According to Norcal Select Coach Shawn Osborne, the one word that best describes Erik Kinney is Beast. Kinney plays with a controlled reckless abandon that can inspire his teammates and bring crowds to their feet. Coach Osborne says, "Once in Los Angeles, Eric dunked viciously on a highly ranked Southern California prospect in front of a few dozen college coaches in an AAU event. He also threw it down on another Northern California prospect at the Hardwood Palace in Rocklin. Both dunks were 'and 1s' that turned the coaches' heads and electrified the crowd."
Kinney is a combination guard for the Sacramento High Dragons of the Metro League that finished 26-7 and was runner up in the Northern California championship to Bishop O'Dowd 57-50. As a sophomore last year, Kinney came off the bench to spell guards, Josiah Turner and Travon Abraham. Turner is considered the top point guard in California who recently committed to the University of Arizona while Abraham is now at Rice University.
At 6-foot-2 and 180 pounds, Kinney has been playing organized basketball since 6th grade and he considers himself to be a slasher shooter who can get to the basket and finish while also shooting off of the dribble. This is no surprise as his favorite player is Los Angeles Laker Kobe Bryant, who he tries to emulate.
As a sophomore, he was not used to coming off of the bench. He maintained his composure and kept his focus. Going into his junior year, he aspires to average at least 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists while the team goal is to win state. Coach Osborne says, "Erik is very strong, has above average athleticism, and possess a high skill set. He is able to guard all five positions on the floor. He can guard the smallest and quickest player while locking down players much taller than him."
During the summer, he worked hard to improve his dribbling and shooting. Coach Osborne says, "Erik works tremendously hard on his game training close to five days a week. He is shooting, lifting, or working on his ball handling skills." Playing for his club team during the summer, Kinney says, "I learned that there are a lot of kids that are on a higher playing level and are ranked higher in the nation in my 2012 class. I need to work even harder to become a Division I prospect. Even though I know that there are a lot of kids better than me, I learned to keep my head up and continued to work hard to reach my goals." In addition, his Sacramento High practices have him playing against Turner, which should help improve his game as well.
Surprisingly, Kinney has not had many college looks even though he plays with Dragon teammates, Turner and Robert Garrett. However, as Kinney gets more playing time in his next two years, he should be a solid mid to low Division I prospect. Kinney likes programs that play a pro-style game or are widely known such as Arizona, Georgetown, or UCLA.
The Dragons will have a rematch with Bishop O'Dowd on Martin Luther King weekend at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley. Kinney will have his chance to match up against a strong O'Dowd team. For the Dragons to have a good chance of winning and to have a good season, they would need to unleash this Beast.
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