Marietta’s Alex Kendall (21) looks to pass during a high school basketball game against Point Pleasant last season at Sutton Gym. (Photo by Kerry Patrick)

Alex Kendall wears orange and black well, and those will continue to be his colors even after he leaves Marietta High.

Thursday, the Tigers’ 6-foot-8 post player signed a National Letter of Intent to play basketball at the University of Findlay, an NCAA Division II program. The decision fulfills a lifelong dream for Kendall.

“It means everything,” he said. “It’s a kid’s dream to just grow up and have a goal set in the back of your mind and then one day come here and sign a paper in front of all your friends and family. It means a lot. It’s the start of your life, really, and I’ve got a great thing going for me. I’m truly blessed for it.”

Kendall talked to a lot of different schools around the country, but ultimately decided he wanted to be an Oiler.

“Findlay was just me,” he said. “It had everything I wanted. Everyone there was very nice and treated me with respect. Not too far from home but not too close. Great group of guys on the basketball team. Love the coaches, loved how welcoming they made me feel. Good opportunity I couldn’t pass up.”

Kendall cracked Marietta High’s starting lineup as a sophomore and showed promise. He took a huge step forward as a junior, averaging 15 points and seven rebounds per game en route to being a first team All-Southeast District honoree.

“On the basketball court he’s a rim protector,” said Marietta head coach Austin Gardner. “He blocks shots, he rebounds, he finishes with his left hand and right hand inside and he stretches the floor. Findlay’s had a lot of good four and fives when I played, and they still do. He’s going to fit right in with their style of play.”

Gardner also played his college ball at Findlay. He took over the Marietta coaching job last year and helped Kendall unlock his full potential.

“Coach Gardner, I owe everything to him,” Kendall said. “He came in and totally transformed my game and made me the player I am today. A lot of hard work, smart work and just going at it every day.”

Gardner played a pivotal role in Kendall’s recruiting process, but didn’t nudge him in any specific direction.

“He really wanted this decision to be mine,” Kendall said. “By him playing there, I saw the good benefits of it and what UF was really all about. He helped me get out and see what it’s all about.”

Gardner added, “I did my best to help him with the recruiting process and reaching out to schools and things. Did I call Findlay? Yeah, but I also called 50, 60 others. … I didn’t really nudge him, I just gave him facts about the program that reached out and what I knew from college coaches from playing in college and coaching in college. He made the educational decision, and I do think he made the right one. I’m happy to see him again in orange and black.”

Kendall will play for head coach Charlie Ernst, who also coached Gardner in his playing days. Ernst played at Findlay and was an assistant on the 2009 team that went 36-0 and won the national championship.

“Findlay’s biggest thing in recruiting is character, and Alex is a high-character guy,” Gardner said. “He’s as top-notch as it gets, not just in the classroom but community-wise. He’s social, he’s got a great personality, little goofy at times which spices things up, but just overall a really good human being.”

Kendall, who plays strong inside but can also step outside and hit shots, thinks his playstyle will translate to the college level.

“I think I’ll play really well with them offensively,” Kendall said. “I think I clash really well with the teammates and coaches and their playstyle at Findlay.”

Following Kendall’s breakout junior season at MHS, he joined the Nova Village AAU team, one of the premiere teams in the Under Armour circuit, especially in the Midwest. That gave Kendall the opportunity to travel all over the country and showcase his talents.

“He got to represent Marietta in the right way which was really cool,” Gardner said. “There were some Division 1s that came on late that saw him later on, but for him it was ‘Go to where you’re option 1,’ and Findlay was a target for him at the beginning.”

Kendall’s current focus is on his senior season at Marietta, and the Tigers return quite a bit of talent from last year’s 15-win squad.

“We’ve got very high expectations,” he said. “Fell short last year in the postseason. We’re hoping to go farther. We’ve got a great group of kids, great group of coaches. We all love being with each other every day. We all look forward to practicing and getting better. We compete with each other but we’re friends off the court. We’re hoping for a really big season and having some fun along the way.”

Gardner is hoping this is the beginning of a trend at Marietta where players have the opportunity to play collegiately.

“I’m looking forward to (Kendall’s) senior year, but then following his college career as well,” Gardner said.

“I hope we get more players that get to branch off and play in college. We’ve got some current guys and some younger guys that want to play at the next level. I think it’s cool to see and hopefully this can continue here in Marietta. I think Alex has really set the standard of what we’re trying to do here at Marietta.”

Contact Jordan Holland at jholland@mariettatimes.com.