When Kennesaw State women’s basketball returns to the court for the 2025-26 season opener on Nov. 4, it will be led by returning guard Keyarah Berry.
But it was never a foregone conclusion that the Rockmart, Ga. native would be back for another year with the Black and Gold.
“I really thought 2024-25 was going to be my last year,” Berry explained, when reflecting on last season.
Then in August of this year while at her brother’s house – the call from head coach Octavia Blue came through.
“My mama showed up and I was like ‘what are you doing here?’ and she had coach Blue on the phone,” she explained. “Coach Blue said, ‘I got the news back – you got your year back’ and I remember being so happy and I was ready to come back to campus that same day.”
After a long summer of not knowing and having to miss summer workouts, Berry was officially back for the 2025-26 season – and ready to make an impact.
“I feel like I could really make my mark this year,” she added.
Her time at Kennesaw State was preceded by a year with the Indiana Hoosiers, but a return to home and a great fit brought her back to the Peach State.
“It was close to home and also the way coach Blue coaches, the way she pushes us and just the community atmosphere,” Berry said. “The community supports sports in a way that I’ve never seen before. It’s very welcoming and they make sure you’re locked in. They make sure your classes are great – it’s a big support system.”
Berry’s first season with the Black and Gold featured limited minutes for the then-sophomore guard, but that did not stop her from giving it her all.
“Learning from the players that were here and seeing how they play made me want to grow more and be able to do more for my team,” she said. “Coach Blue always pushed me, she would always get into the gym with us early in the morning and make sure our skill workouts were good and to make sure we’re comfortable on the court when we get put in.”
Fast-forward to the 2024-25 campaign where she scored 20 points in three-straight games to open the season and earned the first Conference USA Player of the Week honor in program history. Prior to the season’s start, she fractured her nose – now having to wear a face mask through the rest of the year.
“The 20-point games were something that had built up from not being able to practice,” she said. “When I got out there, I had to go 100% and trust my teammates know I’m back and I can provide for the team.”
That fast start ignited a career year where she averaged 12.0 points per game, 5.7 rebounds and shot 45.4% from the floor.
Before her collegiate career began, she was a decorated student-athlete at Rockmart High School. Berry helped lead the Yellow Jackets to their first-ever back-to-back state titles, amassing 3,340 points – second-most all-time in state of Georgia when she graduated.
She started playing basketball at a young age with her dad and her brothers and learned from them. Behind that great support system, it was toward the end of her high school career where she realized Division I basketball was her future.
“I would say probably my junior year of high school, it kind of dawned on me that I could really go somewhere far in life with basketball,” she said. “I grew to love it. At first it was just something to like do, just have fun but then I started taking it serious.”
In addition to 1,027 rebounds and 500 steals, she earned three player of the year honors as a senior, was a 2020 2A North All-State selection and was named to the 2021 Atlanta Tipoff First Team and Atlanta Journal-Constitution First Team.
Her favorite moment in high school was winning back-to-back region crowns in 2020 and 2021, something never done before at Rockmart.
“Winning region back-to-back had never been done before and that was a great feeling,” she added.
That confidence she gained at a young age has propelled Berry to be the successful student-athlete she is today and is something she takes with her onto the court for one more season of college hoops.
“I really want to set the tone of how Kennesaw State women’s basketball really is,” she mentioned. “We are a really good program and I want to make sure that’s known. I want to help my team and have the confidence that we can go as far as we want to.”
This is something she’s already hard at work with, emphasizing the team bonding and chemistry amongst the group.
“We go to football games, we hang outside of basketball, we’ll go to the Commons,” she said. “I would say our team bonding is really good.”
And when asked what is one thing she’s looking forward to this season, the Rockmart native didn’t hesitate.
“Winning a championship,” she said.
Berry and the Owls tip off the 2025-26 campaign on Tuesday, Nov. 4 against Shorter University inside VyStar Arena. Both single-game and season tickets are on sale now, click here to secure your seat today.
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The Owls Fund is the primary fundraising arm of Kennesaw State Athletics with the goal of supporting our student-athletes, coaches and each of our 18 NCAA Division I programs. Through initiatives such as Legacy Lockers, the Dot Martin Scholarship Golf Classic, sport-specific giving opportunities, general donations and season tickets, The Owls Fund connects fans with KSU's programs and student-athletes. Members receive exclusive benefits such as hospitality seating areas and events at Kennesaw State home games, and more. Join The Owls Fund here and discover more opportunities on how you can support Kennesaw State Athletics.
