College basketball coaches across the country have made it clear in the NIL-era, high school recruits are not as highly touted. Some coaches prefer a full roster of experienced, transfer portal players compared to a squad of four-star high schoolers. Even St. John’s head coach Rick Pitino said, “I probably wouldn’t take (high school recruits) because I don’t think you can win, and win big, with high school kids.”
Well, that isn’t the case with every high school recruit. And for the Michigan Wolverines
and head coach Dusty May, they may have found an immediate playmaker in Trey McKenney.
The 6-foot-4 guard from Flint had a busy recruiting cycle, but ultimately chose to stay close to home. In a few short months, McKenney has already made a significant impact on a veteran team, earning high praise from his head coach and those around professional basketball.
“I have a few coaching friends that we share practice films with, share ideas, talk about it on each other’s teams,” May said back in July. “I was sitting with (a coaching friend) yesterday on the road recruiting and he said, ‘who’s (this guy)?’ … I said, ‘Oh, that’s Trey McKinney. He’s a freshman from Michigan.’ And he said, ‘He’s a freshman? Man, I would have thought he’s a fifth-year grad transfer that you guys found from somewhere in the MAC.
“The maturity, physicality, pace, and poise he plays with have been great, and his work ethic might be as good as anyone that I’ve ever been around.”
McKenney fit the mold of an established veteran in Michigan’s first regular season game against Oakland, connecting on six three-pointers en route to 21 points, four assists and two rebounds. He became the first Wolverine freshman since Jett Howard (2022) to score 20+ in his debut and the first since Tre Donaldson (at UCLA, Jan. 7, 2025) to make six threes, per Michigan Athletics.
Currently serving as the sixth man in the rotation, McKenney is waiting his turn behind vets Elliot Cadeau and Nimari Burnett. Around him also sits sophomore L.J. Cason, the only returning member of the 2024 recruiting class, and senior Roddy Gayle Jr. It is tough sledding to earn minutes on a stacked roster, but he is doing everything right, both in practice and on the court.
“For a five-star freshman to come into a program like Michigan and have a lot more questions than answers is probably a little bit rare, but that’s who he is as a person,” May told the media on Monday. “I think his ability to fit in has been great. He’s put him on the blue team in practice, the maize team in practice, whatever lineup combination, and he’s trying to figure out the best way for him to function in that group … we’re still trying to answer all those questions, but when you have guys with his character and ability, usually those things kind of work themselves out.”
The biggest spark McKenney has brought to the team has been his three-point shooting. It not only led to a program record 121 points for a season opener, but it also gave the team another element to its game that lacked towards the end of last season.
Based on last year’s percentages, Michigan has a slew of guys who can convert from beyond the arc.
- Nimari Burnett – 40.0 percent (Michigan)
- Yaxel Lendeborg – 35.7 percent (UAB)
- Will Tschetter – 35 percent (Michigan)
- Elliot Cadeau – 33.7 percent (UNC)
Between McKenney’s 6-for-8 from deep in the opener, paired with Burnett and Tschetter’s four triples each, the Wolverines could be one of the best shooting teams in the country by the end of the season.
“Now, we never thought we were built to be an elite shooting team, but Trey McKenney was brought in here as a high-level shooter,” May said. “The USA basketball coaches told me last year they felt like he was probably the best shooter in their camp, and this is before we had him in the fold.”
In an era where experience and NIL earnings often overshadow potential, McKenney is proving that talent, maturity and work ethic still matter, and he is a reminder that high school recruits can still make an immediate impact in college basketball.
