Trey McKenney cuts off a piece of the net following the University
of Michigan’s Championship game. Photo courtesy of University of Michigan Photography
Flint native Trey McKenney is credited with making a clutch shot late in the championship game that will forever live in Michigan
basketball lore. Photo courtesy of Imagn Images
Sporting a newly minted National Championship cap with a piece of the net he had just snipped off dangling from the back, Trey McKenney could finally fully soak in the enormity of the moment.
The Michigan freshman and Flint native’s National Championship shirt was soaked with the sprays of the Wolverines’ locker room celebration after knocking off Connecticut for their first national title since 1989 as he humbly answered media questions. The biggest topic of conversation, of course, was how McKenney nailed a clutch shot late in the game that will forever live in Michigan basketball lore.
“That shot turned out to be really big, but I actually didn’t realize how big until after the game because I was so laser-focused on competing hard until the end,” said McKenney while reliving the sequence roughly three weeks later. “They were not going to let up.”
The Wolverines never trailed after Yaxel Lendeborg’s layup put them up, 27-25, with 3:06 left in the first half, but UConn crept within 62-56 with just over two minutes remaining in the game and seemed poised to further trim the deficit after forcing a turnover.
McKenney, however, was not having it. He raced down the court, catching up with the Huskies’ Solo Ball and thwarting his layup attempt. McKenney then flew back the other way in time to snare a pass from teammate Roddy Gayle on the right wing, dribble once, step back behind the 3-point line and launch a high, arcing shot that practically all eyes in Indianapolis’ 70,000-seat Lucas Oil Stadium watched go through the net, stretching Michigan’s advantage to 65-56.
“We needed something at that point to give us a lift because I felt the momentum might be shifting after they had gone a little run,” McKenney said. “I was glad I could provide that in such a big moment. I worked really well with Roddy the whole season and I knew he trusted me, so I started calling for the ball. I just wasn’t sure if he was going to hear me because the place was going crazy.”
UConn was within four points when he rebounded a missed 3-pointer, was fouled and promptly swished two free throws with 13 seconds left for the final points of Michigan’s 69-63 win.
That shot turned out to be really big, but I actually didn’t realize how big until after the game because I was so laser-focused on competing hard until the end.
— Trey McKenney
Playing a season-high 29 minutes, McKenney finished with nine points and a season-high eight rebounds, second-best on the team behind Morez Johnson’s 10 boards. He is the first Michigan high school graduate to play in an NCAA Division 1 men’s basketball national championship game since Grand Ledge’s Al Horford helped Florida win the first of back-to-back titles in 2006.
Ironically, Michigan’s national championship came nearly a year to the day after McKenney predicted it would happen during an interview after earning the Detroit Athletic Club’s Male Athlete of the Year award. “I envision myself winning a national championship next year with Michigan,” he told State Champs Network’s Lorne Plant.
“It really means a lot to see what I hoped would happen my first year at Michigan come true because there were so many good teams in this year’s tournament,” McKenney said. “To watch how we grew as a team all season long and deliver a national championship when the stakes were so high was unbelievable for our program and the community. I’m so blessed to be a part of it.”
After averaging 21.6 minutes of playing time and 9.6 points per game during the regular season and Big Ten Tournament, McKenney increased his production to 25.2 minutes and 12 points a game in the NCAA Tournament. He made 14 of 17 free throws, including his final nine in a row.
McKenney’s postseason performance was no surprise to Michigan assistant coach Akeem Miskdeen. “Trey’s biggest strengths are his confidence and ability to make shots in big moments and he’s just really comfortable out there,” he said. “What we appreciated most was how much he cares about winning and his teammates. He was a big part of what we did all year, and especially in the NCAA Tournament, where he kept making plays when we needed them.”
McKenney, a 6-foot-4, 225-pound guard, was the Wolverines’ second-leading scorer against Alabama in the Sweet 16 (17 points) and Arizona in the national semifinals (16). “Arizona was a pretty fun game because we were not really favored to win, but we took it to them (91-73) and showed why we were the best team in the nation,” he said.
Michigan finished with a 37-3 record, the highest single-season winning percentage (.925) in program history. Team chemistry developed quickly even though the Wolverines’ top five scorers — transfers Lendeborg, Johnson, Cadeau and Aday Mara along with McKenney — were all in their first seasons with the program.
