Senior guard Mikh McKinney just finished off arguably the most impressive men’s individual basketball season in Sacramento State history with his recent appearances at the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament and the Reese’s Division I College Basketball All-Star Game, in addition to the mountain of awards he received this season.

The Portsmouth Invitational, which was held April 8-11, invited some of the top senior talent in the country as a showcase event for NBA teams and other professional basketball organizations. McKinney became the first player in Sac State history, as well the only player from the Big Sky Conference this season, to be selected to play at Portsmouth in Virginia. McKinney made the most of his opportunity at the tournament to improve his game.

“I learned about the ins and outs of what games are going to be like at the next level,” McKinney said. “It was a good taste of what is to come in the future.”

At Portsmouth, McKinney averaged 5.0 points per game, 4.0 assists per game, and 2.3 rebounds per game on 38 percent field goal shooting over the course of three games at the tournament.

The Reese’s All-Star Game, held on April 3 this year, is another national event that looks to showcase the top senior talent in the country. McKinney was selected along with 21 other players and was once again the only member of the Big Sky Conference to play.

“It was a fun and great experience,” McKinney said. “It just offered another chance to go compete.”

McKinney led the Hornets to their most successful season in the school’s Division I era, which dates back to 1991, with a 21-12 record as well as the program’s first postseason appearance when the Hornets made the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament, losing at home to Northern Arizona University in the second round on March 21.

McKinney averaged 19.2 points, 4.9 assists, 2.8 rebounds and 2.4 steals in 37 minutes per game this season. Statistically, he was ranked among the top 60 in the nation in 10 different categories.

Having a player attend national all-star games and tournaments is new territory for the program and for coach Brian Katz, but the advice Katz gave McKinney was simple: be himself.

“I listened to a lot of people tell him he needed to be good,” Katz said. “Mikh doesn’t need to be anyone but himself. I would not bet against him in any aspect.”

There were very few individual awards for a mid-major player that McKinney was not linked to this season. He was named an Associated Press All-American honorable mention, Big Sky Conference Most Valuable Player, a finalist for the Lou Henson Mid-Major Player of the Year award, first team all-District 6, unanimous first team all-Big Sky, all-Big Sky Tournament and a four-time Big Sky Player of the Week selection.

While McKinney is grateful for the level of recognition he received this season, his hope is that his success can help the program grow even stronger in the coming years.

“It’s a blessing to be recognized,” McKinney said. “I hope my individual efforts can go beyond the recognition. I want kids to come play here at Sacramento State.”

Senior co-captain Dylan Garrity believes what set their senior class apart was not necessarily just their achievements on the court and what they were able to accomplish this season, but what they were like off the court as well.

“Us four [McKinney, Garrity, Zach Mills and Alex Tiffin] have been together for three years now,” Garrity said. “A lot of people are going to see our athletic talents, but what’s going to help the program is the type of kids we were and what we did for the community. That’s going to build a really big fan base for years to come.”

Katz said that McKinney’s success has already had an impact on recruiting for the team.

“We’ve already had a few guys where we’ve been able to reference Mikh,” Katz said. “You want to create a situation where their dreams can come true at Sac State. He’s living proof of that.”

McKinney and this year’s senior class will leave a lasting legacy that Sac State can be a winning program.

“I hope recruits can see that it doesn’t matter where you come from—as long as you’re playing good basketball, you can be successful,” McKinney said.