EAST LANSING — Kennedy Blair put in the time.
After playing a limited role off the bench for the Michigan State women’s basketball team in the 2024-25 season, Blair spent her offseason dedicated to boosting her game.
That work has paid dividends and led to Blair emerging as one of the top players in a strong Big Ten.
Blair was among three Spartans played recognized on the All-Big Ten teams on March 2. She was selected second team All-Big Ten by the coaches and media.
“The last couple years have been crazy,” Blair said. “If I would have told you last year Kennedy was an All-Big Ten something you all would have laughed in my face. I think it’s awesome though just to show that hard work can get you a lot of places in life, even if nobody knows who you are the year before. You can still put in the summer and work hard and have trust and play your hardest and you (can get) attention from the media and just people appreciating you as a player. I think it’s crazy. It’s a really cool part of my journey, but I still have two more years to keep building on that so I’m thankful for that.”
Blair went from averaging 3.4 points and 1.8 rebounds while playing a total of 178 minutes as a redshirt freshman in 2024-25 to finishing the regular season averaging 13.9 points, 7.1 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 2.4 steals. She started all 29 games and leads the Spartans (22-7) in rebounds, assists and steals and ranks second in scoring. She logged a team-high 857 minutes and shot 50.5% from the field and 74.6% from the free-throw line.
Blair ranks second in the Big Ten in steals and fourth in assists. She had seven double-doubles.
“It’s incredible.,” MSU coach Robyn Fralick said of Blair’s maturation Friday, Feb. 27. “Everybody is like, oh my gosh, and we’ve watched it day by day for years. Her impact on the game is amazing on both sides of the ball. It really is. Her ability to just impact the game in every possible way — she’s one of those kids that has a nose for the basketball. She just has an instinct.”
Blair was one of two Spartan players selected second team All-Big Ten by the media and coaches. Grace VanSlooten was also a second team selection, while Rashunda Jones was selected to the Big Te’s all-defensive team by the media.
VanSlooten was MSU’s leading scorer at 15.1 points and also averaged 6.6 rebounds. She started all 29 games and shot 50% from the field. VanSlooten scored in double figures 26 times this season and recorded five double-doubles.
“They’ve been really consistent,” Fralick said of her All-Big Ten honorees. “I think the biggest thing that stands out is they do so many things. It’s scoring, it’s getting to the free-throw line, it’s rebounding. Kennedy and Grace both have a lot of steals. I think their physical impact on the whole game was rewarded.
Jones averaged 2.1 steals a game and also was the Spartans’ third-leading scorer at 12.0 points per game. Jones, who appeared in 28 games and made 26 starts, ranked fifth in the Big Ten in steals per game.
“And Spider defensively — she’s been a disruptive and elite defender,” Fralick said. “That was great to see her acknowledged for that.”
MSU had senior Emma Shumate honored as its Big Ten sportsmanship honoree.
Contact Brian Calloway at bcalloway@lsj.com. Follow him on X @brian_calloway and Bluesky @briancalloway.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Big jump for MSU’s Kennedy Blair results in All-Big Ten honors
Reporting by Brian Calloway, Lansing State Journal / Lansing State Journal
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