Ahead of this week's Inside The Nest podcast, the Kennesaw State athletic department sets the stage for its sit down with 2020 men's basketball freshmen Chris Youngblood, Brandon Stroud and Kasen Jennings detailing the three Georgia native's standout prep careers and journey together that led to signing with KSU.



Fade in.
 
Mama Lucia's, Newnan, Ga., interior.
 
Three young men are gathered around the table enjoying their fettuccini and each other's company. To no one in particular it's just another average day, but to those in the know they are witnessing the building of a new era.
 
These three men, Chris Youngblood, Brandon Stroud and Kasen Jennings, are some of the top prep basketball players Georgia has to offer and they make up the core group of incoming freshmen looking to re-write the script for Kennesaw State men's basketball in 2020-21.
 
"I'm all about building a culture, turning things around, proving people wrong and facing adversity," said Youngblood. "I thrive in things like that and KSU is a perfect opportunity. All we're worried about is now. We can't change the past so there is no reason to talk about it as long as everyone is focused on the future."
 
Three of the top-25 recruits out of the Peach State, the trio each made the decision to stay home and team up next season in the Convocation Center.
 
"I never imagined playing college basketball together," said Stroud. "It was crazy when it happened, we each were like we're about to do something special."
 
No stranger to each other's games, Youngblood and Stroud both suited up together at East Coweta High School, while Jennings was just across town playing at Langston Hughes High School for his senior season.
 
All three were key pieces in their school's success on the court.
 
Youngblood and Stroud took an East Coweta team who had not won more than five games in a season since 2010-11 and led them to a 14-12 record their freshman season. Over the past two seasons the Indians have combined for a 33-14 overall record.
 
In his first season at Langston Hughes, Jennings helped the Panthers go 21-9 with a berth in the GHSA 6A State Championship Elite Eight.
 
"All three of us on the court, it's scary," said Jennings. "I didn't realize how scary it could be until we played together in a real game for the first time. It gives us that mindset that we're playing for our brothers, so it pushes you to play harder and it will be like that with all my KSU teammates. We push each other and let each other know when we can do better. It's definitely going to be scary and something to look out for."
   
Scary is right. Youngblood and Stroud both led East Coweta in 2019-20, averaging nearly a double-double for the season with over 20 points and eight rebounds per game each. Meanwhile, Jennings was one of two players to average double-figures on the year at Langston Hughes while leading the team with a 3.3 assists per game.
 
The country got a taste of what the three of them would look like on the court together last summer as the trio suited up for the Game Elite Florida AAU squad at the Adidas Gauntlet Finale in Ladera Ranch, Ca.
 
They helped power the team to an elite eight berth against a formidable field, falling to eventual runner-up's, the Compton Magic. Youngblood put on a clinic in the tournament, averaging over 25 points during the team's three games, including 30 points in an overtime victory to help the squad clinch a spot in the elite eight.
 
"When we were in LA after each game we would go back to the house and talk about it," said Youngblood. "We would talk about how we make each other better, push each other and hold each other accountable. We would tell each other the bad and the good things we did that day. That type of criticisms from your teammates, your brothers, that's what gets you better and we recognized that."
 
That summer created a bond between the three of them and firmly planted the idea of teaming up together at the next level. But they didn't pressure one another as each fielded calls and interests from schools across Georgia and beyond.
 
They continued to discuss the possibilities with one another until finally they all went on their official visit to KSU as a group.
 
After touring the campus and meeting with Head Coach Amir Abdur-Rahim as well as the rest of the coaching staff, all three were on the same page.
 
"They definitely made me feel wanted," said Jennings. "A great group of guys. I feel like they are all invested in getting better and trying to build a program."
 
"They are going to push me," said Stroud. "It's not going to be a cake walk. They are going to make sure that I do everything to become a better man because it's not just about basketball."
 
"No other coach really talked to me like that," said Youngblood. "He was talking about growing up and maturing. When a coach talks to you about more than basketball that's how you know he really cares for your wellbeing and how you progress throughout college. Hearing that from him, because every other coach talked mostly just about basketball, Coach Amir made it seem like he cared more about our life, our future. That type of relationship when someone talks to you about that means a lot. You can tell they really care about you off the court."
 
And they weren't the only ones to feel that way as standouts Cole LaRue from Alabama and Mayson Quartlebaum out of Kansas saw KSU's potential, signing on to join the trio and round out the 2020-21 freshman class.
 
All five have been vocal about coming together and starting something big next season at KSU.
 
Add in some key transfers along with returners Terrell Burden, Armani Harris, Jamie Lewis and Antonio Spencer and KSU might just have a script ready for Hollywood.
 
"I envision just starting history with my brothers and being a part of something great," said Jennings. "Chris and Brandon, they've been competitors since I've known them, and I felt like they were going to push me to be the best player I could be day in and day out. Those are my brothers; I love those guys. I know they are going to go all out for me every single day."
   
 
 

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