The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1535358
26 THE WOLVERINE ❱ JUNE/JULY 2025 2025 BASKETBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY CLAYTON SAYFIE T rey McKenney was a 6-year- old at the time, but he still remembers being propped up on his father's shoulders at the Palace of Auburn Hills on March 29, 2013. There at the Detroit Pistons game, McKenney recalls, the television broadcast of the ending of Michigan's Sweet 16 clash with Kansas was being shown. Guard and national player of the year Trey Burke pulled up for a deep three to tie the score and send the game to overtime — one of McKenney's favorite moments growing up as a Michigan fan. "That's a memory that's always go- ing to stick with me forever," McKenney said. "I grew up as a kid watching the [for- mer head coach] John Beilein days with Tim Hardaway [Jr.], Nik Stauskas, Trey Burke, those guys. They really inspired me to take basketball seriously. Growing up, the Michigan program was going. It was on the rise. "It's always been my dream school. But it had to be the right fit. Obviously, it being my dream school had a little something to do with it." Dusty May had a lot to do with it, too. The new Michigan head coach priori- tized McKenney from the jump, and he and his staff developed relationships with the 6-foot-4 guard and those close to him. The Orchard Lake (Mich.) St. Mary's product made his pledge to the Maize and Blue Nov. 9, 2024. "I trusted in Coach Dusty and his staff's plan for me," McKenney said. "I trusted their development with me, and just everybody around the program. "The academics at the University of Michigan … it's one of the best col- leges in the world. The connections you get from going there and being able to meet new people are just great. All that helped me narrow it down and make my decision to go there." COMPETITOR Local Product Trey McKenney, A Foundational Piece For Dusty May, Brings An 'Edge' To Michigan While starring at Orchard Lake (Mich.) St. Mary's, McKenney was a two-time Michigan Gatorade Player of the Year (2024 and '25) and was named the winner of the 45th annual Hal Schram Mr. Basketball award in Michigan. PHOTO COURTESY NIKE HOOP SUMMIT