Recruiting Report: Terin Kinsway (2019)
Once considered more of a football prospect, Terin Kinsway (2019) has walked away from the gridiron to focus on basketball, and low-major and D-II programs have noticed.
“I decided to focus on basketball,” Kinsway said. “Basketball has always been my first love. Obviously, I have the body for football and I like football, but I love basketball.”
At 6’5” 220 pounds, the junior from Delaware Hayes is a rare player physically. He shoots it from beyond the arch extremely well but is also one of the strongest players in the 2019 class regardless of position.
Kinsway’s combination of skill and size provides obvious advantages as far as versatility.
“I play a lot more guard on Nova. I play a lot more guard, bringing the ball up the court more. On my school team, I’m really the only person with the body to be a big man. So on my school team, I do still dribble the ball a lot and stuff but I am the primary inside threat,” Kinsway explained.
Even against high-level competition this past grassroots season, Kinsway was always a mismatch. Defenses need someone quick enough to chase him around the arch and up the floor but also strong enough to resist him on the boards. The thing is, those guys don’t really exist.
“I do prefer playing guard and especially at the next level I know that’s what I’m going to be … I’m a lot stronger than pretty much anyone I’m on the court with. So I like to use my strength especially when I’m playing guard. I’ve never come against a guard who is as big as me or as strong as me,” Kinsway said.
Colleges looking to play a versatile, switchable style will be all over Kinsway this summer. That group of Division II powerhouses in West Virginia comes to mind, but it’s very much in the realm of possibility for him to go D-I.
“Fairmont State I’ve talked to a lot. Wheeling Jesuit I’ve talked to a lot. Youngstown State this past summer came and watched me a lot. My coach said he talked to [Ohio University] about me,” Kinsway said.
Who’s he communicating with most frequently?
“I’d say Wheeling Jesuit, I talk to them about every week or so. Ashland talks to me a lot, I forgot to mention them, my bad. Those are probably the two most,” Kinsway said.
Kinsway has taken visits to both of those quality D-II programs already. He also visited Malone but hasn’t maintained contact with them as much since.
At the next level, Kinsway has an idea of what to look for in a basketball program.
“I want a combination of a family atmosphere and winning. But I don’t want to go to a bad program just because they have good people,” Kinsway said.
Scouts can catch Kinsway on Friday night against Buckeye Valley. Kinsway is averaging 16.3 points for an 8-11 Delaware Hayes team. Despite the sub-500 record this season, he’s optimistic they’ll turn it around next season.
“We have such a young team and I just think about the potential we have. Our starting lineup is me, so a junior, three sophomores and a freshman. So obviously we have a lot of upside, especially next year. … Coach has called it a ‘rebuilding year,’” Kinsway said.