With the return of Taevion Kinsey and a bevy of new talent, Herd hoops hope to shine in the Sun Belt Conference.
Marshall basketball coach Dan D’Antoni unwittingly snagged his best recruit in the offseason without so much as picking up the phone or leaving his office. When senior guard Taevion Kinsey decided to return for his senior season, D’Antoni had his prize puzzle piece for the 2022-23 season.
“I hope people appreciate his loyalty to Marshall,” said D’Antoni of his leading scorer. “He comes out every day to get better. He’s an unselfish player and an unselfish person. He’s been a pleasure to coach.”
The 6-foot-5-inch guard could have tested the NBA draft waters the last two years — or he could have even hit the transfer portal. Ultimately, he said there were things to improve upon in his repertoire so he’s bringing his 19 points per game to the Henderson Center to run it back one more time.
“I think I’m just more loyal to who’s more loyal to me,” said Kinsey. “Coach Dan, Marshall, my teammates and the community have been very loyal to me. It was a no brainer.”
There is also a bad taste in his mouth that needs to be expunged for him and the team. Marshall finished 12-21 and 4-14 in its final year in Conference USA.
“It was a hurtful season,” agreed junior guard Andrew Taylor. “I don’t think many people around here have been through a losing season and experienced that. It’s motivation like I never had because I’ve never been through a losing season.”
Kinsey and Taylor (14 points per game last year) return with a familiar cast from last year. Six-foot, 9-inch sophomore Obinna Anochili-Killen (12 points per game, 6.6 rebounds per game) is back and Coach D’Antoni is eager to get him back to “blocking shots, rebounding, setting picks and playing the pick and roll.”
The Herd struggled from distance last year and the staff hopes that will be rectified by the addition of VMI transfer Kamdyn Curfman. He was second in the nation in 3-point field goals made last year with 117 and shot nearly 40% from behind the arc. He also averaged nearly 16 points per game. Marshall’s fast-paced, freewheeling offense is tailor-made for an outside shooter. He thinks that will fit well in the Sun Belt Conference.
“For us the Sun Belt is kind of a grittier, more athletic league,” said Curfman. “We can match up well with those teams, but I think we can provide more scoring than a lot of those teams so they’re going to have a matchup problem on a nightly basis.”
“We can already tell in pickup games that things run a lot more smoothly, Taylor said of Curfman. “Our flow offense is just smooth. We don’t have to worry about him knocking down his shot.”
Herd fans shouldn’t forget 7-foot junior Goran Miladinovich, who played plenty of minutes last year, or junior swing man Marco Sarenac, who gives the Herd another shooter from distance.
There are plenty of other position players for D’Antoni to pluck off the bench. Returning 6-foot, 9-inch sophomores Aymeric Toussaint and Chase McKey will help inside. The Herd has added 7-
foot, 1-inch Micah Handlogten, who runs the floor quite well for a big man. There’s 6-foot, 8-inch freshman Wyatt Fricks who sat out last year with an injury, but D’Antoni is high on his potential. Freshman Jacob Conner also brings height and range to the perimeter, while sophomore guards David Early and Kyle Braun will provide depth at the guard positions.
For Kinsey and the Herd, this will be a year to get better.
“Me being more mature now I think it’s time the game slowed down a little bit more for me,” Kinsey said. “So, I’m able to make better reads and get this guy the ball or that guy the ball when they’re open. Then, we just need to make the shots.”
The Henderson Center also will get a mini-makeover this fall with new playing surfaces for basketball and volleyball. Also on Dan D’Antoni’s wish list since he became head coach was to make Gullickson Hall into a more suitable practice facility. The plans are in place to make improvements by adding more baskets and upgrading the HVAC system.
“Christian Spears is moving a lot of things forward,” D’Antoni said of Marshall’s new athletic director. “There was a 20-year period where we didn’t keep up with the competition. He’s going to have Gullickson ready where we can practice with multiple hoops.”
It all points to Nov. 7, 2002, when Marshall opens at home against Queens College. Public address announcer Mike Kirtner will intone, “Starting tonight for the Thundering Herd, 6-foot, 5-inch senior guard Taevion Kinsey.”
Dan D’Antoni won’t hold his smile back. Herd Hoops has that effect on him.
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About the Author: Keith Morehouse is a freelance writer and the sports director at WSAZ NewsChannel 3 in Huntingtn, West Virginia.
Photos (from top):
Head Coach Dan D’Antoni is thrilled that guard Taevion Kinsey chose to return for his senior season instead of heading to the NBA.
Goran Miladinovic, a junior, is one of two 7-footers on the Thundering Herd’s basketball roster for the 2022-23 season.
Obinna Anochili-Killen averaged 12 points and 6.6 rebounds last season as a freshman. Coach D’Antoni is eager to get him back to blocking shots, rebounding and playing the pick and roll.
Junior guard Andrew Taylor started all 22 games last season, averaged 14 points and 5.8 rebounds. He also had 33 steals.