The Cambridge sisters building a family legacy in college basketball

Three sisters. One sport. A storied college basketball family legacy. 

Jordyn, Kennedy and Jaloni Cambridge have taken a childhood built on competition to the next level and are finding national attention. Kennedy and Jaloni lead the No. 11 Ohio State women's basketball team on the court, while their older sister, who starred for Vanderbilt, is now on the sidelines at Belmont. 

The Cambridge name is synonymous with college basketball. The sisters' father, Desmond Cambridge Sr., was an all-conference player at Alabama A&M and still holds the NCAA record for steals in a single season at 160. Six of his seven children have followed him into college ball, including sons Jalon (Fisk University), Desmond Jr. (Arizona State) and Devan (University of Central Florida). Another son, Jasiah, is playing in high school.

"It's special," Jordyn said of the family's basketball tradition. "To be able to have so many of us play basketball at this level … and now my sisters doing it together at the same place, is incredible."

The journeys of all three sisters converged on the hardwood Nov. 24 during a Thanksgiving week tournament in the Bahamas. The whole Cambridge clan showed up to watch the Ohio State sisters take on Belmont, where Jordyn is a first-year assistant coach. 

The matchup

The nonconference matchup was back-and-forth for three quarters, with the game tied at 48-48 before a fourth-quarter surge by the Buckeyes. 

"Every time they scored a basket, they looked over at me on the bench," Jordyn said. "It was a blessing, though. Our family got to be in the stands."

Kennedy and Jaloni each logged over 30 minutes, with Jaloni leading all scorers with 26 points. In the final 10 minutes, Ohio State outscored Belmont 20-8 to finish off a 68-56 win. 

"I would just stare at her with a little smirk. It was so fun," Kennedy said. "It just goes back to when we were playing basketball when we were younger and trying to get in each other's heads."

"We were rubbing it in her face the whole time, but it's still love at the end of the day," Jaloni said. "That's just our bond. … I don't think we've had one bad moment with each other."

The game served as a real-time depiction of how their careers continue to unfold but also how their stories began. 

Jordyn 

"I was around 5 years old, and I remember my dad calling my mom and saying that he'd signed me up to play basketball," Jordyn said. "My mom says I went to practice, and my face lit up." 

Her six seasons at Vanderbilt were marked by adversity — multiple injuries, entire seasons lost — but each return revealed a sharper version of Jordyn. She became a three-time All-Southeastern Conference defensive selection, a Naismith Defensive Player of the Year semifinalist and Vanderbilt's all-time steals leader. Her 351 career steals lead the program across both men's and women's basketball, and she remains the only Commodore to reach 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 400 assists and 300 steals in a career, all while earning multiple SEC Academic Honor Roll distinctions.

Her final season was both a comeback and a coronation. After missing the previous year with an Achilles injury, Jordyn returned to lead the SEC in steals, ranking third nationally in steals per game and scoring her 1,000th point on Senior Day — with her family and sisters in the stands.

"Defense is what I enjoyed the most — it's the fun part of basketball for me," Jordyn said. "But the biggest thing that came out of Vanderbilt, besides basketball, is I have three degrees. I can't top that."

Watching their older sister excel through the toughest of obstacles helped shape Kennedy and Jaloni. They carried her example from the Ensworth School in Nashville, Tennessee, where they won two state high school championships, one more than Jordyn. The duo has shared the court together for most of their lives, and those years of chemistry show up now at Ohio State. 

Kennedy

"I feel like I base a lot of my defense off of Jordyn, and I've played with Jaloni almost my entire life," Kennedy said. "Jaloni is very offensive-minded, and I think a lot of my game comes from both of them."

Kennedy might draw inspiration from her sisters, but she is a force in her own right. The identity she's refined in Columbus as a defensive disrupter is evident by her spot on this year's Naismith Defensive Player of the Year late-season team — a formal recognition of what coaches feel in real time when she shrinks their offensive options. 

She leads the Big Ten in steals per game (3.9) and total steals this season (128) and ranks fourth and third nationally in these categories, respectively. Her steals this season are a program record. She attributes these accolades to trust from her coaching staff and effort in pursuit of her goal — to earn Defensive Player of the Year. 

"My coaches believe in me and allow me to take some of the risks that I take," Kennedy said. "Them allowing me to take some risks on defense and supporting me in what I do helps me a lot. They watch film with me and teach me things because I'm still figuring out my defensive game, but the support I get here is crazy." 

Kennedy, who transferred from Kentucky after her freshman year and redshirted her first year at Ohio State, played every game last season with the Buckeyes and made four starts. This season, she has started every game, while averaging 9 points. The All-Big Ten Defensive Team honoree is grateful for the opportunity to play with her sister, elevating both their games. 

"There are times where I know she gets a steal and we're in transition — I know it's coming to me, or vice versa," Kennedy said. "Not many people get this opportunity, on and off the court. If I'm having a hard day, all I have to do is look over, and she's right there. She's there for every moment."

Off the court, Kennedy graduated early and obtained her degree in political science. She is now earning her master's in law. 

Jaloni

Jaloni, a sophomore, has taken on the role of starting point guard for Ohio State, earning national and conference recognition for her ability to create and score. On Sunday, she was named to the national ballot for the Wooden Award, which is given to the top players in men's and women's college basketball. She has scored in double figures in every game this season for the Buckeyes, en route to becoming the Big Ten scoring champion. She also has topped 1,000 career points in just two seasons.

"I'll do anything for this team," Jaloni said. "So, whatever I have to do, whether we win or lose, I'll do anything I have to do to make sure that we're happy, not just winning." 

Turning defensive stops into offense, she leads the Big Ten in assists. The sister-to-sister connection is clear: Kennedy's defensive pressure becomes Jaloni's push, which turns into points. 

"With the connection that we have, I feel like I always know where she is, and she always knows where I am," Jaloni said. "Well, it's really her knowing where I am because I don't know how she sees me sometimes."

Jaloni is majoring in sports industry with a minor in psychology and is interested in interior design. 

Legacy in motion

Beyond the basketball court, the Cambridge sisters drive change in their respective communities, Nashville and Columbus. This impact shows through Jordyn's return to Ensworth to help coach in the program that helped her get to the next level, Jaloni's annual basketball camp with Kennedy's help, and their support of local youth teams. The sisters' north star is simple: elevate the game and leave it better for whoever comes next. 

"We provide a lot for the girls to try and help them get exposed to all things. It's not just about basketball," Jaloni said. "I have no shame in sharing my love for the game with anyone and letting them know you can make it from anywhere. I've seen it plenty of times." 

With March here, these sisters could converge again.

Jordyn and Belmont (20-11, 16-4) will play either the University of Illinois Chicago or Evansville in the Missouri Valley Conference tournament on Friday in Coralville, Iowa. 

Ohio State (26-7, 13-5) lost in the semifinal round of the Big Ten tournament to top-seeded UCLA, 72-62. The Buckeyes await the NCAA selection show to learn of their seeding in the tournament. 

"My little sisters are really doing it, and they're doing it way better than I ever could have," Jordyn said. "It's a blessing seeing Jaloni and Kennedy thrive. They're having seasons of their lives right now."

For Kennedy, the relationship with her sisters is everything.

 "Without them, I don't know if I'd still be playing basketball today," she said.