Charles McKinney, dunk garner attention Monday, Nov 28 2011

Published in The DePaulia: Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Grant Myatt/Charles McKinney

 

Standing at 6 feet, 3 inches, 19-year-old Charles McKinney is not just a fan of concerts and movies-he’s also a freshman basketball player at DePaul who is already getting a lot of attention.

DePaul’s game against Lewis at McGrath Phillips Arena on Saturday, Nov. 5 was one to remember. The 70-63 exhibition game victory was memorialized by McKinney’s first time on the court that produced a dunk that made ESPN’s “Top 10 Plays of the Week.”

The ball goes up in the air, bounces off the rim and as DePaul and Lewis players look up in anticipation McKinney leaps over them in a single-bound making the crowd go crazy. DePaul has its very own “Superman” on the court.

Tony Wood, a sophomore studying PR, was able to catch the footage on ESPN and said that he was immediately at a standstill. “That kid is [freaking] awesome. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing so I ended up showing it to all my friends,” Wood said.

“It felt good,” McKinney said. “I’m just trying to make a name for myself, and it helped put our team on the map by getting more exposure.”

From FlipCam to YouTube to Twitter to SportsCenter. One of the people taping caught the dunk on camera and at halftime the video was uploaded to YouTube. One tweet to @SportsCenter and McKinney made the top ten plays of the day.

With a wingspan of 82.5 inches, McKinney is also ranked No. 52 among shooting guards on ESPN. These are accomplishments that a freshman rarely gets to experience, but all this attention is only pushing McKinney to work harder.

 

“I didn’t even know about ESPN at first,” McKinney said. “I was at Buffalo Wild Wings when it came on and everybody gave me a round of applause. I’m guessing they all liked it.”

Playing basketball is second-nature for McKinney. Coming from North Carolina’s Quality Education Academy he has always been a fan and a player, but his first time playing with DePaul was one he’ll never forget.

“I was a little nervous before going on the court because you never know what you’re going to get, but once I was in the game it all went away,” McKinney said. “I think I’m gaining a lot of respect from the upper-classmen just by continuing to play my hardest.”

 

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Timeout with…Joe Strawder Friday, Oct 29 2010

Media Credit: Sports Information

Published in The DePaulia on May 31, 2010.

Q: How does it feel to be a senior?

A: It’s surreal; I can’t believe it’s almost over. Only a couple of more weeks are left.

Q: How did you get started in track and field?
A: I started my junior/senior year of high school. I played basketball and I could jump really high. The coach saw what I could do and told me I should try long jump, he said there’d be a lot of scholarships for that.

Q: What do you do to prepare before you compete?
A: Lots of sleep and lots of water. Sleep and hydration are key.

Q: Do you ever get nervous?
A: I tend to get really nervous because of the adrenaline.

Q: What do you think you can improve on the most?
A: I wish I were more calm. Especially because this is the last meet. The adrenaline is really high because, I mean, you’re going up against the best in the nation.

Q: What have you learned from Head Coach Pat Savage?
A: Besides old Irish Proverbs (laughing)? He always says that no matter what just go out there and do your best.

Q: If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?
A: I’d probably go to Europe because I haven’t been there before.

Q: What’s your favorite movie?
A: “Life.”

Q: What’s your favorite TV show?
A: The Office.

Q: Do you play video games?
A: There’s always time for Call of Duty.

Q: Describe your worst date.
A: Probably in high school. I was taking this girl to the movies and we went to the gas station first. I ended up leaving my wallet at the pump and so when we got to the movies the girl had to pay, but she was cool about it. It was still embarrassing.

Joe Strawder is a communications major and senior track and field athlete from Houston, Texas. He earned All-Conference honors after placing 2nd in the long jump at the Big East Championship in February. He also holds the DePaul record for the triple jump at 15.34 meters. The team competed in the NCAA preliminaries from May 27-29 before the championship starts June 9.

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