Rocket City Classic will feature hometown player
HUNTSVILLE – “For me, this might be the highlight of the season,” said Kaden Rickard during a phone conversation with the Madison Record from his current dorm room at Kennesaw State located north of Atlanta, Ga. The former Bob Jones standout player is in his freshman season with the Owls who will face the Alabama Crimson Tide in the 2025 Rocket City Classic, presented by Akima, on Sunday, Dec. 21 with tipoff at 1:00 p.m. in the arena of the Von Braun Center.
The Crimson Tide return for the second straight year to the Rocket City Classic, but this time for a regular season game, their first in Propst Arena since 2019. Their matchup is against one of the favorites to contend in Conference USA, Kennesaw State, led by former Tide star and assistant coach Antoine Pettway.
The game is also a “homecoming” or sorts as the Owls feature former Bob Jones standout Kaden Rickard, who originally signed with Murray State before a change to sign with Kennesaw State.
“This a good thing as my family and friends from the Madison area can see me play without having to travel,” said Rickard, in between classes in his studies in business at the school located just off I-75 north of Atlanta. “I played in the VBC Arena as a sophomore when I played for Westminster Christian before transferring to Bob Jones. I will feel right at home in the big arena.”
For the 6-6, 211-pound Rickard, the Second-Team All-State selection completed a marvelous senior season at Bob Jones which included being named to the N2Hoops All-Tournament Team, All-Area Team, the Huntsville City Classic MVP and a starting position slot in the annual Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Classic. His last season at Bob Jones was memorable. He scored 15 points, grabbed 6.5 rebounds and posted 3.8 assists per game. Rickard had 27 blocks and 50 steals on the season. He completed his play with the Patriots with 1,175 career points.
“It’s an honor to play against Alabama as I grew up a fan of the Crimson Tide and the game will be a good chance for us to showcase our team and show our great fundamentals of the game,” said Rickard, who, as a freshman, has seen lots of quality time on the court for the Owls this season getting five starts with 22 minutes on average per game. He is averaging 8.2 points per game, 2.8 rebounds along with 13 steals and five blocks, as the Owls are 7-2 and are the top rebounding team in Conference USA. “I’m sure I will be a little nervous, maybe some butterflies before the game in front of the home crowd at the VBC, but once on the court, it’s all basketball.”
Rickard said he feels the team is playing well especially starting off strong to begin the season. For Rickard, he’s been busy getting acclimated with college life and adjusting to the level of play it takes to play collegiate basketball.
“The change for me is the game is more intense than what I experienced in high school and I’ve had to work hard to adjust,” said Rickard. “My game has improved in many ways, especially having more confidence in my level of play and having the ball in my hands as a true point guard has been great. My defense is definitely is much better, especially against very good players.”
Having the chance to play against the SEC powerhouse in Alabama is certainly like a treat for the much smaller school of Kennesaw State and Rickard is aware the excitement will be high among his team and his confidence is spilling over to his teammates. “This game will be played in my hometown and I have the confidence we can face the Crimson Tide and win the battle,” said Rickard.
Tickets for the Rocket City Classic are available via the Von Braun Center Box Office and on-line at ticketmaster.com.
