Triton’s McKinney honored by Illinois Basketball Coaches Association
Triton’s McKinney honored by Illinois Basketball Coaches Association
If variety is the spice of life, Tim McKinney's cupboard overflows. Starting as a $4.25-an-hour technical assistant at WRRG (88.9 FM), Triton College's campus radio station, McKinney has served in numerous athletics roles, from sports information specialist to stints as interim women's basketball head coach and assistant men's basketball coach.
McKinney can now add repeat Hall of Fame inductee to his list of accomplishments, thanks to his enshrinement in the media section of the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association (IBCA) Hall of Fame. The honor came in the same year Bellwood native McKinney, a 1997 Triton alum, marked his 20th anniversary working for the school.
McKinney gave credit to others when analyzing the second Hall of Fame in which he has gained entry – the first being the NJCAA Region IV Hall of Fame as a contributor and friend of sports.
"I've been fortunate that my foundation started at Triton and our athletic teams have been successful," said McKinney. "If it wasn't for the kids and teams being successful, I wouldn't be here. I've grown and excelled in my role due to the success of our teams and coaches.
"It is quite an honor. I'm truly blessed to be put in a position to succeed. A lot of people who I have worked with are also in the Hall of Fame. They have put me in a position to succeed.
The IBCA nomination was advocated by a group of local coaches and officials.
"Doing games on Triton radio during the period I did is still one of the most enjoyable experiences I had because of the people I worked with," said McKinney.
But the basketball coaches' honor covered McKinney's total body of work. He has had more than two decades' experience covering high school sports, first for the Suburban Life newspaper chain and for the web streaming service High School Cube.
In recent years he has been part of "The U" high school game of the week football and basketball telecast crew, crunching statistics and providing game research for announcers Jim Blaney and Kenny McReynolds while also doing some on-air fill-in work. McKinney also regularly appears as a panelist on McReynolds' long-running weekly Sports Edition interview show.
He now joins McReynolds, a previous inductee.
"It's a well-deserved honor," said McReynolds. "It's a privilege to have him join me in the Illinois High School Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame. Welcome to the club, Tim."
With his induction, McKinney joins in enshrinement an early role model. Frank Lollino, Sr., who was head men's basketball coach when he first came to Triton.
"I had a chance to be with Frank Sr. for two years and learned so much about the game of basketball and life," he said. "The Lollino family has a special place in my heart. I came in at the right time. They accepted me and took me in. I got my passion for Triton from them."
McKinney has witnessed the evolution of Triton sports. When he began, baseball was king, the legacy sport after future Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett and Cubs-White Sox center fielder Lance Johnson had played as star Trojans. But as the 21st century got underway, men's basketball under Steve Christiansen took center stage, culminating in the national title in 2018, for which McKinney called the play-by-play as the pinnacle of his announcing career.
"Tim and I have experienced a lot of Triton athletic history over the years," said Harry McGinnis, Triton's Athletic Director. "Tim has always added a professional element to our athletic department. He does his homework and takes great pride in his work. He's been an avid supporter of all of our athletic programs, an enthusiastic announcer, and the best historian of Triton College athletics."
Along with his media duties, helping rebuild Triton women's basketball back to relevancy was another reason McKinney was selected by the IBCA. The program fell on hard times for several seasons, and he took over as interim coach in the spring semester of 2015.
"I got tired of seeing the program struggle and took it upon myself to be more involved. It's great to see us have a women's basketball team respected again," he said.
The Trojans under his watch moved up the Region IV and N4C standings to earn a home playoff game. McKinney was integral in helping bring Kellee Robertson in as head coach for the 2015-16 season that led to the program's first regional championship game appearance in more than 20 years.
More than just a game strategist and advocate of tight defense, he impressed the women in how he related person-to-person.
"He was a mentor when it came to basketball," said former Trojan player Candace Madison who ranks fourth all-time in Triton scoring history. "But outside of sports, he is an amazing person. I feel like everyone who's come across Coach Tim benefited from his words and his actions. I really recognized his thoughtfulness. He cares about his students and athletics. With the work he puts in, he fights for his athletes.
"You could feel the passion he had and emotion he had, and we wanted to give that, too."
Now, as sports information specialist, McKinney – a 2001 Columbia College journalism graduate – writes press releases and coordinates media guides, maintains the athletic department web site and compiles statistics. He also helps manage all athletic home events in the gymnasium.
McKinney earned his NJCAA Region IV Hall of Fame induction in 2011. Other honors he has received from his work at Triton include: The 2012 MLK Dreamweaver Award from Operation Uplift in Maywood, March of Dimes Achievement in Radio (AIR Award) nominations for Best Sports Talk Show (Triton Sports Weekly: 1997, 1998 and 2002), Best Sports Play-By-Play (Triton Baseball: 2002), and NJCAA Division II Men's Basketball CoSIDA National Champion Sports Information Director in 2018.
His journey has been long and winding, but always true to himself. By now he has learned to expect the unexpected.
"Some things I've never envisioned myself doing," said McKinney.
McKinney will be inducted into the IBCA Hall of Fame at their annual banquet sometime in 2021, at Illinois State University's Redbird Arena.
Follow Triton Athletics on Twitter @TritonTrojans1 or on Instagram @Triton_College_Athletics
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