STILLWATER — Kendall Smith has always wanted the ball in his hands.
As a child in Antioch, California, a basketball was among his favorite toys. He joined his father, Kirkland, and his brothers at the gym, with Kirkland having to lift him to put up shots. He regularly tried to take the ball to bed with him; after several nights of protest, Kirkland gave in.
Instead, he sneaked into his son's room after Smith had fallen asleep, taking the ball and putting it on a counter in another room. But when Kirkland woke up in the morning, the ball was in Smith's arms.