California men's basketball head coach Mark Madsen announced that Memphis transfer Keonte Kennedy has signed to play for the Golden Bears for the 2023-24 season.

Kennedy, a 6-foot-5 guard, is the fourth transfer added to Cal's roster by Madsen, joining Fardaws Aimaq, Jalen Cone and Mike Meadows. A product of Austin, Texas, Kennedy arrives in Berkeley with one year of eligibility remaining. He averaged 9.2 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 38.1% from 3-point range for Memphis last season. Kennedy has averaged 8.3 PPG (749 total points) in 90 career games played across four seasons at Memphis, Texas-El Paso and Xavier.

"Keonte is a tough, intelligent and experienced player with natural instincts on the defensive end of the court," Madsen said. "His shot-making ability and feel for the game will greatly complement the roster we are continuing to assemble and his leadership will show in the way he plays the game. We're thrilled to have Keonte and his family joining the Bears."

Kennedy scored double figures 11 times, including a stretch of six straight games in American Athletic Conference play, for a Memphis squad that went 26-8 last season. The guard missed the final eight games of the season with an injury, but shot 46.1% on the year and made 12 starts in 25 contests.

After redshirting the 2019-20 season due to NCAA transfer rules, Kennedy averaged 11.0 PPG and 6.0 RPG in two seasons for UTEP. He averaged career highs of 14.1 PPG, 6.1 RPG and 1.8 SPG as a redshirt junior for the Miners in 2021-22 with standout performances of 27 points against North Carolina Central and a 22-point, 15-rebound double-double against Western Illinois in The Basketball Classic postseason tournament.

Kennedy's collegiate career started at Xavier, where he averaged 12.2 minutes in 22 games played as a freshman during the 2018-19 season.

Kennedy was a four-star player and ranked as the nation's No. 25 shooting guard by ESPN.com while at Westlake High School in Austin. He was an all-district first team selection and the 6A regional defensive most valuable player while averaging 14.0 PPG, 2.6 APG and 1.5 SPG as a senior in 2017-18.