In the blink of an eye, we have gone from an exhibition against Louisville to two games until the Big 12 Conference Tournament.
A lot has happened in that time period, but in the midst of the regular season, getting underway, it can be easy to forget about next year's crop of incoming Jayhawks.
The 2026 class saw four Kansas commits inside the top 140, including five-star guard Taylen Kinney, and the potential for the No. 1 player in the nation, Tyran Stokes. However, that ongoing battle for the Rainier Beach prospect looks to be nowhere near done.
Alongside Kinney, who is rated as the nation’s No. 2 point guard, are the likes of center Davion Adkins (No. 62), wing Trent Perry (No. 86), and shooting guard Luke Barnett.
ESPN recently ranked Kansas’ class as the fifth-best in the country, leading the Big 12 and only behind Duke, Arkansas, Michigan State, and Missouri.
ESPN heaps praise on Kinney
He will provide stability and high-end scoring as the lead guard following Peterson's expected departure for the NBA,” quotes ESPN’s Jeff Borzello and Paul Biancardi.
“Kinney plays the most important position on the floor with confidence and skill. He is the catalyst of this class.”
Kinney took part in the OTE with RWE, where in the playoffs, Kinney notched 24 points per game on a 45.5% clip from the field, with 3.8 assists, three rebounds, and one steal.
On the season with RWE, the Newport, Kentucky, native averaged 18.8 points per game on a 40.6% mark from the field, along with 6.1 assists and 4.1 rebounds.
When Kinney signed with the program in November, Self called the five-star “One of the best point guards in the country.”
"He's a scoring point. He can shoot. He's got great vision. He can create for himself and create for others. Taylen's transition to college ball should be seamless. He's prepared to run a college basketball team."
Currently, there are three KU players from the OTE, including freshman guard Kohl Rosario, redshirt freshman forward Bryson Tiller, and freshman forward Samis Calderon.
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