OLSM’s McKenney solidifies resume
For blue-chip junior basketball recruit and generational area hoops talent, Trey McKenney, the road to Orchard Lake St. Mary’s and an eventual state championship began with a chance encounter after an offseason AAU practice in Ann Arbor in 2021. Then-St Mary’s star point guard Kareem Rozier had spotted McKenney tearing up the hardwood in a separate part of the gym and in the parking lot following the day’s action coming to an end, Rozier approached the manchild 14-year old prodigy and told him about St. Mary’s.
The rest is history. And a ring to boot.
The 6-foot-4 McKenny recently put on a clinic in dynamic execution in the Division 1 state finals at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, scoring 32 points and corralling 10 rebounds on 8-of-11 from the field and 14-of-14 from the free-throw line to vault his Eaglets past a scrappy North Farmington club for a 63-52 victory. ESPN tabs him a 5-star prospect and ranks him No. 13 in the nation’s Class of 2025, No. 4 at the shooting-guard position.
McKenney hails from Flint but his father works for Oakland County. Ultimately, he chose to play his high school ball at St. Mary’s over Flint Carman Ainsworth and Grand Blanc. Rozier, who will be playing in the NCAA Tournament this week as a member of the Atlantic 10 champ Duquesne Dukes, escorted
McKenney on his visit St. Mary’s sprawling campus off Commerce Road and Eaglets head coach Todd Covert first encountered him in the school’s Moose Room following the day of classes.
“I had never seen Trey before in my life, never saw him shoot or dribble a basketball……I knew right away he was a first-class kid though,” Covert recalled. “As I’ve gotten to know him and watch him develop as an athlete, student and young man in general, he reminds me a lot of Shane Battier. He’s a gentleman on and off the court, but he just kills you with efficiency, hard work and a skill level not many people possess.in this game.”
Battier won three consecutive Class B state titles in the 1990s at
Birmingham Detroit Country Day before going on to captain the Duke Blue Devils to the 2001 NCAA National Championship and enjoying a 13-year career in the NBA where gained a reputation as one of the league’s best “3D” guys and a premier league representative in the community.
“Shane would dunk it in your face and then hand
the ball back to the ref and go about his business, he was all-business all time, an all-time high-character guy and that’s exactly what Trey is and will continue to be as he goes further along in his basketball career.”
Leaning on Rozier for guidance in his freshman campaign, McKenney entered the starting lineup immediately and adapted quickly, practically becoming a double-double machine in the stat sheet from Day 1.
“At first, those opening
few weeks, he was holding his own, then during that holiday break his ninthgrade year, it was like a light-bulb went off and he’s never looked back,” Covert said. “The “it” factor was off the charts. It was undeniable.”
That winter, McKenney helped St. Mary’s advance to the state quarterfinals. Last year, he stepped forward into a leadership role and sparked the Eaglets on an unexpected trip to the final four. The stage was set for this 2024 campaign
and McKenney didn’t disappoint, taking St. Mary’s to its first ever DI basketball crown (fourth in school history) and a 26-1 mark.
McKenney currently is deciding between 36 different college scholarship offers from all the nation’s most elite programs. He welcomed his first DI offers prior to debuting as a prepster. This past season, he poured in 23 points per game to go along with 11 rebounds and 4 assists.
“Trey’s ceiling is so high, his body control, his finishing
ability, the footwork…… his mid-range jumper is pretty much unstoppable……and that’s not taking into account the basketball IQ, the fact that he’s routinely outthinking opponents, seeing things take shape, anticipating what’s going to happen on the court two, three seconds before everyone else out there. You can’t teach that. His skill set translates to every level of basketball and it’s going to be fun to see what he’s got in store for everybody in the future.”
Discussions of McKenney’s legacy in the annals of MHSAA basketball lore have now begun in earnest..
“He’s already Top 10, no question,” Covert declared.
Tweets of the Week
“I’m a state champ, proud of all my teammates, coaches. Now, let’s run it back next year,” — St. Mary’s junior guard Isiaha “Zip” Hines on launching a repeat effort. “A relationship that will last forever,” Trey McKenny on his bond with Todd Covert.