Marshall’s Taevion Kinesy believes that he is a better, more relaxed player heading into his senior season after deciding whether or not to make it a pro.
He has also returned as a stronger player.
Kinsey submitted his name to be considered for the NBA draft before announcing that he would be returning to school. Kinsey, a 6-foot-5 guard, is now one of the best college basketball players outside of major conferences.
Kinsey stated, “I received some great feedback from guys within the NBA.” “I have a lot of NBA guys – coaches and players – who reach out to me now and help me. This is a huge plus for me going into the year.
Kinsey was averaging 19.5 points per game and 6.2 rebounds per game last season, leading Marshall in both categories. He also earned first-team all Conference USA honors. Kinsey gained muscle in the offseason, but he still has the athleticism that makes him an interesting prospect for the pro ranks.
Marshall coach Dan D’Antoni stated that he is about 15 pounds heavier than his vertical and has the same weight.
Kinsey spent the offseason working on his shooting. Kinsey admits that the 2020-21 season was stressful as he considered his options.
Kinsey feels better now that he has tested the draft waters, and is more aware of what he needs to improve before he launches his professional career.
Kinsey stated, “Me going though that process, it took me a lot off my shoulders so I could just play freely this past year and not worry about anything.”
Kinsey is one of the lesser-known players that will be worth your attention during the college basketball season. We considered players outside of the six major conferences (the Power Five, Big East) for this list.
We didn’t even include players from No. No. 1 Gonzaga and No. 15 Houston, who didn’t quite fit the profile under-the-radar after being in the Final Four. The same applies to No. 12 Memphis, the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class.
The 6-footer scored 24.5 points per game to lead all Division I players. He also thrived in the spotlight, helping Oral Roberts reach Sweet 16. He scored at least 25 point in all three NCAA Tournament games, scoring 26.7 points on average. In two regular-season games, he scored over 40 points. He was able to shoot 43% from 3-point range, and 89% from free-throw.
DETROIT MERCY: G Antoine Davis
In each of the three previous seasons, Davis was among the top four Division I scorers in the country. He was third in 2018-19 (26.1), fourth for 2019-20 (24.3), and third for last season (24.0). Last year, the 6-1 guard was ranked second in national statistics for minutes per game (38.34) and 3-pointers per match (3.77).
NORTHERN IOWA – G AJ Green
Green was named the Missouri Valley Conference’s player-of-the-year in the 2019-20 season. However, the 6-4 guard only played three games last year before being injured and losing his right hip. In the three games that he played, he averaged 22.3 points. He averaged 19.7 points per match during the 2019-20 season.
BELMONT: G Grayson Murphy
Murphy was the only player to score at least 900 points last season. He also had 550 rebounds and 550 assists. The 6-3 guard averaged 10.9 points, 8. rebounds, 5.8 assist, and 2.3 steals. He was 16th in assists per games, 20th in assist turnover ratio (2.82) and tied for the 14th position in steals/game.
ARKANSAS STATE: F Norchad Omier
As a freshman, Omier averaged 12.6 rebounds and 12.3 points. Since 1992-93, the only other freshmen to average at least 12 points per game and 12 rebounds were Paul Millsap from Louisiana Tech and Adonal Foyle of Colgate. The forward for the 6-7 had 15 double-doubles.
NEVADA: G Grant Sherfield
Sherfield, who stands at 6-2, started his college career at Wichita State. In his first year at Nevada, Sherfield averaged 18.6 points and 6.1 assists. Sherfield was the Mountain West Conference’s leader in steals and assists, and second in scoring.
