Trey McKenney Q&A: Michigan freshman talks about playing for Dusty May

When Trey McKenney committed to Michigan last November, he provided new Wolverines coach Dusty May with a big win for several reasons. First, just five days after his first game coaching the maize and blue, May had secured the services of a player whose recruitment had begun under the program’s previous coach, Juwan Howard. Second, he had added an in-state product, with McKenney hailing from Flint, just an hour north of Michigan’s campus in Ann Arbor.

Third, and most importantly, May landed a player who can contribute to Michigan right away. McKenney, the 21st-ranked player in 247Sport’s 2025 high school recruiting class, is the Wolverines’ third-best high school commit in the 247Sports era (since 2000), behind only Caleb Houstan and Moussa Diabate.

McKenney was a two-time Michigan Gatorade Player of the Year, a McDonald’s All-American and a key part of Team USA’s gold medal-winning squad at the FIBA U18 AmeriCup.

Plus, he’s adding to a family heritage that runs deep in Flint. His aunt, Linnell Jones-McKenney, was an All-America basketball player at Kentucky State University and is a member of the school’s Hall of Fame, the Greater Flint Area Hall of Fame and the Greater Flint African American Hall of Fame. She made Team USA’s 1980 Olympic women’s basketball team, though the US ultimately boycotted the Games. Regarded as the first professional women’s basketball player from Flint, she played in the Women’s Professional Basketball League and then in Europe.

Furthermore, McKenney’s grandfather, Woodrow Stanley, was the mayor of Flint from 1991-2002.

“Being from Flint means a lot,” McKenney said. “It’s really shaped who I am today and the way I approach every day with my work and go about stuff in the classroom and just life in general. I’m close with a lot of the guys from Flint who have made it, like Miles [Bridges], Mateen Cleaves. They always try to give me some tips and some pointers to give back, try to help me, because that’s where I want to be one day.”

At 6-4 and 225 pounds, McKenney is a “unique backcourt match-up” who’s “powerful, physical, crafty, has a great left-hand, and is also very adept at scoring over top of contesting defenders in the mid-range area,” 247Sports director of scouting Adam Finkelstein wrote in his scouting report.

McKenney joins a Michigan team with high hopes. Buoyed by 247Sports’ second-ranking transfer class, featuring top overall transfer Yaxel Lendeborg, as well as a solid returning core, the Wolverines are +1900 to win the national championship at FanDuel Sportsbook, tied for the seventh-shortest odds in the country.

The No. 6 Wolverines face Wake Forest on Tuesday and opening their season with a 121-78 win over Oakland on Friday, with McKenney coming off the bench to score 21 points on 7-for-10 shooting, including 6 for 8 from 3-point range. Ahead of his debut, McKenney sat down with CBS Sports to discuss several aspects of his basketball career, past, present and yet to come.

NOTE: This interview has been edited for clarity.

CBS Sports: What’s your earliest memory realizing you can be a good basketball player?

Trey McKenney: “Really, during COVID, when everybody was in lockdown, I just kept trying to perfect my cap and keep working at it, and I just progressively got better every year. So I think during COVID I tried to really work hard, because I knew people were gonna stop working.”

CBS: What did that look like?
Obviously a lot of gyms were closed. How you’d you make that work?

TM: “There was actually a gym that I had to use during COVID, so I would go up there and get shots up and stuff with my dad. But, you know, everybody didn’t have a gym to go to during COVID, so I definitely had to take advantage of that.”

CBS: What are the biggest differences you’ve noticed between high school and college, whether it’s on the court or off the court?

TM: “Practice. It’s very intense, and every second, it means something. Time is very precious in college. And, really, I think my routine has really stuck out. I think really trying to build a routine and have a foundation for what I’m doing every day has really helped me.”

CBS: Have you always been a routine-based guy, or is that something you realized you had to have when you got to Michigan?

TM: “No, I think I’ve been like that since high school. I think I’ve always prioritized getting better every day and having a routine that just helps map it out and make everything easier.”

CBS: What are some things you’ve focused on these first few months at Michigan, and what progress have you seen in those areas?

TM: “I’m really just trying to improve my shot off the catch and [my movement] without the ball. I think being able to move without the ball and being effective off the ball can help me get inside, use my body and stuff like that. I really think off the ball, my shooting, it’s taken a leap from the summer and some of the fall.”

CBS: What did Dusty May do to win you over after your recruiting started under the previous staff?

TM: “Really, they just spent a lot of time with me throughout when they first got a job., One day, when college coaches could come see you at your high school, they were literally there the whole day. It just meant a lot to spend time with them, and he’s a real genuine person, down to Earth. I had a relationship with him, and, ultimately, trust is what builds relationships in this game, so I think that really helped me, and that really won me over with him, for sure.”

CBS: What’s your relationship like with your aunt? She could really play.

TM: “One of my first basketball memories was me going to one of her camps when I was little little, so she’s definitely had an influence on me and an influence on me even picking up the basketball to begin with.”

CBS: Any early impressions of your teammates so far? Anyone who you think is going to have a strong season?

TM: “[UCLA transfer] Aday Mara. He’s really surprised me a lot. He’s like 7-3, and he can move. He can pass the ball like a point guard. So, I mean, he’s really surprised me.”

CBS: What are your goals for this year?

TM: “We have a really talented team this year and a lot of guys that can play a lot of different spots on the court. We just have a really egoless team that wants to see the next man succeed, so anything less than a national championship for us, man … That’s definitely been the goal ever since we stepped into the gym in the summer, and, you know, Final Four, we want to be there on the last Monday. Ultimately for me, I just want to prove that I’m one of the best freshmen in the country, impact-wise, offensively and defensively.”