Recruiting Report: Taevion Kinsey (2018)

It’s fair to say that the play of Taevion Kinsey (2018), an emerging 6’4” combo guard, is the primary reason Eastmoor Academy’s season is still alive. The kid has been phenomenal. His length and explosiveness at the basket are Division I qualities. However, he hasn’t quite done enough to receive an offer thus far. “It’s been both, frustrating but then I roll with the punches. It’ll come sooner or later, but I wonder when,” Kinsey said, when asked about the absence of scholarship offers. This deep tournament run has provided some opportunities for exposure. Just recently after playing in Athens, the coaching staff at Ohio University reached out to Kinsey. But Ohio University is not the only Division I program feeling out Kinsey — West Virginia, Wright State, Cleveland State, and previously UT-Martin have expressed interest. “Tennessee at Martin, before the season that was one of the big schools that was looking at me. But since the tournament it’s really been Cleveland State and OU strong since we went down there to Athens. And I picked up Wright State.” It would not be surprising if any of those schools offered once they’ve had Kinsey on campus for a visit. “Probably the first visit to Wright State. And then, OU wants to get me on campus as soon as the season is over,” Kinsey said. “They asked me what am I looking for in their team, and I was just like, a system where I can fit in, play and get an opportunity to play,” Kinsey said. The 3.2 GPA student is projected as a Division I prospect. He’s likely to come on as a 6’4” combo guard, but he’s played point his entire career. Therefore, he has the size to go along with his bounce. Kinsey is able to use that length/size to take advantage of smaller guards. “One of my best skills is probably playing above the rim. Like I jump very high. Playing above the rim, attacking the bucket. Probably one of my strengths, I play long and use my length. Any time I have a littler person on me, I like to shoot it over them,” Kinsey said. There’s no doubt he’s a mismatch problem at the point guard in high school. But in order to force guys to guard him from the outside consistently, Kinsey knows he needs to continue developing the jumper. “Every coach that I’ve been talking to that’s been recruiting says I need to get better at shooting the ball. And I’ve been working on it in the gym, putting in the extra hours,” Kinsey said. Kinsey, who you can see play Thursday morning against Wauseon in the Division II Semifinal, would also like to improve on his IQ. It’s a chance to watch his point guard and distributing skills, as he takes pride in setting up his teammates. Inevitably, though, there will be moments when Kinsey takes the scoring into his own hands. If you don’t get a chance to watch him in the Final Four, Kinsey will draw attention this summer too. He’s currently undecided on which team he’ll play for this grassroots season, so stay tuned for that. Kinsey is deciding between Hidden Gems or All Ohio.