KU basketball lands 5-star recruit thanks to an assist from Darryn Peterson
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- KU lands Taylen Kinney, top 2026 point guard, from Overtime Elite program
- Darryn Peterson's mentorship and visit to KU influenced Kinney's decision
- Kinney aims for one-and-done path under Bill Self before entering NBA draft
Throughout his recruiting process, Taylen Kinney heard a lot about Kansas from current KU freshman and projected No. 1 NBA Draft pick Darryn Peterson.
“DP (Peterson) told me to come and hoop 10 months and then get to the league,” Kinney told The Star recently. “I mean, that’s what he’s going to do.”
The No. 1 ranked point guard in the class of 2026 (per 247Sports) will try to do just that.
The 6-2, 185-pound senior basketball standout from Atlanta’s Overtime Elite program announced his commitment to the Jayhawks on Sunday afternoon.
The five-star recruit picked KU over Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisville and Oregon. He’s KU’s first commitment in the class of 2026.
Kinney averaged 20.1 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds per game for RWE in the Overtime Elite League during the 2024-25 season. He finished as the second runner-up for OTE MVP.
He’s the fourth prospect in two years from the OTE program to commit to KU basketball. He joins freshman KU forwards Bryson Tiller and Samis Calderon and guard Kohl Rosario, who are often referred to as the “OTE Jayhawks.”
Kinney hopes to be a one-and-done prospect. He believes he can do that in Lawrence.
“Bill Self is a great coach, he’s got a great coaching staff — Jacque Vaughn played in the league,” Kinney told The Star on why he picked KU. “The skill development at guard would be top-level. I mean, it’s Kansas — a legendary program.”
Kinney visited KU in August. KU coach Self and other members of his staff were present at OTE’s Combine in September. Self even spoke with Kinney afterward.
Kinney told The Star that his visit to Lawrence was “really good.”
“The meeting we had with coach Self was the best thing,” Kinney said. “He basically ran down everything from year one. He ran down his resume. Tell me how many wins (he has) and the players he’s coached. His background speaks for itself.
“He told me that once DP (Darryn Peterson) leaves that he wants me to step in and take that role. Like, he wanted it to be my team.”
Kinney compared his play style to that of NBA star and current Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey.
Still, Kinney knows he has plenty to work on before he achieves his NBA dreams. Naturally, Self has a few things he wants Kinney to work on — no matter how long he’s a Jayhawk.
“My shot-making, being a vocal leader, leading by example and really just buying in for 10 months,” Kinney said. “We are going to have ups and downs, me and him (Self), but he wants me to just buy in and trust him.”
Off the court, Kinney is a social media star. The “6-7” meme that has recently gone viral can be traced, in part, to the young basketball player.
Still, he left a message for KU fans: “I’m a basketball player, not a TikToker.”
