John McKenney II spent April 3 talking about a freshman who has already become central to Michigan’s Final Four run, and about the city that raised him. Trey McKenney, the top recruit out of Michigan in the class of 2025, stayed home to join the Wolverines and now heads into Saturday night’s game against Arizona with his father saying the bigger the stage, the better his son plays.
For John McKenney II, the path to this moment feels personal because Trey is from Flint and grew up with Michigan close to home. He said his son had always dreamed of playing for the Wolverines, and that as a child he followed the program during a stretch when Michigan was probably the more successful team he watched over the last 10 to 15 years. He also said Trey grew up following Tre Burke’s journey at Michigan and is the first kid from Flint since Glenn Rice to attend the school.
That background has helped shape the way Trey has handled the tournament. Michigan has leaned on him more since LJ Cason’s season-ending injury, and McKenney has delivered when the games tightened up. He scored 17 points against Alabama in the Sweet 16, then logged fewer than 20 minutes in Michigan’s blowout against Tennessee in the Elite Eight as the Wolverines kept their footing on the way to the Final Four.
Read Also: Aiden Sherrell Enters Transfer Portal After 11.1 Points Season
His father sees the same pattern the bigger the stakes rise, the more Trey settles in. “The bigger the game, the better he plays. The bigger the situation, the better he plays. There's no mountain really big enough to stop him,” John McKenney II said.
The Flint connection gives the run extra weight in a city that has long measured its basketball pride through the players who made it big elsewhere. John McKenney II tied that history directly to Glenn Rice, saying, “The cherry on top would be a championship, so to see my son, the first kid from Flint since Glenn to attend Michigan, it would mean that much more.”
Read Also: Claudio Giráldez Declares European Aim After 44 Points Primera División
Michigan’s preparations have now turned to Arizona, with Saturday night’s matchup carrying the kind of pressure that has often brought the best out of Trey. His father left no doubt about what he wants next. “I expect us to win it all. Go Blue,” he said.
If Michigan gets one more step, Trey McKenney’s freshman season will have turned from a homecoming into a legacy piece for Flint and for a program that needed him when the bracket got smaller and the stakes got higher.
