The RoundHouse | 2/5/2021 4:31:00 PM
Mariah McKinney wanted to push send on the email and take a shot at continuing her basketball career. She thought about the pros and cons, held back by doubts and worried about the response.
"I already had the email written up and my cousins and my sisters were like 'Send the email, reach out to her and quit being so scared,'" she said. "I started to think maybe my time is fading, maybe I'm getting too old. I was self-sabotaging a little bit."
McKinney hit the button on that December day and Wichita State women's basketball coach
Keitha Adams responded with a call. The Shockers needed her to add to their depth during a season in which they didn't practice with a full team until late January.
"It was extremely exciting," McKinney said. "It was definitely a blessing."
Wichita State (4-7, 1-5 American Athletic Conference) meets Temple (6-7, 6-4) on Saturday (2 p.m. ESPN-plus) at Koch Arena.
McKinney, a 5-foot-8 junior guard, joined the team in late December and has played in five games. She earned second-team All-City League honors at East High School and started 19 games for Fort Scott Community College in 2018-19. She played for coach Jeff Tadtman, who has a history with Adams.
"Tadtman was my assistant at Winfield High School and then I went to be his assistant at Independence Community College," Adams said. "I picked up the phone and gave him a call. He had a lot of positive things to say about her. We needed her and it was a meant-to-be timing thing."
One problem: McKinney needed a nickname. The Shockers had guard
Mariah McCully, in addition to
Carla Bremaud and
Carla Budane and
Asia Strong and
Asia Henderson.
When McKinney talked to the team for the first time, she spoke about being excited to play for her hometown university and her love for the city.
"Right then, I went 'Wichita,'" Adams said. "We call her 'Wichita.'"
McKinney intended to return to basketball after leaving Fort Scott to take a year off. She continued to work on her game and took classes at Wichita State last fall.
"I never wanted to stop playing," she said. "I had plans on reaching out to see if I could be here."
When McKinney joined the team, she got to work studying the playbook and video of the Shockers and opponents to prepare.
"My teammates were really helpful – after practice they were speaking to me and asking me if I needed to run a play or get in the gym and get up shots," she said. "I see myself being a defender. That's what I feel like I can bring to the team the most."
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.
