The 7-foot, 245-pound senior forward and center led the War Eagles to a 30-2 record and the Class AAAA state championship this past season. Kessler averaged 17.8 points, 9.3 assists, 5.2 blocks, 1.3 steals and 1.2 assists per game, and he tallied 17 points and nine boards in Woodward’s win over Cross Creek High in the state final. A McDonald’s All-American Game invitee, he concluded his prep basketball career with 2,001 points, 1,236 rebounds and 525 blocks.
Kessler has maintained a weighted 4.23 GPA in the classroom and represents one of the state’s top academic candidates in meeting the Gatorade award’s broad criteria. He has signed a national letter of intent to play basketball on scholarship at the University of North Carolina this fall.
A member of his local chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Kessler has volunteered locally as a youth basketball coach, and he has donated his time to multiple community service initiatives through his church.
