Good Morning, Illini Nation: Illinois offers 2026 guard Taylen Kinney
May 28—Welcome to "Good Morning, Illini Nation," your daily dose of college basketball news from Illini beat writer and AP Top 25 voter Scott Richey. He'll offer up insights every morning on Brad Underwood's team:
Illinois' investment in the Class of 2026 — players who just finished their freshman year of high school or soon will — has amped up this spring. The latest offer, which is a third this month, went to Newport (Ky.) point guard Taylor Kinney. The Illini aren't his first high major offer — Texas A&M got involved in October and Louisville in late March — but it's still rather early in the 6-foot, 150-pound guard's recruitment. Radford, Morgan State, Stony Brook, Jackson State, IUPUI, UT Rio Grande Valley and Charleston are also involved.
Blessed to receive a offer from University Of Illinois @A_Mitchell5 @callme_cuz @all_ohio @AllOhioSumner @CoachFrazierILL #Agtg ⚪️ pic.twitter.com/IPgsgC25Qt
— Tay Kinney (@Taylen_0) May 24, 2023
Kinney had a rather impressive freshman season at Newport. The Wildcats finished the year 33-8 overall, an unbeaten 9-0 in district play and advanced to the Sweet 16 of the KHSAA playoffs. That's where the run ended with a 61-46 loss to Lyon County.
Kinney played an integral role in that 33-win season. The Wildcats' point guard finished the year as the the team's second-leading scorer and averaged 13.9 points, 4.6 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.8 steals. He shot 47 percent from the field overall, 36 percent from three-point range (on 176 attempts) and 74 percent at the free throw line.
Illinois' other May offers in the Class of 2026 include Miami Norland (Fla.) center Marcis Ponder and Lutheran East (Ohio) forward TJ Crumble. The Illini have also targeted C.E. Jordan (N.C.) forward Rivers Knight, Bergen Catholic (N.J.) guard Chidi Nwigwe and Bishop O'Connell (Va.) guard Adam Oumiddoch.
