Kennedi Gaines is a blur on the basketball court. Quicker than quick, she blows by defenders like they were standing still or zigzags around them like a slalom skier.

The Bartlett scoring machine has piled up as many as 52 points in a game and totaled 1,409 in her first two seasons of high school, putting her on pace to break the state’s all-time girls record.

In the classroom, Gaines remains idle, soaking up knowledge like a sponge, yet applying the same fire and desire she brings to the hardwood.

“Every day I go to school, I treat it as if I’m on the court. I show up, I participate, I learn and apply it,” she said. “I go just as hard in the classroom as I do on the court.”

“I set high standards for myself and try to manage all A’s. I also stay organized and balanced when it comes to school and basketball. I put my schooling before my sport because academics is way more important if I wanna play at the next level and succeed in life.”

The 5-foot-5 rising junior is the total package, a 26-point career scorer with an accumulative 4.1 GPA, which is why she has drawn interest from a bunch of NCAA Division I programs.

Gaines received her first D1 offer from Hawaii before she played her first game at Bartlett and the list has only grown since then to include Bowling Green, UNLV, UAA, Cal Irvine, Fresno State, Sacramento State, Montana State, Cal State Northridge and Harvard.

Harvard is arguably the most prominent university in the country, so getting an offer from the Ivy League school stopped the all-state playmaker in her tracks.

“Being offered by Harvard was a very surprising and exciting moment for my family and I,” Gaines said. “I had a great conversation with the head coach. Coach Moore was a very fun person to talk to and I just loved the energy she brought during our conversation.”

Gaines was relucted to rank her offers but admitted getting one from Harvard hit different. We’re talking about the oldest institution of higher learning in the country, dating back four centuries.

And Harvard wants this Golden Bear.

“It feels amazing,” she said. “This school is not just about basketball but getting a degree from Harvard is special. As a little kid I always heard of Harvard, but never thought I’d be in the position of being offered by them. A very unreal feeling and a very blessed opportunity.”

Even still, Gaines isn’t ready to sign her name on the dotted line just yet — at Harvard or anywhere else.

“Me personally, there is no school I would call my dream school because my options have always been open and each school has something different to offer,” she said. “Being an upcoming junior, I will definitely start making my list on schools, but other than that I’m just staying focused on my academics, development and playing basketball.”

Gaines is all about the here and now as she prepares for an active summer in her recruiting process. Monday was the first day college coaches were able to contact her directly and her phone will be busy, especially after Bartlett bench boss Darian Lawson put her highlight package into the inbox of every Division I women’s head coach.

Lawson doubles as her AAU, and the two have been ride-or-die for half her life. Gaines turns 16 on June 16.

At a time when many of Alaska’s elite players leave the state in search of greener pastures, Gaines is all-in on Anchorage.

“When you work hard, have a supportive family and a coach invested in you, you do not have to leave your home to make it,” Gaines said. “I could not see myself going or playing anywhere else.”

A pattern has emerged in Alaska over the last decade in which many of the top-shelf boys have bounced, while the best girls have posted up. And yet, we’ve seen more girls play D1, so it begs the question: Is leaving necessary?

Gaines doesn’t think so. She’s watched over the years how Gatorade winners Sayvia Sellers (Washington), Alissa Pili (Utah, USC), Amelia ‘Uhila (Portland State, Hawaii) and Ruthy Hebard (Oregon) all stayed home and still found their way to the big time.

“They all have had an impact on the reason I stay home,” Gaines said. “I love Bartlett.”

The biggest reasons why she loves Bartlett is because of the coaching style of Lawson, who holds her accountable, and the connection she’s built with her teammates, who keep her humble. They want to win just as bad as Gaines. And they have; the Golden Bears have gone 48-9 in the Gaines era, won two Cook Inlet Conference titles and advanced to last season’s Class 4A title game at the Alaska Airlines Center.

“I love this team even more because of the family we’ve created, the losses we’ve taken and the steps we’ve taken together each year to be even better,” Gaines said. “Our motto is ‘1101 vs Everybody’ and that’s how we have to play. We’re not just a team, we’re sisters, and that bond surpasses just playing with each other.”