Recruiting Update: Wayne McKinney (2021 Lake Oswego HS)
The summer couldn’t have ended any better for Wayne McKinney. At the PrepHoops Circuit Hustle Region Finals in Irvine, the athletic 5-foot-11, 175-pound point guard from Lake Oswego put everything on the floor for his Coastal Elite Slayers squad and…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingThe summer couldn’t have ended any better for Wayne McKinney. At the PrepHoops Circuit Hustle Region Finals in Irvine, the athletic 5-foot-11, 175-pound point guard from Lake Oswego put everything on the floor for his Coastal Elite Slayers squad and thanks to his spectacular play, the team captured the 16U title. True, the question has nagged Oregon High School fans whether or not they will get to see the future D-I point guard in the Beaver State next season but for now, McKinney is savoring the hard-earned hardware.
“Our team loves to win and we got the championship,” McKinney said. “We knew we had to come out and play hard to get it, so it feels nice doing that. This most definitely gives us all momentum (going into high school). It’s definitely been a great season.”
McKinney was the MVP of the 16U division and unquestionably the best player on the floor in the title game. He was simply unstoppable going to the basket and when he wasn’t finishing acrobatically at the hoop he was drawing fouls left and right. He ended up with a team-high 24 points, dished out a number of dimes, and made plays on the defensive end. That’s the way he played throughout the tournament and in effect, it was a great finish to what was a great campaign with the Coastal Elite Slayers.
“We’ve played very well this AAU season, getting to know each other on this new team,” McKinney said. “Passing with this team has helped with my skillset, but there are still a lot of things that I can work on. I’ve got to keep on doing what I’m good at and keep on working on my weaknesses and I’ll be good.”
Colleges continue to monitor McKinney’s progress. He currently holds scholarship offers from TCU, Fresno State, UC Santa Barbara, Eastern Washington, and Portland State and McKinney noted that Washington State has been in contact. He remains open in the recruiting process. “There are some very good colleges looking at me right now,” McKinney said. “I’m not going to take any visits yet, probably during my junior year.”
Speaking of which, where will that junior year take place? There has been scuttlebutt here and there, but McKinney – who interestingly enough wore a Lake Oswego shirt during shoot-around on the team’s off-day on Friday – noted for the record that nothing has been officially decided. “We still don’t know what we are doing yet,” McKinney said. “I’m not sure if we are moving. Probably by the end of August I’ll know.”
McKinney currently ranks as the #5 player in the PrepHoops Oregon Class of 2021 rankings.