Central Michigan University Athletics
McKay Steps To The Forefront
2/16/2018 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - A familiar refrain from coaches to players regarding who starts and who sits is this: Worry about who finishes the game, not who starts it.
Kevin McKay has come off the bench exclusively throughout his career with the Central Michigan men's basketball team. But it's becoming increasingly difficult to keep the 6-foot-5 sophomore off the floor.
McKay scored a career-high 33 points and grabbed a season-high 10 rebounds in leading the Chippewas to an 80-72 win on Tuesday at Northern Illinois. That performance came three days after he posted his first double-double (14 points, 10 rebounds) of the season at Akron.
"My main goal from game to game is just to get better," said McKay, the Chippewas' sixth man. "It's not about how much I score, it's about just being aggressive. Every game I go out there I just want to make sure I'm playing my hardest, playing my best."
His best is getting better and better.
On the season, McKay is averaging 11 points and 6.2 rebounds per game and he leads the Chippewas with 46 steals. In his last eight games, McKay has averaged 14.5 points and 6.8 rebounds, and he's up to nearly 26 minutes per game, the fourth-most among the Chippewas. Starter's minutes.
Among Chippewas who see significant playing time, he is making a team-best 55.8 percent of his field goal attempts. In his last 12 games, that number is an eye-lash shy of 60 percent.
No, he isn't starting. But he might as well be.
"I've thought about it," said coach Keno Davis, who has increasingly sent McKay into the game earlier and earlier as the season has progressed. "I really feel like we have six starters out there. I don't want to make too many changes this late in the season. He's comfortable in that role right now. I'm sure everybody would like to start. I think he knows that he has a lot of basketball in front of him. Coming off the bench and still playing 36 minutes (at Northern Illinois) it wasn't like we could play him more minutes by starting him."
Certainly, the tangible production is critical. Everybody looks at the stat sheet. But there's a certain spark that McKay provides when he pops off the bench at Davis' behest.
"We know when Kevin comes in he's going to play 110 percent, you know he's going to play some great defense -- he's a great defender -- and he can finish around the hoop," senior guard Josh Kozinski said.
Telling about the kind of effort with which McKay plays: He ranks third in the MAC in offensive rebounds per game (2.8) behind Eastern Michigan's 6-foot-10 James Thompson IV, who is third in the nation in overall boards per game; and Kent State's Adonis De La Rosa, a 7-footer who is listed at 262 pounds.
After averaging about 4 minutes per game as a freshman, McKay dedicated himself to improving in the offseason, working out - often alone - in Dick Parfitt Gymnasium adjacent to McGuirk Arena.
Shades of two of Davis' favorite protégés, Chris Fowler and Rayshawn Simmons, gym rats who are both now playing professionally in Europe.
"I think he's moving in that direction," Davis said of McKay. "He's a guy who will do whatever is necessary. Now it's a matter of seeing where it goes from here."
McKay always had the quicks and athleticism to get to the basket. He was a four-year starter at DeLaSalle High School in suburban Detroit's Warren. Starting for four years in the highly competitive Catholic High School League is a feat in itself. That, and thriving in a rigorous academic curriculum that the school offers, sold Davis on McKay, who carries a 3.5 grade point average.
The time he has spent honing his game has been critical. Just as important, McKay said, is the work he has done to his body. At 6-5 and 220-plus pounds, he more resembles a tight end than he does a basketball guard. His conditioning level has enabled him to stand up to the pounding that a player such as he -- one who drives to the basket, plays physical high-energy defense and mixes it up in the paint - invites.
"The big thing for me was getting in shape," he said. "Last season I felt like I was in decent shape, but nothing ridiculous. This year I feel like I can play the whole game if I had to. I'm pretty confident in my ability to get to the rim right now, but I feel like if I develop a jumpshot that's consistent it's going to be really hard for teams to guard me in the future."
