By SAM LANCE
NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. — Five-star guard Trey McKenney has scheduled an official visit to Michigan beginning Sept. 21, he told ZAGSBLOG. He will be able to catch the Wolverines play USC in football that weekend.
McKenney — the 6-foot-4, 225-pound guard from St. Mary’s (MI) and The Family Nike EYBL AAU program — is also planning a trip to Miami. McKenney already had several visits scheduled including USC (Sept. 1), Michigan State (Oct. 4 ), Oregon (Oct. 12), Notre Dame (Nov. 9) and Creighton (Dec. 4).
The guard broke down each school and gave some insight on why he chose to visit:
USC: “I was talking to [Eric] Musselman while he was at Arkansas. So I’ve been talking to him most of high school. So you know, I’ve been building a relationship with him a lot.”
Michigan State: “It’s the in-state school and I’ve been talking to the coaches like Coach TK [Thomas Kelley] most of high school. So it just being the in-state school, I have to [visit]. They win. They’re trying to show that I’m a priority in recruitment. So that’s a big thing for me.”
On Tom Izzo being courtside for his game: “That’s a big thing for me, whenever they can come see me and support me. They’re always there. So that’s definitely a big thing for me as well.”
Oregon: “Coach [Dana] Altman has been on me lately, like the past couple months. So just trying to go there and build a relationship with those guys and seeing what Oregon basketball is all about. I mean it’s Oregon. Nike. That says a lot. And I’ve never really been out there. So I just want to get out there and see what’s up.”
Notre Dame: “Coach [Micah] Shrewsberry, he was on the USA staff. I’ve been talking to him for a minute. Our relationship is good and I’m just excited to get down there. Shrewsberry is going to build [the program]. He’s a really good coach. He knows a lot. He’s a basketball head. So I’m pretty sure Notre Dame is going to be on the uprise soon.”
Creighton: “Just the way they deal with guards that can play on the ball and off the ball. You know, what they did with Trey Alexander. That’s what they’re trying to pitch to me. So just seeing what coach [Greg] McDermott has done with those type of guys.”
Michigan: “Coach [Juwan] Howard left and coach [Dusty] May stepped in. But just trying to build a relationship with them lately, go up there and see what the campus is about. And coach May, how he’s going to run the program. I’ve been talking to them ever since coach May moved up there.”
Miami: “I’ve been talking with coach [Jim] Larrañaga ever since the contact period for 2025. I’ve never been to Miami or the school, so I’m going to go out there, see the program and the campus and stuff.”
On Miami being three coaches deep on Sunday: “Ever since this summer, they’ve started coming to support me whenever they could. Just support means a lot in recruitment.”
McKenney has previously visited Rutgers, TCU and Georgetown officially, but those were all last year.
As mentioned above, several coaches were in to see McKenney on Sunday at Peach Jam. This included Izzo with multiple assistants, Larrañaga with two assistants, as well as Shrewsberry with a staff member. Some of McKenney’s other offers like Georgetown, Arkansas, Kansas and several others were also there on Sunday.
McKenney dropped 19 points on 7-of-17 shooting in a 76-71 loss to the NJ Scholars in Sunday’s contest. The guard describes himself as a two-way player. “I can score on all three levels and bring intensity,” McKenney said. “And I can compete at a high level on the floor. I can also playmake for others.” Before Peach Jam, McKenney played with Team USA during the 5×5 U18 Men’s AmeriCup in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He said it was nice to see that he could perform well and contribute to winning a gold medal at that level. “It was pretty cool,” McKenney said of the overall experience. “That’s definitely one of the biggest honors of youth basketball, playing with USA basketball. That’s been a dream of mine since I was little.” McKenney is ranked the No. 15 overall prospect in the class of 2025 by 247Sports. His favorite NBA player is Devin Booker, and the guard says he loves to bass fish in his free time. Follow Sam Lance on Twitter Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter Follow ZAGSBLOGHoops on Instagram And Like ZAGS on FacebookBill Self, John Calipari, Tom Izzo, Ed Cooley and Micah Shrewsberry all courtside for @TheFamily_bball vs. @new_scholars.
— Sam Lance (@slancehoops) July 14, 2024
Notable talent includes Darius Acuff and Trey McKenney, among others. pic.twitter.com/0BbR2TOMcb
