Prospect Spotlight: Kenny Quinn (2019)

Hoover sophomore Kenny Quinn has only played one season of high school hoops, but has already placed himself on a short list of Iowa’s premier defenders.   With his defensive skill-set already in place, it’s his offense that he’s been working to improve most since the conclusion of last season.   “Right now I excel more on the defensive end, and also getting to the basket. But I’m working on my my outside shooting and my mid-range, and my mid-range has gotten a lot better," said the 5-foot-9 guard. "But I feel like I can guard just about anybody right now.”   Quinn was picked up by the Iowa Barnstormers this offseason and was a key piece to the wildly successful 15U squad.   “It was a great experience,’ said Quinn. “I think this offseason I got better at not getting posted up...obviously I’m not as tall as other guards. And then just putting the ball in the hole more -- everybody knows I’m good at defense, but they just want to see me score some more.   Now Quinn will shift his focus to his sophomore season at Hoover. He was starting last season as a freshman on a state-qualifying team.   This season he’ll be looked upon to lead.   “This year I would say I’m basically taking over the team. I’m just going to try and be more of a leader and more of a threat on offense,” said Quinn, who averaged 4.8 points per game last season.     “A personal goal for me is to lead the state in assists, and at least average 12 or more points.”     Brotherly Rivalry If there’s one guy that could give Des Moines North point guard Tyreke Locure fits, it’s Quinn. But the two sophomore rivals have what you could call a brotherly rivalry.   They’ve been playing against each other for seven years now, and with three years left to play each other twice a season, there will be lots of chances to build the rivalry.   “It’s really fun, actually,” said Quinn. “We've been playing against each other since fourth-grade, so we both know each other's game more than anybody else.”   In two games against the Huskies last season, Locure was 5-19 from the field and scored 22 points. He was primarily guarded by fellow freshman Quinn.   “The hardest thing about guarding him is he can shoot off the dribble really good, and he can shoot it from deep. So you just have to make sure that he doesn’t get hot, because if he gets hot it can be a really big problem,” said Quinn. “But it’s fun playing against Tyreke though, he’s like my brother.”