By ZACH SMART
PHOENIX, Ariz. –Following a superb sophomore season in which he averaged 17.5 points and 4.0 rebounds, cementing his status as the top point guard in Kentucky and a Top-20 national talent at Newport HS (KY), Class of 2026 point guard Taylen Kinney has adapted to the role of table-setter and high-wattage scorer with Overtime Elite.
The 6-foot-2 Kinney scored 21 points, doled out six assists, and yanked in five boards in spearheading RWE to an 84-74 victory over Diamond Doves at The PHH Facility on Wednesday afternoon.
Prior to this, Kinney catalyzed RWE in a 93-88 victory over Cold Hearts, scoring 23 points and handing out a game-best seven assists.
Known as a dynamic, high wired act with his shiftiness and explosiveness, Kinney is in the process of making outside shooting a finer point of his hardwood trade. He scored 26 points on the strength of 6-for-11 from 3-point range during a 97-93 loss to City Reapers two months ago. A four star recruit, Kenny said he takes a sense of pride in utilizing his purity of vision as a creative play-maker, making his teammates the beneficiaries of his presence. Playing alongside Kentucky-bound Jasper Johnson, a left-handed deadeye shooter at 6-foot-5, has helped make the transition to OTE a rather seamless one. “Jasper and I, we just play our games,” said Kinney. “We have the freedom to play our games and just let the game come to us. We just hoop.” Louisville, Purdue, Kentucky, Xavier, Arkansas, Cincinnati are the programs Kinney is currently hearing from the most, as the 16-year-old explained following the recent road victory over the Diamond Doves. On Christmas, Kinney trimmed a monstrous list consisting of 30+ offers down to 15: Georgia, Illinois, Auburn, Oregon, Kentucky, Louisville, Alabama, Kansas State, Tennessee, Kansas, Purdue, Xavier, Notre Dame, Arkansas, and Cincinnati. He’s still relatively wide open. Kinney said he plans to take more visits after the 2024-25 campaign culminates. Kinney has developed a knack for hitting difficult, tightly contested shots amid draping close-outs. This past summer with Wildcats Select on the Adidas 3SSB circuit, Kinney was effective at attacking both sides of the rim, evoking space with his pull-up jumper and step-back. His advanced feel for the game was evident, as he located cutters with fireball assists from either hand. Given his quickness, Kinney’s game is tailor-suited for a breakneck paced attack. Kinney spoke with ZAGSBLOG about some of the programs he’s hearing most consistently from: Arkansas: “Cal (John Calipari) is great with guards. I speak with (Assistant Coach/Director Of On-Court Player Development) Brad (Calipari) and coach (Chuck) Martin. I’m supposed to be visiting soon. They’ve told me that they just let their guards loose. They have great guards up there with Boogie (Fland) and DJ (Wagner). With Coach Cal, he has a great record of sending players to the league.” Georgia: “They bring up Anthony Edwards and the success he’s had in the league. They’ve been speaking with me about (projected first round 2025 NBA Draft Pick) Asa (Newell) and how he’s going to the league after this year. They’ve been speaking with me about the program and sending players to the league. I speak with (Associate Head Coach) Antonio Reynolds Dean a lot. ” Purdue: “They tell me about Braden Smith and the season he’s been having out there. They think I can come in and be the guy that eventually replaces him. Like the other programs, they’ve sent some guys to the league and have had success with that.” Follow Zach Smart on Twitter Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter Follow ZAGSBLOGHoops on Instagram And Like ZAGS on FacebookAlways pushing each other to get better 💯 @Taylen_0 @BruhJasperJ @AmariEvans0 pic.twitter.com/nrzsBEaekF
— Overtime Elite (@OvertimeElite) January 13, 2025
