Indiana basketball was finalist for top-15 recruit. Here’s who he picked, his water brand, more

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Indiana basketball missed out on a top-15 recruit with whom they were a top-6 finalist Sunday.

Taylen Kinney, a 6-foot-1 guard from Newport, Kentucky, announced his commitment to Kansas for the 2026 class. He chose the Jayhawks over finalists in the Hoosiers, Louisville, Kentucky, Oregon and Arkansas.

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Kinney left traditional high school to play in Overtime Elite, where he averaged 20.1 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds and 2.3 steals across 20 games. He was rated four stars, No. 15 nationally by Rivals industry rankings. Kinney also participated in training camp for USA Basketball’s 2025 men’s Under-19 national team.

IU offered Kinney under Mike Woodson‘s staff, announced Feb. 3, 2024 by Kinney on social media. It was the 10th offer from a current Power Five school, and he was first offered by Radford, Kinney announced April 19, 2022.

The Hoosiers continued recruiting Kinney when Darian DeVries was hired in March. Kinney visited Bloomington the weekend of the football season opener, Aug. 29-31.

Taylen Kinney water brand: What is 67 Water?

Kinney launched his own water brand, 6 7 Water, on June 7 (6/7). The brand launched on Instagram and has more than 103,000 followers. The account follows, you guessed it, 67 accounts.

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There were even college-themed 6 7 Water cans designed coinciding with the schools in his top 6.

Who became the first high school athlete to launch a beverage brand?

Kinney is credited with becoming the first high school athlete to launch a beverage brand, doing so at age 17.

What is the 67 trend?

The brand was borne out of the viral 67 trend, where students, sports analysts, pastors and others say “six, seven” while juggling their hands at their chests. It is derived from a rap song “Doot Doot” by Skilla, released in December 2024.

Kinney became viral when he did the trend, and some credit him for the virality of it.

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NBA rookie Jeremiah Fears demonstrates in this Instagram video: