Highly touted 2026 guard Taylen Kinney of Newport will reportedly not be with the Wildcats this season, electing to go the prep school route and join Overtime Elite, Kinney announced on Monday morning via his Instagram.
Kinney was the driving force in Newport’s back-to-back 9th Region titles, averaging 17.5 points and 4.0 rebounds for the Wildcats in the 2023-24 season. He holds over 30 college offers and his stock continued to take off this summer as he added offers from Kansas, Florida State, California, Arkansas, Michigan, Arizona State, LSU, Oregon, Villanova, Missouri and Auburn. He is ranked No. 1 in the 2026 class in the state of Kentucky and No. 28 nationally by ESPN.
According to Overtime Elite’s (OTE) Wikipedia page, OTE launched the Overtime Elite basketball league in 2021 for American and international basketball players between the ages of 16–20. Players receive a minimum salary of $100,000 annually, a signing bonus, and shares in Overtime’s larger business. Players can also choose a scholarship option and maintain college eligibility. OTE is an eight-team league based in Atlanta and focuses on skill development while prepping players for a career at the next level.
Athletes participate in an academic program featuring a 4:1 student-teacher ratio and a curriculum offering traditional high school subjects alongside life skill-related subjects in financial literacy, social media and other media training, and mental health and wellness.
In June, Kinney tried out for the 2024 USA Basketball Men’s U17 National Team and was also invited to Adidas Eurocamp and the Under Armour Elite 24 over the summer.