Kaine McColley discusses reclassification and future ahead
Kaine McColley enjoyed a successful senior season at Nature Coast as the Sharks went 27-2 and appeared in the Class 6A region semifinals. He’s back for more after reclassifying and moving over to Clearwater Academy International.
The 6’6″, 210-pounder was the top scorer for Nature Coast this past year. He said not having enough interest was the biggest factor in his decision to play one more season at the prep level.
“Senior season helped me realize that you never know when your last game could be especially since I had zero offers through the whole high school year,” McColley told Prep Hoops Florida. “At Nature Coast, we had a great year. My workload increased significantly from my junior to senior season, which helped my game grow tremendously, especially the mental aspect of it.”
McColley says he had a few Division II and JUCO programs come after him strongly over the last month, but he felt that if those schools wait so long to recruit him that he wouldn’t be a big part of the future. Division-I Kennesaw State also showed heavy interest in him as of late.
“With having the option out there with coach [Aaron] Holmes at Clearwater Academy International to reclass a year, he showed me all the success he has had with players similar to my game at getting them scholarships, it made it an easy choice when I decided,” McColley said.
Right now, he’s playing for Team Speights Elite this summer. His main goal this upcoming season is to get his body and game right for the collegiate level.
“I want to add about 10-15 pounds to my body with this year,” McColley said. “Having kids who are just as hungry as me and being able to compete against them every day in practice will help my game grow dramatically. I will also be trying to morph my game into more of a 2 or 3.”
Stetson offered McColley here recently after a private workout. He says he’s drawing interest from Wyoming, Arkansas-Little Rock, Montana, Boise State and Colgate.
“When it comes down to making a decision, I just want to play and have a strong connection with the coaching staff,” he said about his plans for college.
I saw McColley play at a very high level this past season. He’s a lengthy player with very impressive offensive ability. McColley will be a major asset to the rather new Clearwater Academy International. Holmes is a very good basketball mind and the pairing should pay off for McColley as he looks for a Division I/Division II spot to land.