Prospect Spotlight: Carlston McKenzie (2018)
At 6-foot-8, Champlin Park junior Carlston McKenzie is a big boy. And in order to maximize his impact with Champlin’s varsity this winter, he’s focused on preparing his body for the rigors of a full basketball season. “The biggest thing…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingAt 6-foot-8, Champlin Park junior Carlston McKenzie is a big boy. And in order to maximize his impact with Champlin’s varsity this winter, he’s focused on preparing his body for the rigors of a full basketball season.
“The biggest thing for me in preparation for this season was getting in shape,” McKenzie told NHR. “Last year I struggled with making sure my body was ready, and this summer and fall I have been running a lot more and getting my lungs ready for varsity ball. Weightlifting has also been big for me, because practicing and guarding (Marquette-committed) Theo John is a tough thing. I think if I can guard Theo and keep up with him, that sets me up in the long run especially with the experience.”
And we can’t talk about Carlston’s preseason prep without mentioning his 16U campaign with Howard Pulley AAU.
“Playing with Howard Pulley this summer helped me learn what I needed to do to play at a higher level and ways to score that somebody who was not able to witness EYBL play would see,” he added. “I’ve added some new offensive skills such as a midrange jump shot as well as free throws. Getting to the line this year will be a key thing I look to do in games.
“Defensively I’ve been working on footwork speed so that I’m able to defend on the perimeter and stop guards if we switch a pick. I’m really looking forward to this season, I think we have a great shot at not only getting to state but winning it all.”
McKenzie very well could be right. Past Champlin’s top players (John, Dayton-signed McKinley Wright, top-50 prospect DJ Hunter) are key role guys (Waldorf-committed Brian Smith, Marcus Hill) and a fantastic young core. Minnesota basketball fans will not want to miss the Class AAAA state tournament this spring.