31-07-2025
Former Newport basketball standout Taylen Kinney includes Xavier Musketeers in top 12
Former Newport High School basketball standout Taylen Kinney, one of the most coveted recruits in the Class of 2026, is down to a dozen schools.
According to Joe Tipton of On3 Sports, Kinney has included Xavier in his top 12.
Kinney also listed Auburn, Kentucky, Louisville, Arkansas, Kansas, Purdue, Oregon, Tennessee, Miami, Indiana and Texas, which is led by former Xavier head coach Sean Miller.
More: Ohio Sports Hall of Fame to honor 11 former Xavier Musketeers in 2025 class
Kinney led Newport to back-to-back Ninth Region championships before leaving the school to join Overtime Elite in Georgia in 2024.
Xavier was one of the first schools to offer the talented point guard in June 2023.
Kinney is ranked by 247Sports as a five-star prospect and the No. 1 point guard in the nation for the Class of 2026.
More: First look at Xavier's 2025-26 non-conference men's basketball schedule
Kinney has already had visits to Purdue, Kentucky and Louisville, and has visits set up later this year at Kansas, Indiana, Oregon, Texas and Arkansas, according to multiple reports.
In April, University of Kentucky head coach Mark Pope completed an in-home visit with Kinney.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Former Newport standout Tay Kinney includes Xavier in top 12 schools
