Kansas basketball might be making inroads with this top 20 point guard recruit

Kansas basketball head coach Bill Self is trying to land his first big prospect of the recruiting season, and one of the top players may have whittled his choices down to two. The Jayhawks might be a surprise landing spot for point guard Taylen Kinney. 

ESPN’s Hot 100 has Kinney listed as the 17th overall prospect and the fourth-best prep point guard in the country. ESPN has Louisville, Kansas, Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Miami, Oregon, and Texas as possible final destinations for Kinney. 

One recruiting expert, Joe Tipton from Jayhawk Slant, thinks Self has made some serious inroads in recruiting Kinney to Kansas. 

What would Taylen Kinney bring to the Jayhawks?

Adam Finkelstein’s scouting report on 247Sports indicates Kinney would be an excellent fit for Kansas and Self’s system. 

"He’s a multi-level scoring threat with a creative and crisp handle to get to his advanced pull-up game or pressure the rim. He can rise up to finish when he has momentum, and also owns dexterity and touch as a lay-up maker...He’s great in drive-and-kick actions, can make pick-and-roll reads, and understands how to feed the post. He also has a pretty good feel, even while in attack mode, of how to utilize his versatility...Defensively, he’s good with his hands (1.3 steals in 3SSB play) and has shown flashes of being able to blow up ball screens when he’s fully engaged on that end, which isn’t totally consistent yet. He’s also a good rebounding guard..."

Adam Finkelstein

At 6-foot-2, he brings a bit more size than some of Self’s past point guards. Frank Mason, Devon Dotson, and Dejuan Harris were all point guards who offered different strengths, but were all undersized. Kinney’s size and athleticism should help him get to the rim effectively. 

The days of recruits committing early are a thing of the past. Prospects are keeping the options open longer as they look for the best NIL deals possible, as well as find situations and systems that will most highlight their skill sets. This is understandable from the athlete’s point of view, but it can be an anxious time for fans. 

According to Joshua Schulman of SI.com, KU is also recruiting point guard Derron Rippey Jr. It’s doubtful both will sign with Kansas, but hopefully, Self can reel in one of them. Other players Schulman mentions as top KU targets are Caleb Holt and Ethan Taylor. Schulman notes Self would still love Tyran Stokes, but Stokes appears to be favoring Kentucky. 

Kinney would be a terrific fit for Kansas, and Self has a long history of developing point guards. With Darryn Peterson a sure one-and-done, there would be plenty of opportunities for Kinney to shine playing for the Jayhawks.