Read More About Tarence Kinsey in the Press
Tarence “TK” Kinsey Fast Facts
- TK’s grandfather, Randolph Kinsey, would tape TK’s games and send them with handwritten letters to colleges.
- TK’s grandfather, Randolph Kinsey was a former basketball coach who trained TK throughout his high school career.
- TK was 4A Player of the Year during senior year of high school and won MVP during the Florida All-Star “North vs. South” game.
- TK was named Hillsborough County’s player of the year and Tampa Bay Times Player of the Year.
- USF showed up at TK’s house the day after the All-Star game. They put on high-pressure tactics and told him he had to decide right then and there if he wanted to go to USF. His grandparents told the coach to get out. TK had been right in the backyard, and they failed to notice him.
- TK was invited to training camp for Memphis Grizzlies. He went two weeks early to get prepared. The day before training camp officially started, a player came down with an elbow to his face. TK broke three bones in his right cheek and needed six surgeries including a plate and 9 screws. He talked the coach (Coach Fertelo) into keeping him on until he could play again. Finally, he was put in. He played his first NBA game after being injured and hospitalized for weeks and with blurry vision, pain, and a facemask against NBA stars — yet he held his own. The coach brought him onto the team.
- TK would eat a piece of dog food kibble to get in the right mindset before a game. It would “bring the dog out.”
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Lisa McPherson-Howell
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