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Five-star point guard Taylen Kinney and several other Overtime Elite stars were in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates for the Adidas Nextgen Euro League Finals. However, things did not go well for the OTE squad as they lost their second game to French side, U18 Pole France INSEP, on Friday.
The final score was 110-75, with U18 Pole France INSEP leading from start to finish and pulling away during the third quarter. This is a select team from various Overtime Elite teams, and the team is now 0-2 in Abu Dhabi, having lost their opener against Real Madrid U18 on Thursday. As for their opponent, U18 Pole France INSEP now holds a 1-1 record.
Meissa Faye led INSEP with a double-double of 19 points and 13 rebounds, while Nathan Soliman added 17 points. A second INSEP player also had a double-double during the game, with Hugo Yimga Moukouri getting 16 points and 16 rebounds.
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As for OTE, Adam Oumiddoch led the American squad with 18 points, with Collin Paul adding 14 points. Meanwhile, Taylen Kinney, who plays for RWE during the regular season, only had 12 points during the game.
Overtime Elite's next game in Group B action will be against U18 Zalgiris Kaunas, a Lithuanian team that is still fresh off beating U18 Real Madrid on Friday, the team that first defeated OTE in Abu Dhabi. The Lithuanian squad also defeated INSEP and is currently sitting at the top of Group B, undefeated with two wins so far.
Taylen Kinney opens up on why he went to Overtime Elite
Aside from being a basketball star, Taylen Kinney is also a social media star, and before the Adidas Nextgen Euro League Finals, he sat down with the official Next Gen Euro League website for an interview released on May 15. There, he opened up on why he chose to go to Overtime Elite after leading the Newport Wildcats to back-to-back regional titles.
“I wanted to get to the NBA and I just thought it would help me a lot playing against those top guys every day,” said Taylen Kinney.
He also talked about not making the USA Basketball team for FIBA Americas and the FIBA U17 World Cup.
“It motivated me a lot. But it showed me to just keep working and working and make the next team," he said.
Kinney is ranked No. 16 overall from the Class of 2026, with offers from Louisville, Oregon, Alabama, Purdue, Kentucky, and more.