“The biggest reason we got over the hump and finally won another national title for Michigan is that, collectively, nobody had an ego or was out for themselves, but went about doing everything the right way,” he said. “We all bonded as one during the summer and fall while preparing for the season and throughout the season.”
Photo courtesy of Imagn Images
The friendship McKenney formed with Lendeborg, the Big Ten Player of the Year and probable first-round NBA Draft choice, is one of the experiences he will treasure most when reflecting on his first season in Ann Arbor. “Yaxel became my best friend and we developed a very strong bond because he’s a great example of everything our team stood for,” McKenney said. “I’ll always have great memories of us working out early in the morning or staying after practice to shoot, dinners out and all those kinds of things. He’s an amazingly talented player, yet so unselfish and that’s so refreshing.”
Lendeborg praised McKenney during the post-title game celebration on the court prior to making their way to the locker room.”This guy is one of the best freshmen in college basketball right now,” he told reporters. “Trey made the biggest shot of the game for us, the biggest shot of the season. He never hit the freshman wall and stayed true.”
I can certainly see myself as an All-Big Ten player next season and contending for All-American while hopefully helping us defend our national championship.
— Trey McKenney
McKenney and Lendeborg also basked in the adulation of thousands of fans during Michigan’s championship parade through Ann Arbor. “For me, the parade was an incredible time to celebrate the national championship with our people,” McKenney said. “They were really supportive throughout the season and gave us that extra energy to keep going in practice and games to do all the little things, all the dirty work to be successful. Some tournament games felt like home games because they showed up for us.”
Another celebration followed on May 14 when ‘Trey Day’ honored McKenney and Michigan’s national championship at the Riverfront Conference Center in downtown Flint.
McKenney served as Michigan’s top force off bench this season. He did not start a game, but played in all 40 and led the Wolverines in 3-pointers (68). He was second in free throw percentage (77-for-86, 89.5%), third in 3-point shooting percentage (68-for-174, 39.1%) and fifth in scoring (9.9 points per game), minutes per game (22.1), rebounding (2.8) and defensive rebounds (94).He was named to the All-Big Ten freshman team and presented with the Michigan’s Newcomer of the Year Award which goes to the top first-year athlete who has excelled both academically and athletically.
McKenney began developing an affinity for basketball while watching and playing the sport with his father John and attending a camp run by his legendary aunt, Linnell Jones-McKenney, at about age 4. Jones-McKenney became Flint’s first female professional basketball player after starring at Flint Northwestern High School, becoming All-American at Kentucky State and making the 1980 Olympic team.
“I loved basketball from the start, especially once I got my own hoop,” Trey said. “I didn’t want to put the ball down after that and my aunt certainly had a big impact on my development, especially early on at her camps.”
McKenney’s talent really began blossoming in middle school while he was playing for the Flint Affiliation program and playing up two age groups for Bates Fundamental’s U-16 team in the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League. He enrolled at Orchard Lake St. Mary’s High School, developing into the state’s most highly sought Class of 2025 recruit. The four-year varsity starter was a three-time state Division 1 Player of the Year, leading the Eaglets to a state championship as a junior, and was named Michigan’s Mr. Basketball and a McDonald’s All-American as a senior. McKenney also played an integral role in Team USA capturing the 2024 FIBA U18 AmeriCup gold medal.
Ranked among the top 20 recruits in the nation, McKenney received more than 30 Division 1 scholarship offers before choosing Michigan over USC and Georgetown on Nov. 9, 2024. “I actually decided privately I was going to Michigan about two months before the official announcement,” he said.
As unforgettable as this season was, McKenney is hoping it was a mere prelude to achieving bigger goals in the future, beginning with replacing graduating guard Nimari Burnett in the starting lineup.
“I can certainly see myself as an All-Big Ten player next season and contending for All-American while hopefully helping us defend our national championship,” he said. “Expanding my leadership role is also very important to me, but it all starts with myself and everybody else putting in the offseason work.”
Miskdeen is eagerly anticipating McKenney’s next act. “Trey shows up every day to work, listens and brings good energy to the group,” he said. “With the way he approaches the game, Trey has a really bright future.”
