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SoCalHoops College News

Micah McKinney & Keron Wilkerson
Now At The Master's--(Nov. 16, 2002)

No, we're not talking about green jackets, Tiger Woods, or protests about women being admitted to private clubs......Nothing nearly so controversial.

What we're talking about is something that was prompted by an inquiry we received a couple days ago, and a newspaper story we recently came across which answers the question. Someone recently posted an inquiry on our message board asking about the current whereabouts of Micah McKinney, formerly of Compton Dominguez and Pepperdine, and Keron Wilkerson, who attended North Hollywood HS a few years ago, eventually winding up on the roster at the University of Hawaii . We responded with what we knew at the time, which was nothing, and thus not very helpful.

Well, today, while going through some of the newspapers from the past week or so, we came across Chris Cocoles' recent story (published this past Thursday, November 14, 2002) in the Los Angeles Daily News, entitled "Master's Future Bright" which was essentially a season preview of the Master's College, an NAIA team which is now officially part of the GSAC Conference as of last season. And lo and behold, there they were: Both McKinney and Wilkerson are now at The Master's, along with a couple of other D-I transfers, and they're doing just fine, according to Cocoles' article. And from the looks of things, the Master's could very well give Azusa Pacific a run for the conference championship. You can find the story at the Daily News' website, and we've also excerpted it below:

Master's future bright
By Chris Cocoles
Staff Writer

NEWHALL -- Micah McKinney and Keron Wilkerson are Bill Oates-type players. Not that their predecessors weren't talented, but The Master's College's projected starting backcourt play basketball in the style the Mustangs thrived on during a seven-year streak of NAIA National Tournament appearances.

Two tournament-less seasons later, the Mustangs want to get back to Kansas City, Mo., where they've spent so many previous Marches.

It might take awhile for Oates' newcomers to blend. And playing the brutal Golden State Athletic Conference round-robin schedule won't make getting back to the NAIAs a sure thing. But The Master's is at least planning to run, press and score points in bunches.

"We're very young. All of our big guys are really young," said Oates, whose roster includes just one senior. "But I think we have more our style of players."

Not that going 19-14 and 14-13 the past two seasons is anything to be ashamed of. But winning 20 games was a given around campus and Santa Clarita. The Mustangs were a couple of heartbreaking losses to quality opposition away from sneaking into the 32-team national tournament two seasons ago.

But after a quick start that included a critical home victory over eventual NAIA semifinalist Azusa Pacific, the Mustangs suffered through a drought in their inaugural season as full-fledged GSAC members, finishing eighth in the conference.

Sophomore forward Chris Sanders cites improved team morale as a factor in the overall optimism at Bross Gym.

"We should have done better. We really didn't reach our potential," said Sanders, a 6-foot-7 forward. "As a whole, the team has come together really nicely. Off the court, it's so much better than last year, and I think that will come through on the court. We won't have so many individual players.

"We could have a couple of growing pains with this team. But this year, it could be the reverse of last year. When Christmas comes around, it's going to be a team at full steam."

McKinney and Wilkerson will ensure that. Both transferred in from Division I teams, a rarity under Oates.

McKinney, replacing leading scorer Brandee Jones at point guard, was a top recruit out of Dominguez High of Compton. The 6-foot-2 slasher, who was also a scorer in high school, spent two seasons at Pepperdine but watched his playing time diminish under new coach Paul Westphal.

"I really do feel like the coaches here care about you on and off the court. I love my teammates the same way I loved my Pepperdine teammates," McKinney said. "But I think we all get along better than we did at Pepperdine."

What's not to love about a program that wants to race up and down the floor? McKinney is eager to see what he and Wilkerson can do. The Mustangs don't have a true center, but 6-7 sophomore Lavar Simmons is a ferocious rebounder (6.7 average last season) in the post, and he emerged in the second half of the season last year.

Another Division I transfer, Brian McCormack from Lamar, is 6-9 but quick enough to fit into the style. And don't forget small forward Jimmy Mackey, who played here two seasons ago but redshirted in 2001-02.

"To me, that's the best way to play, when you're pushing the ball. You have a lot of dunks," McKinney said. "Quick shots, but as long as they're smart shots. But I love speeding it up as fast as I can, just playing."

Wilkerson's career began at Hawaii. He can score and, like McKinney, has dribble-penetration skills. Both are proficient 3-point shooters, a job skill usually required for Oates-coached guards.

Sophomore Joe Deister didn't play much last season but will be a valuable backcourt performer. And it never hurts to have another Penberthy at guard: Mike and Joey's little brother, freshman Jonathan.

"They've made a real big impact, just showing us their kind of work ethic. And their leadership has been great," Sanders said of the Division I transfers.

The Mustangs were picked sixth in the GSAC's preseason coaches' poll. But finding a spot in this conference's upper echelon is anything but easy. Among four teams ranked in the NAIA preseason Top 25 are second-ranked Westmont and No. 5 Azusa Pacific.

But the normally stoic Oates is excited to watch this team run. It's his kind of team. He's not demanding perfection early on while everyone adapts to each other's games. And it's probably a team one year away from really rolling.

Oates calls it a "work in progress." Whatever they are, the Mustangs should be fun to watch.

"I like them. I think they have a great work ethic, they're young and they're enthusiastic," said Oates, retaining some of his usual caution when assessing a team. "I think they're going to be OK."

MUSTANGS AT A GLANCE
Head coach: Bill Oates (10th year) 2001-02 record: 14-13 overall, 9-11 in GSAC, eighth-place conference finish. Top returning veterans: Sophomore F Lavar Simmons; sophomore F Chris Sanders; junior F Jimmy Mackey (sat out last season); sophomore G Joe Deister; junior F Mike Grisanti. Key newcomers: Junior G Micah McKinney, junior G Keron Wilkerson; sophomore F Brian McCormack; freshman G-F Caleb Adcock.