program since the 1993-94 and 1994-95 seasons.
This season also featured a historic win over No. 1-seed Stanford in the NCAA tournament. A No. 1 seed had only lost four times prior to the Sweet 16 before this year.
Coach Yo and the Rebels have tasted success and they’re ready for more.
It didn’t take long for the Portal Queen to get going, as she suggested in her postgame press conference after the Sweet 16 loss. Within a week of the end of the season Ole Miss received a commitment from North Carolina transfer Kennedy Todd-Williams, a top five transfer target in the nation according to ESPN.
Todd-Williams, a two-year starter for the Tar Heels who earned All-ACC Second-Team honors this season, took to social media to announce her pledge to Coach Yo and Ole Miss.
Todd-Williams stated, “The Sip is the MOVEEEE #HottyToddy” on twitter, publicly announcing her commitment to Ole Miss
The Sip is the MOVEEEE #HottyToddy ❤️💙 pic.twitter.com/DOOLhqr4v5
— Kennedy Todd-Williams (@Ktoddwilli) March 29, 2023
The Rebel Walk recently spoke to the highly-touted transfer and was able to learn more about her, her recruitment, her style of play, and what drew her to play at Ole Miss and for Coach Yo.
After our conversation, it was easy to see how Coach Yo and Ole Miss are the perfect match for Todd-Williams and vice-versa.
Meeting Kennedy Todd-Williams
Todd-Williams has always been around the game of basketball. Growing up, she was the youngest of three siblings with an older sister and brother who played.
She grew up in Jacksonville, North Carolina, a town famous for Camp Lejeune, a Marine training facility. A little over an hour away sits Wilmington, where Kennedy’s sister, Taylor, is set to become the head basketball coach at Cape Fear Community College.
Being the youngest in a basketball family meant Kennedy started playing early. She learned on a hoop in the backyard where her siblings and father would play “horse.” It was playing these games with her family where she really began to get invested in the sport and gained her competitive edge.
“I was the youngest, so I was always losing… It’s a game and I [really] like the competitiveness of the game.“
Kennedy Todd Williams
It was around middle school when Kennedy became more serious about basketball, and during this time she began to get more involved in AAU and the travel circuit.
From there, she quickly moved up to the top in recruiting rankings, as evidenced by the fact the highly-coveted Todd-Williams committed to North Carolina while just a freshman in high school.
During her career at Jacksonville High School, Todd-Williams earned several accolades. A four-star recruit, she was ranked the No. 1 recruit in the state of North Carolina per Prep Hoops and was a McDonald’s All-American nominee. She was named First Team All-State in 2020.
Todd-Williams played three years at UNC and has two more years of eligibility left. The junior guard started all 33 games for the Tar Heels this season and finished the year second on the team in both points per game (13.4) and third in rebounds (5.4).
The Tar Heels made the NCAA tournament all three years with Todd-Williams on campus.
Getting To Ole Miss
Todd-Williams explained to us what that experience was like to enter the transfer portal.
“I wasn’t expecting so many coaches to reach out. It was different. UNC was my first offer [in high school]. It was fun, though. It was a good experience.”
Kennedy Todd-Williams
Coach Yo and her staff quickly formed a relationship with Kennedy, and when she took her visit to Oxford she could feel the connection Ole Miss had for her, on and off the court.
“They’re rooted in love. They really took me in. It felt like home and it was a family environment… She (Yo) really embraced me as a player and as a person. She has a vision for me in the program. I met with some of the players. They embody all of the things Coach Yo has instilled in them.”
Kennedy Todd-Williams on her visit to Ole Miss
part of my why!! https://t.co/63Z4MjWsmB
— Kennedy Todd-Williams (@Ktoddwilli) April 2, 2023
We also asked Kennedy about the Rebels’ recent success and if that had any impact on how she viewed the program. It is important to see how a potential player views Ole Miss and how their perspectives may vary.
“The Sweet 16 appearance was a great accomplishment, and I see they have a growth mindset, expecting to go further each year. Adding my experience to the team, we can expect to see some really big things. This team is on the rise and I’m excited to help be part of their journey.“
Kennedy Todd Williams on the impact of the Rebels’ success
Scouting Report
It is clear Kennedy Todd-Williams brings qualities Coach Yo covets in a player, as she’s a very impressive athlete who can make an impact on both sides of the ball.
“I’m a versatile wing, dynamic player, able to play multiple positions, guard multiple positions, [and] can score at all three levels…A student of the game, I want to do what it takes to be able to help my team.”
Kennedy Todd-Williams on what she brings to Ole Miss
Awesome drive and finish for the and 1 from Kennedy Todd-Williams pic.twitter.com/7X6jYdMqIF
— Mark Schindler (@MG_Schindler) March 20, 2023
A 6-foot guard, Todd-Williams has a career slash of .399/.311/.753 (FG/3P/FT).
According to Synergy Sports Technologies, she has a diverse offensive game with over seven different play types with at least 20+ possessions. The two most popular came off of spot-up jumpers and in transition. She had a 53.9% true shooting percentage on those transition baskets, something Ole Miss really thrived off of last year.
Kennedy also ranked in the 98th percentile in isolation buckets and in the 95th percentile after timeouts this season.
In Todd-Williams, Ole Miss gets a high-impact player who can contribute to winning in a multitude of ways. In Coach Yo’s system, we can see the guard score in a variety of ways while helping to continue the elite defensive unit that Ole Miss puts on the floor.
Kennedy Todd-Williams calls bank! What a finish pic.twitter.com/WVvoNuSTmG
— Mark Schindler (@MG_Schindler) March 20, 2023
And in Ole Miss, Kennedy gets a program that is coached by one of the nation’s best and is on the rise. And Coach Yo isn’t done yet!
Talk to the ppl Toddy! This was meant to be and we’re not done! Stamp that!!! ❤️💙 #NoCeilings @Ktoddwilli https://t.co/slbKzHrjCQ
— Coach Yo (@YolettMcCuin) March 29, 2023
Hotty Toddy!
TJ Oxley
TJ Oxley is the Vice President of Operations and the Director of Community Relations for The Rebel Walk. He is also the Director of Basketball Content and Senior Basketball Writer. He has over five years of experience providing in-depth analysis of college basketball through multiple platforms. A former MBA graduate of Ole Miss, TJ started with The Rebel Walk in 2019.
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