Jameel McKay

Jameel McKay (born September 14, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the Perth Wildcats of the National Basketball League (NBL). He played two seasons of college basketball for Iowa State, where as a junior in 2014–15, he was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year when he averaged 2.4 blocked shots per game.

College career

Indian Hills Community College (2011–2013)

After high school, McKay attended Indian Hills Community College for two years, becoming the first player in school history to be named NJCAA First-Team All-American twice. He helped the Warriors go 59–8 during his two years on the team, and played in the national tournament in 2011–12 where he was named to the all-tournament team. He was a two-time first-team all-region pick, and finished his career with 1,022 points, averaging 16.2 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. He scored in double-figures in all but four games in his career (59-of-63).^[1]

Iowa State (2013–2016)

McKay committed to Marquette for the 2013–14 season. However, in October 2013, he left Marquette before playing in a game for the Golden Eagles,^[2] and the following month, he transferred to Iowa State.^[3]

After sitting out the 2013–14 season due to NCAA transfer regulations, McKay joined the Cyclones as a junior for the 2014–15 season. He played in 25 games and made 12 starts in 2014–15 after becoming eligible on December 20, 2014.^[4] On February 25, 2015, he scored a season-high 21 points against Baylor.^[5] Over three Big 12 tournament games, McKay averaged 9.0 points and 8.7 rebounds per game, as the Cyclones won their second consecutive Big 12 tournament title.^[6] In their first game of the NCAA Tournament, the Cyclones were defeated 60–59 by UAB, as McKay recorded 10 points, 12 rebounds and six blocked shots in the loss.^[7] On the season, he averaged 11.0 points and led the team with 7.6 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game. His 59 blocks was the third most by any Iowa State junior, and his 2.4 blocks per game was second among league players in Big 12 games and was the third-best average by any Cyclone in school history, trailing only Kelvin Cato. McKay subsequently earned Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year honors.^[1]

As a senior in 2015–16, McKay saw action in 32 games, making 28 starts. He ranked fourth on the team in scoring with 11.1 points and led the team with 8.8 rebounds and 1.7 blocks. He was second among Big 12 players shooting 60.5 percent from the field and finished his career second all-time among ISU players shooting 59.6 percent from the floor in his career. His 114 career blocks were the sixth-most in school history. In just the second game of the season, McKay scored a career-high 25 points against Chicago State.^[8] On December 14, 2015, he was named Big 12 Co-Player of the Week after averaging 17 points and 10 rebounds in three wins against Buffalo, Iowa and Arkansas-Pine Bluff.^[9] The Cyclones returned to the NCAA Tournament in 2016 and made it through to the Sweet 16, where they lost to Virginia.^[10]

College statistics

Professional career

After going undrafted in the 2016 NBA draft, McKay joined the New Orleans Pelicans for the 2016 NBA Summer League.^[11][12] In three games for the Pelicans, he averaged 7.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 15.2 minutes per game.

On August 2, 2016, McKay signed with the Perth Wildcats of the Australian National Basketball League for the 2016–17 season.^[13][14] He made his debut for the Wildcats in their season opener on October 6, but despite his stat line of 18 points, seven rebounds and three blocks, the Wildcats were defeated 72–65 by the Brisbane Bullets.^[15] He backed up his impressive debut with a 14-point effort two days later against the Cairns Taipans, as he helped the Wildcats claim an 84–74 overtime win.^[16]

References

External links

• Jameel McKay at cyclones.com
• Jameel McKay at washingtonpost.com
• Wildcat's 'brothers' lost to tragedy
• The making of Wildcats import Jameel McKay