Through 24 games, transfer Kennedy Lee is making her mark on Aztecs Women’s basketball, and the program is making its mark on her.
Kennedy Lee shoots a three versus New Mexico in January. Derrick Tuskan/San Diego State Athletics
Kennedy Lee wasn’t always sure basketball would be part of her future. Internal doubts caused in part by a season-ending injury last season when playing for Nevada made her question whether she would play basketball again.
“I think my mental space coming from Nevada, especially having that injury this past season, it was a lot on my mental health, and at one point I didn’t think that I would play basketball again.”
Kennedy Lee shoots a three. Derrick Tuskan / San Diego State
That uncertainty followed her into the transfer portal, but one relationship quickly changed the trajectory of her career.
“Even when I played against SDSU, (head coach Stacie Terry-Hutson) would always say something encouraging to me after the game,” Lee said. “When I entered the portal, she was the one who personally called. That stood out. It meant a lot.”
Lee said the honesty of that first conversation with Terry-Hutson made San Diego State feel different.
“She didn’t just tell me what I wanted to hear. She told me what I needed to hear,” Lee said. “She was transparent from the beginning.”
That transparency, and trust, has carried over since her arrival.
“I just owe it to her really,” Lee said. “As a person and as a player.”
That support has shown up in moments both subtle and spectacular.
On the court, Lee’s impact has been immediate and consistent. She has started all 24 games for the conference-leading Aztecs and has been one of the most reliable players in the rotation.
In November, Lee etched her name into the SDSU record book, tying the program mark with seven made three-pointers in a single game. Asked afterward what was going through her mind as shot after shot fell, Lee laughed.
“I was telling coach that I blacked out a little bit,” Lee said. “I was just taking what the defense was giving me, and the fact that the staff and my teammates trust me to take those shots and make them. I think that’s the most encouraging thing that I can have in that moment.”
That trust is something Lee says she feels daily.
“My talks with Coach really helped me in getting back into that headspace and knowing that I can compete and that I have a lot to offer as a person, as a player,” said Lee.
The results have followed. Lee has scored in double figures in ten games this season and she leads the team in rebounding, often doing the work that doesn’t show up in the box score.
Head coach Stacie Terry-Hutson has leaned on Lee not only for spacing and scoring, but for defensive discipline and rebounding, especially in tight games. In a key win over New Mexico in January, when the Lobos threatened late in the third quarter, Lee helped anchor a defensive shift that turned the game.
“At halftime (of the New Mexico game), Coach grabbed a couple of us and said, ‘They can’t get a rebound, they can’t get a rebound,’” Lee said. “So basically that was the focus going into the second half. Don’t let them get any offensive boards.”
Derrick Tuskan / San Diego State
The result: SDSU limited New Mexico’s second-chance opportunities and pulled away in the fourth, a reminder that Lee’s value often shows up in the possessions that don’t make highlight reels.
“She’s a player who understands what the team needs,” Terry-Hutson said afterward, noting Lee’s ability to impact the game without forcing shots. “That’s growth.”
That growth has been intentional. Lee has spoken this season about learning to give herself grace, something she didn’t always allow before her injury.
It’s a mindset that’s allowed Lee to settle into her role on a deep, balanced SDSU roster. One where contributions shift nightly, but standards don’t.
Through 24 games, Lee is averaging 9.2 points and a team-high 5.2 rebounds per game while shooting 44.6% from the field and 35.4% from three-point range.
Her ability to stretch the floor, rebound through contact, and defend multiple positions has filled a crucial gap for an SDSU team that graduated its top post contributors a year ago.
But numbers only tell part of the story.
Off the court, Lee remains the same thoughtful presence she was when she arrived: an English major with plans for graduate school, an artist who finds calm in creativity, and a player who understands that confidence isn’t always loud.
For Lee, the confidence she feels now is rooted in the support around her.
“Coming here, the coaches and my teammates have poured so much love into me and so much encouragement.”
“I always keep in mind that this is a team that heavily depends on each other,” she said. “We have a staff that cares greatly about us … on a personal basis as well as basketball.”
Derrick Tuskan / San Diego State
Coming here, the coaches and my teammates have poured so much love into me and so much encouragement.
-Kennedy Lee
After everything she’s been through, Lee says she’s found what she was searching for.
“I just want to be part of something bigger than myself,” she said when she first committed to SDSU. “And I think I found that here.”
This season, she has been, not by trying to be more, but by becoming more herself.
Kennedy Lee with youth fan at game vs CSUN. Derrick Tuskan / San Diego State
