The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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JUNE/JULY 2025 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 27 2025 BASKETBALL RECRUITING ISSUE Everything is so short-lived in to- day's college basketball. In many cases, coaches are building rosters for one year rather than programs. Michigan is well- positioned to reload each season, but continuity can still be a big positive. The Wolverines brought McKenney in for the long haul and see him as a foun- dational piece in helping May and Co. rebuild the storied program. "They want me to be a really big part of the program going forward and said I was going to have a real impact coming in as a freshman," McKenney said of the selling points from the staff. "That's hard with the transfer portal and ev- erything going on with NIL and stuff like that. "I just want to have the college expe- rience where you're winning and play- ing high-level games. Michigan plays on a very high platform. Being able to showcase my game with that brand also helps me." While he made his commitment in November, McKenney continued to watch closely throughout May's first season at Michigan, which marked an incredible turnaround from eight to 27 wins. He was impressed with how quickly the Wolverines came together, even with a roster made up mostly of newcomers. "What they did is crazy. People thought they were going to be good, but they didn't think they were going to be that good," McKenney noted. "I really trusted in Coach Dusty's plan for the team, and he lets the guys do what they want. He trusts in his guys and believes that they can impact the game without him having a strong, strong hold on it. He lets them play free. I think it's a really good situation for me. They laid a good foundation for the program for the next few years." Amazingly, McKenney will be the first Michigan player from Flint since for- ward Glen Rice (1985-89), who led the Wolverines to the 1989 national cham- pionship and still holds the record for the most points in an NCAA Tourna- ment (184 in six games). "I've met him before," McKenney said, "and [I appreciate] being in the same sentence as a guy like that, who has pro- duced at the highest level. A lot of Flint guys go to Michigan State. Trying to cre- ate a legacy of my own was very impor- tant to me during my process." The Michigan signee has racked up all sorts of accolades. He helped Orchard Lake St. Mary's win the state champion- ship as a junior, is a two-time Gatorade Player of the Year in the state (2024, '25) and was named the winner of the 45th annual Hal Schram Mr. Basketball award in Michigan, becoming the 13th Wolver- ine to earn that distinction. McKenney was a McDonald's All-American in 2025, Michigan's first since Caleb Houstan and Moussa Diabaté in 2021, and has played for Team USA, most recently in the Nike Hoops Summit. McKenney's high school career is be- hind him, though, and now he's looking ahead to his mid-June arrival in Ann Arbor. "Being from Flint, growing up and seeing guys be successful before you and then you doing it is just really sur- real and crazy," McKenney said of the awards he earned. "I'm happy to go to college and be on the next level and re- start, in a way, and work at it and try to max out and be as good as I can." McKenney is looking to make an early impact on a Michigan team that returns quite a bit of production on the wing and brought in North Carolina trans- fer point guard Elliot Cadeau. He can play multiple positions, and his shoot- ing stands out. Last season, McKenney connected on 55 percent of his shots from the field, including 42 percent of his three-pointers. "In the Michigan offense, I can really play the '1' through the '4,'" McKenney revealed. "My versatility is really going to be a big factor for me, and being able to get on the floor is definitely going to be a big factor for me. "I can shoot it. I can space the floor. I can play off the dribble, I can play off the catch, I can play off the close out, I can rebound and I bring the toughness on defense. My versatility, being able to score, play defense and make plays off the pick and roll is really going to help me. "I love to compete, and I have a toughness. I think I bring a competitive edge to Michigan basketball," he said. On3 analyst Jamie Shaw rated him as a four-star prospect, and said the sum of his parts is greater than the individual pieces. "McKenney is a strong, firmly built scoring guard," Shaw noted. "Standing at a long-armed 6-foot-4, he plays big- ger than his listed height. He has a fear- less disposition on the floor and is able to handle his business in multiple areas across the game. He is a solid shooter, he moves the ball well, he can reset an offense, and he finishes at the rim. All in all, he is a connecting tough guy. Someone you can put different lineups around depending on personnel, and he will continue to make winning plays." In May's first season on the job in 2024-25, Michigan totaled 27 victories, won the Big Ten Tournament and made the Sweet 16. The Wolverines expe- rienced some success but are hungry for more in 2025-26 and beyond, and McKenney wants to be a part of that difference. "We got the feeling of a Sweet 16, and we're just trying to push for more," McKenney said. "I think our goal next year is to win a national championship, and there shouldn't be any other goal but that. "I think we'll have the team to do it, and if everybody plays their role and everybody locks in, I feel like we can do it, for sure." ❑ McKenney By The Numbers • On3 Industry Rankings: No. 1 player in Michigan, and No. 6 shooting guard nationally and No. 21 player overall. • 2024-25: Registered 21.7 points, 10.3 re- bounds and 3 assists per contest, while lead- ing St. Mary's to a 20-7 record and appearance in the Division I state semifinal. Named MLive Division I Player of the Year in Michigan three straight seasons from sophomore to senior year. Finished his career with 1,970 points and maintained a 3.58 GPA. Scored 7 points and added 3 rebounds for the East team in the McDonald's All-American Game. • 2023-24: Averaged 22.8 points, 10.1 re- bounds, 3 assists and 1.3 steals per game, helping his team win the Division I state title with a 63-52 victory over North Farmington. • 2022-23: Averaged 25.5 points and 11.1 rebounds and led his team in scoring in every game in a playoff run to the state semifinal. • 2021-22: Appeared in the state quarterfi- nal as a freshman. — Clayton Sayfie