He’s tall. He’s lethal. He’s becoming a star. Meet the Coast’s rising basketball standout.
You can’t miss Moss Point’s Kedrick Osby when you walk into the gym. He quickly stands out from the rest with his 6-foot-7 frame and long arms.
With a slender build, he’s molded like a modern day scorer and he plays like one, too. Osby is adept at drawing fouls in the paint and has developed a lethal jump shot to broaden his range.
As a result, the Tiger has become the most dangerous scorer on the Coast as a junior. He’s averaging just over 24 points per game, which leads the entire region, and most recently was the only player at the star-studded Gulfport Holiday Classic to score at least 20 points a contest throughout the event.
Osby is doing it all with his father, Daryl Osby, as his head coach. The older Osby smiles when given the chance to talk about his youngest son, but acknowledges the dynamic comes with its challenges.
“It’s a dream come true,” Daryl Osby told the Sun Herald. “Its got its pitfalls because as his father and being the head coach and with him being the best player, sometimes people think ‘well you’re doing this just because he’s your son’ and that’s not true. We believe in playing the best players. But it’s a wonderful thing, I love it.”
Kedrick has blossomed under his father’s tutelage but also admits to the challenges that comes with working alongside each other.
“It’s even harder than being coached by someone else,” Kedrick said with a laugh. “He expects so much out of me.”
That expectation has driven Kedrick and led to an uptick in scoring from last year’s 16 points per game. He’s done so by improving on his versatility. The junior can run the point and work the post positions just as well.
Kedrick is learning to make better use of his length on the boards. He’s up to 7.9 rebounds per game this season but is still working on becoming a stronger presence near the rim.
Kedrick scored 19 first half points against Gulfport in the Holiday Classic but was stifled to just four in the second half. The difference was the Admirals’ decision to move a bigger body over in Javier Simmons to slow him down.
“That’s what taught me I need to get a lot stronger,” Kedrick said. “I’m not as strong as I think I am ... I’m trying to work on getting stronger and finishing with my left hand more. I need to work on that a lot.”
Though he may be a work in progress, he’s still garnering plenty of attention from opposing coaches. Kedrick was double-teamed at some point in all three games in Gulfport and had two men on him throughout the entire contest against Meridian.
He still scored 22 points in that game against the Wildcats, largely thanks to his free throw shooting where he is a 77.9 percent shooter.
Moss Point and the coaching staff are so used to the extra attention Kedrick receives that they have an entire offense ready to roll out when the double teams come.
That offense often leads to Kiki Ford stepping up as the scorer, as he did in a recent 17-point outing against Stone County.
Even with talented help alongside him, Kedrick earns the defensive focus put on him. His father says it comes from a high level of motivation.
“That’s one thing I’m not going to question is his work ethic,” Daryl said. “He’s going to work, work harder to get better.”
Kedrick knows what success looks like having watched his older brother Romero play for Mississippi State and eventually find his way onto an NBA roster.
Before he can think of the professional game, Kedrick still has a lot more basketball in front of him. He currently holds offers from Mississippi State and Southern Miss with still another year of high school ball to play.
But before Kedrick chooses where he’ll play at the next level, he and Moss Point have work to do on the Coast.
“I’m looking for (Kedrick) to lead us as far as we can,” Daryl said. “We’re going to take it one goal at a time. First, the district championship, district tournament championship and go from there.”
The Tigers are 10-9 and already 2-0 in district play this season. Moss Point is off to a good start on its postseason plans and Kedrick still has plenty of time to continue to leave his mark on every floor he touches.
This story was originally published January 7, 2022 at 5:50 AM.
