‘Pressure is a privilege’: Trey McKenney talks Flint, basketball, and leadership

FLINT, Michigan — Flint native Trey McKenney is returning home to a city ready to celebrate one of its own. On May 14, the City of Flint, Explore Flint & Genesee, and the University of Michigan-Flint will host “Trey Day” from 4 to 6 p.m. at UM-Flint’s Riverfront Conference Center, with doors opening at 3 p.m.

The free public event will honor McKenney alongside his family, local leaders, and community members following a standout freshman season with the University of Michigan men’s basketball team, where he helped the Wolverines win the 2026 NCAA National Championship and earned Big Ten All-Freshman honors.

For Flint, McKenney’s rise carries a familiar kind of pride. His name now sits in conversation with hometown basketball greats like Glenn Rice, Morris Peterson, JaVale McGee, and Kyle Kuzma, but his story is still rooted in the same place where it began.

Before the national stage, the honors, and the championship moment, McKenney was a kid from Flint with a dream, a work ethic, and a city watching closely.

Flintside spoke with McKenney as he reflects on what it means to be celebrated by his hometown, the responsibility — and privilege — of being seen as a role model, and what he hopes young people in Flint take from his journey.

Flintside: I know the city is preparing a “Trey Day” for you on May 14. What does it mean to you to be celebrated by your hometown in this way?

T. McKenney: “I think it means everything because it’s where I grew up and where I started my journey, just in life, not even in basketball. So it just means a lot that they’re able to do something for me and something for the city that should bring a lot of people together.”

Flintside: In the midst of this celebration, you’re being listed with some hometown greats and some greats in general: Glen Rice, Morris Peterson, and JaVale McGee. When you hear your name connected to that type of legacy, what goes through your mind?

T. McKenney: “I think it’s pretty cool because I grew up watching a lot of players that are very talented out of Flint. So I think it’s just cool to be in the same breath as them. But I think it’s just a testament to the work I’ve put in to be able to get to this point and, hopefully, can make it further.”

Flinside: Do you feel any responsibility to carry this legacy forward in any way?

T. McKenney: “I don’t really feel any responsibility. I mean, pressure is a privilege, and I’m privileged to be able to have people watching me and watching my every move, what I do, and how I operate in life and basketball, on the court and off the court. So I think it’s really a privilege to be able to have people [who] care about what I’m doing on a daily basis. But, I don’t think there’s any responsibility. I mean, if you’re just always trying to do the right thing, then it’ll be fine.”

Flintside: When you look at all of these titles and accomplishments that you’ve done thus far, what moment feels unreal still?

T. McKenney: “I think the Final Four experience is the part that feels the most unreal. It’s an experience that I’ll never be able to go through again because it was my first time being on that stage. Hopefully, we get to be in the Final Four again. But that was definitely an experience. I was happy to be there, and I was also happy to have worked so hard for my family to experience that moment too.”

Flintside: Behind all of the national and local attention, you’re training hard, you’re balancing school, family, and all these expectations. What can you say has stayed the same about you from those early days to now?

T. McKenney: “I think the thing for me that’s helped me is my ability and my willingness to be able to learn from my mistakes, whether it’s on and off the court, and being able to learn from my mentors and my coaches. I think I’ve just done a really good job of being able to ask questions and figure out things that I could get better at every day.”

Flintside: How do you describe your level of skill and your game compared to a year ago?

T. McKenney: “I think my game is a lot more refined. Obviously, I was highly talented in high school, but I think when I came into college, I’ve gotten a lot better at a lot of the smaller things that people might not see on the stage and in the games. I think my body has made a tremendous jump, and I think I’ve just gotten better overall a lot in basketball and off the court.

Flintside: You got a lot of young folk here in the city who are watching your journey closely. What do you hope that they take away from your story?

T. McKenney: “I think they should take away that I’m a kid from Flint, and all these kids in Flint, whether they’re going through something, can always look at my journey and say that another kid from Flint did it. Life is just larger than what you’re around every day, and I think I’m being a very great example of that. I think I’m going to keep trying to do a great job of being a mentor for kids younger than me and try to put on for my city as much as I can. I know it means a lot for the people there.”

Flintside: I definitely agree with that. So I got one last question for you. When people talk about you years from now, what do you want them to say about you that goes beyond the stats, the awards, and the championships?

T. McKenney: “I would say they should think of me as a person that wanted to be their best at all times and wanted to work the hardest in the room and be the hardest worker in the room at all times. I want to be known as a leader on and off the court. Whether that’s verbal or by example in how I approach basketball or just life in general.”