The new Kentucky men’s basketball coaches spent the weekend in Indianapolis to scout potential future Wildcats. Among the prospects we learned with fresh interest from the staff is five-star combo guard Trey McKenney, who is ranked No. 12 overall in the class of 2025 by the On3 Industry Ranking.
“I’ve talked to (assistant) Alvin Brooks,” McKenney told KSR. “This is recent, when he got to Kentucky.”
Brooks was on the baseline to watch McKenney — who lists himself at 6-foot-3.5, 222 pounds — in action on Saturday afternoon at the Pacers Athletic Center. Suiting up for The Family on the Nike EYBL circuit, McKenney put on a show for the Kentucky assistant, dropping 27 points and three rebounds in an 86-77 win over Mac Irvin Fire. He shot 9-13 from the field, 2-4 from deep, and 7-8 from the line, hitting the go-ahead triple with under a minute left to play.
2025 The Family (MI) G Trey McKenney (@mckenneytrey1): 27 PTS, 3 REB in a win over Mac Irvin Fire @thefamily_bball #2024EYBL @NikeEYB https://t.co/2MxXySnsFr
— The Circuit (@TheCircuit) May 19, 2024
McKenney was told ahead of time that Brooks planned to watch him play in Indy. When asked if he noticed Brooks sitting on the baseline for the whole game, he smiled and responded: “I saw him”.
No offer has officially been extended just yet, but McKenney is going to allow Kentucky an opportunity to jump fully into the mix. Along with the Wildcats, he mentioned the likes of Michigan, Michigan State, UConn, Georgetown, Indiana, Ohio State, Southern California, and UCLA as schools he’s been hearing from lately.
“It would mean a lot,” McKenney said of a potential offer from UK. “I’ve been watching Kentucky since I was a kid growing up.”
McKenney plans to cut down his list of top schools in “a week or so”, adding that new coaches will still have the chance to get in. He doesn’t intend to take any official visits until the fall at the earliest.
Under the previous coaching staff, McKenney wasn’t a target for the Wildcats. That’s changed with Mark Pope in charge, but it hasn’t changed McKenney’s perception of the program and its rich history.
“You never think (John) Calipari would leave Kentucky,” he said. “but Kentucky itself, even before Calipari they were a powerhouse. Kentucky is one of the biggest schools in college basketball so having them talk to me is a blessing.”
For his performances across four games over the weekend, McKenney was named among one of the top performers of the event by On3’s Jamie Shaw. McKenney, a Michigan native, averaged 18.5 points per game while shooting 49.1 percent overall, 33.3 percent from deep, and 89.5 percent from the line while playing alongside fellow five-star guard Darius Acuff. The Family went 2-2 on the weekend.
