‘Grit and toughness.’ Now at Charlotte, ex-UK player KeKe McKinney reaches new heights.
KeKe McKinney trusted her faith and friend with one of the biggest decisions of her life.
And it’s paid off in ways far beyond expectation.
McKinney, a former four-year forward at Kentucky who started 94 games for the Wildcats, had planned to spend her fifth and final season of college basketball in Lexington.
The UK program even announced as much last February.
But McKinney’s plans changed, and in April 2021, McKinney announced she would be completing her college career at a different school.
Her choice of Charlotte came after prayer and consultation with Kameron Roach — McKinney’s teammate of four years at UK — who in April 2021 decided to join the 49ers program.
McKinney announced her transfer to Charlotte just days after Roach.
“I followed Kam here. I trusted her with everything in me that they were good people and it was a good program and I’m glad I did,” McKinney told the Herald-Leader in a phone interview Wednesday. “Kam is not just a friend, she’s a sister. She’s somebody that I confide in. She’s somebody I trust.”
The end result has seen plenty of success for McKinney, Roach and the rest of the 49ers program.
Charlotte is in the NCAA Tournament for just the third time in program history after winning the Conference USA Tournament. McKinney was the C-USA Defensive Player of the Year, her teammate, fifth-year guard Octavia Jett-Wilson, was the C-USA Player of the Year and head coach Cara Consuegra was the C-USA Coach of the Year.
Given a No. 14 seed in the NCAA Tournament, the 49ers are in the Bloomington pod with No. 3 seed Indiana, No. 6 seed Kentucky and No. 11 seed Princeton.
It’s a cacophony of familiar faces for the Wildcats, with McKinney front and center.
Consuegra told the Herald-Leader her program got lucky by landing McKinney.
Charlotte had played Kentucky in December 2019, a game UK won 86-39. McKinney had seven points, two rebounds and a steal in the win.
“We knew who she was, we knew the kind of grit and toughness that she could bring,” Consuegra said.
But Charlotte didn’t really recruit McKinney after her name entered the transfer portal.
It was Roach who first introduced Charlotte to McKinney, who then reached out to the school herself.
“She wouldn’t steer me wrong,” McKinney said of Roach, noting the choice to come to Charlotte was a gut feeling.
McKinney has started all 31 games for Charlotte this season, with per-game averages of: More than 32 minutes, more than eight rebounds (a team high), more than six points and more than two blocks.
“We believed when we signed her that she would be somebody that could bolster our defense because of her versatility on that end, because of her athleticism, because of the program that she was coming from. Defense is a factor at Kentucky,” Consuegra explained. “I think we knew all of that, but the level at which she played I think even exceeded our expectations.”
McKinney ranks 21st in the nation in blocked shots per game, and has nine games this season with four or more blocks.
Consuegra attributes some of McKinney’s increased defensive success this season to a position switch. She plays more at center for the 49ers, while McKinney played more as a power forward at UK under former head coach Matthew Mitchell and current head coach Kyra Elzy.
“Her consistency was really incredible,” Consuegra said. “Honestly a lot of it is just natural ability. Her timing and her instinct to block shots is some of the best that I have ever seen.”
McKinney will have to be at her best Saturday if Charlotte is to make program history.
This is Charlotte’s third trip to the NCAA Tournament, but the 49ers have never won a game.
As the No. 14 seed in the Bloomington pod, Charlotte begins tournament action Saturday afternoon against No. 3 seed Indiana, which boasts one of the best post players in the country in junior Mackenzie Holmes.
“Certainly you feel good as a coach going in there knowing we have the best defensive player in the league to go against one of the best post players in another league,” Consuegra said.
Should the 49ers pull the massive upset (Indiana is more than a 16-point favorite), then McKinney’s and Roach’s old team, Kentucky, will await in the round of 32 if UK can get past Princeton.
McKinney played in two NCAA Tournaments with UK — including the last time UK faced Princeton in 2019 — and hopes to use her past experience to guide her new team to new heights.
“Of course, having confidence that we can go up there and make some upsets, make something happen,” McKinney said of what she can draw from past postseason experience.
Saturday
No. 14 Charlotte vs. No. 3 Indiana
What: NCAA Tournament Bridgeport (Conn.) Regional round-of-64 game
When: 1:30 p.m.
Where: Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Ind.
TV: ESPN2
Records: Charlotte 22-9, Indiana 22-8
This story was originally published March 17, 2022 at 1:03 PM.
