DesiRay Kernal

Position:
Forward
Height:
6-0
Class:
Graduate Student
High School:
Newton HS
Hometown:
Newton, Kan.
Prev School:
Texas A&M-Commerce

2023-24 First Team All-AAC
2023-24 All-AAC Newcomer Team (Unanimous)
2023-24 AAC Co-Newcomer of the Year
2022-23 Southland Conference All-Tournament Team
2021-22 Second Team All-Lonestar Conference
2020-21 DII WBCA Honorable Mention All-American
2020-21 First Team All-Lonestar Conference

Graduate Senior (2023-24)
Started all 32 games and produced one of the best seasons in recent memory at UNT ... Voted a first team all-conference selection by the conference coaches ... Also a unanimous pick for The American's All-Newcomer team and was named the AAC Co-Newcomer of the Year with USF's Romi Levy ... Led the team with 16.2 points and 8.5 rebounds per game ... Posted 12 double doubles on the season, which included a stretch of six consecutive games to end the regular season ... Finished ranked No. 16 in the country in free throw attempts and No. 18 in free throws made ... Made 13 free throws in a single game on three separate occasions, including a 13-of-13 mark against SFA ... Set a career with 28 points to go along with 12 rebounds to lead a comeback win over UAPB ... Surpassed 1,500 career points in a 14-point performance against Temple ... Also had 28 points against UAB on Jan. 28 ... Collected the 100th win of her career in UNT’s 78-65 victory over SMU ... Had 24 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists and zero turnovers against the Blazers becoming the first Division I player since 2014 to post a stat line with 20+ points, 10+ rebounds, seven assists, zero turnovers and a 75.0+ FG% in a game ... Played nearly 56 minutes and finished with 22 points and a career high 19 rebounds in UNT's 4OT victory over ECU ... Earned nine weekly conference honors, including three Player of the Week selections ... Ranked in the top 10 among AAC players in nine statistical categories ... Led the conference in defensive rebounds and was in the 94th percentile among all DI players in defensive rebounding rate (HerHoopStats) ... Ranks among the top 10 in UNT single season history in points (7th), free throws (2nd), free throw attempts (2nd) and rebounds (8th) ... Also had 48 steals, which led the Mean Green.

Prior to UNT
Senior (2022-23) (Texas A&M-Commerce)
Saw action in 32 games with 30 starts on the year ... Averaged 12.5 points and 6.7 rebounds per contest ... Earned Southland Conference All-Tournament team honors after averaging 21.3 points per game in three contests in the SLC Tournament ... Posted five double-doubles on the year, including a dominant 27-point, 15-rebound performance in the first round of the SLC tourney against Northwestern State ... Was vital to the Lions' success after Dyani Robinson went down with injury, averaging 14.2 points per game in the 15 contests without Robinson in 22-23 ... Scored 27 points and went 11 for 15 from the floor in a contest against New Orleans ... Pulled down a season-high 18 rebounds while adding 11 points for a double-double against UT Arlington ... Had back-to-back double-doubles in contests against Utah Tech and Mississippi State.

Junior (2021-22) (Texas A&M-Commerce)
Second team All-Conference ... Appeared in all 32 games, starting 29 ... Averaged 11.7 points and 7.7 rebounds per game ... Scored 375 points, 245 rebounds, 41 assists, 31 steals, and 10 blocks ... Scored in double digits in all but seven games ... Posted eight double-doubles, including in both NCAA Tournament games ... Scored 26 points on 9 for 12 shooting against St. Edward's ... Grabbed 17 rebounds while scoring 17 points at Angelo State ... Dished out four assists against Eastern New Mexico ... Made 11 of 14 free throws at Cameron ... Shot 49.4 percent on the season ... Helped lead the Lions to third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance

Sophomore (2020-21) (Texas A&M-Commerce)
WBCA Honorable Mention All-American selection… First Team All-Conference selection... LSC Offensive Player of the Week (2/8)… Played in 18 games as a sophomore, starting 16 of those… Scored 284 points while grabbing 142 rebounds, 22 assists, 32 steals, and 11 blocks… Averaged 15.8 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 1.8 steals while shooting 47.6 percent from the field, 36.6 from three and 80.9 (93-of-115) at the charity stripe… Scored a then career-high at Midwestern State with 26 … Grabbed a career-high in rebounds with 17 against Oklahoma Christian contributing to one of her five double-double efforts on the year… Helped lead the team to its third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and their first NCAA tournament win for the Lions since the 2007 Elite Eight appearance

Freshman (2019-20) (Texas A&M-Commerce)
Played in all 31 games as a true freshman... Scored 214 points with 142 rebounds and 28 steals... Averaged 6.9 points and 4.6 rebounds in 15.5 minutes per game... Shot 47.0 percent from the field, 35.5 percent from three and 79.7 percent from the foul line... Scored in double figures in seven games, including a double-double with season-highs 22 points and 12 rebounds against UTPB (1/25)... Had three double-doubles and four games with at least 10 rebounds... Helped lead the team to its second consecutive NCAA Tournament, and helped tie the school record for wins in a season

High School
Attended Newton HS in Newton, Kansas ... Was a 5A Second Team All-State selection ... Also was a standout on the volleyball team