Mark Pope made a pledge to prioritize in-state talent at Kentucky as those prospects “bring a spirit to the team that cannot be fabricated or replaced.”
“It helps us win, and we will continue to recruit them” he said at his introductory press conference.
Pope followed that up by re-recruiting Travis Perry, the state’s all-time leading scorer, back to Kentucky before landing Trent Noah — No. 5 on the all-time scoring list — following his decommitment from South Carolina. He’s also extended scholarship offers to top-20 prospects Jasper Johnson and Malachi Moreno in the 2025 class, pushing hard for commitments from both.
Another name to keep a close eye on down the road? 2026 four-star Tay Kinney out of Newport, KY, a top-40 prospect and early contender for best point guard in the rising junior class. The 6-0, 160-pound standout looked the part at USA Basketball Junior National Team U17 Training Camp as one of the youngest competitors in the field. That came after a season at Newport HS where he earned Second Team All-State honors, averaging 17.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game en route to a Sweet 16 appearance.
What’s been working for him up to this point? And what is he focused on going into his junior campaign?
“My ability to score and play on both sides of the ball. I can be a point guard, but when you need a bucket, I can also score,” he told KSR at the KABC Titans Shootout this weekend. “My strength is creating for others, but my weakness is probably my strength — when people are in front of me, they can bump me off my line.”
There’s always room for improvement, but the current product is one that has big-time schools lighting up his phone since the start of the direct contact period on June 15. The process has been overwhelming, but he’s grateful for the coaches’ trust in his abilities and vision for the future.
“It’s been crazy, would have never expected this. Never would have expected it to be like this when I was younger, so I’m just taking it all in,” Kinney said. “It’s just taken hard work and confidence. They all are (prioritizing me), a couple of different schools are pushing for me hard right now. It’s just really busy now ever since June 15.”
Among those programs? Clemson, Auburn, Purdue, Tennessee, Indiana, Xavier, Cincinnati, Notre Dame, UCLA and WKU. There are two, though, that have been unique for the nation’s No. 37 overall prospect.
“Arkansas,” Kinney said of the call that shocked him the most when the contact period began. “I never would’ve thought Coach Cal or anyone on his staff would be calling me. Those were good, nice conversations. I liked how they those went.”
Then there is the high-profile in-state program, led by first-year head coach Mark Pope: Kentucky.
“They’re going to be pretty good this year, new coach and new coaching staff with a bunch of good players,” Kinney told KSR. “Travis Perry and Trent Noah, we played them both last year, so I think they’re going to be pretty good. … We haven’t gotten to talk too much, just texted. But they reached out and said they were interested.”
It was a coaching change that shocked the four-star guard, but he likes what he’s seen early.
“I wasn’t expecting it, had no idea who Kentucky was going to get as their coach,” he added. “Never thought Pope would’ve gotten it, but I think he’s going to be pretty good. I think they’re going to be good this year.”
Kinney sees what Pope is doing with the other in-state talent and appreciates they’re being prioritized. It’s a statement that Kentucky high school basketball can compete with the best of the best throughout the country — if they’re good enough for the Wildcats, they’re good enough for anybody.
“I think that’s pretty cool because these Kentucky kids can go show all these other teams all over the country that we can hoop too,” he told KSR.
What’s next in his recruitment? He’s taking things one step at a time, focusing on summer basketball and the AAU season before worrying about visits or list cuts.
“I’m going to wait until all of my basketball stuff is over — Rock Hill (for 3SSB championships) and all of those camps,” he said. “Then I’ll be able to focus on that. Right now, I’m just focused on playing.”
When that time comes, he plans to be thorough with the process.
“I’d like to take ’em all, I want to see everybody’s campus,” Kinney said of his planned visits.
What about a decision timeline? Things are just getting started there.
“I’m not thinking about that right now,” he added.
The post ’26 4-star Tay Kinney intrigued by Mark Pope’s push for in-state talent appeared first on On3.