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HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL: JUL 17 adidas 3SSB Earn Your Stripes Invitational
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Taylen Kinney, a 5-star recruit in the 2026 class, committed to the Kansas Jayhawks on Sunday afternoon.
Kinney, who was down to Indiana, Arkansas, Oregon, Louisville, Kentucky, and Kansas, will play for Bill Self in Lawrence in 2026.
A native of Newport (KY), Kinney will not play college basketball in his home state. The No. 13-ranked recruit and No.1 overall point guard strongly considered the Wildcats and the Cardinals. He took an official visit to Lexington in June as one of his first college visits. Mark Pope and his staff pushed hard for Kinney during his recruitment, but ultimately could not land him as the Wildcats’ first commitment of their 2026 class.
Last season at Overtime Elite, Kinney averaged 20.1 points, five assists, four rebounds, and two steals per game. Kinney played with UK freshman guard Jasper Johnson at OTE.
Kentucky will look to land its first commit of the 2026 class here soon. The Wildcats will have 19 total scholarships extended after the Kinney commitment this afternoon. Pope and the Wildcats are one of six SEC schools without a commitment for 2026, but the hope is that changes soon with several targets likely to announce their decisions before starting their senior season of high school hoops.
BREAKING: Taylen Kinney, the No. 1 overall point guard in the country, has committed to Kansas, he tells @247Sports.
Story: https://t.co/X7oRjCAbIe pic.twitter.com/vrpISF3Ctd
— Travis Branham (@TravisBranham_) September 28, 2025
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