While University of Cincinnati Bearcat basketball begins its Big 12 slate, 6-foot-9 Tyler McKinley is starting the final months of his high school campaign manning the pivot for Winton Woods High School.

McKinley committed to the Bearcats last June, then announced his transfer from Link Academy in Branson, Missouri where he was the No. 1 recruit in the state. He is now with a former Cincinnati Bearcat, Mike Pilgrim, whose Warriors lead the Eastern Cincinnati Conference.

"Honestly, he's exceeding my expectations on a lot of different levels," Pilgrim said. "He's one of the most unselfish basketball players I've coached. I want him to get a little bit more aggressive. He's the reason we're in a lot of games at the end."

McKinley signed with the Bearcats on Nov. 9, the same day highly-coveted 6-foot-8 shooter Tyler Betsey did, giving UC a pair of Top 100 players according to 247Sports.

Where is McKinley rated?

McKinley is listed at No. 67 and is a four-star signee, along with Betsey, a 6-foot-8, 195-pound forward who's drawn comparisons to former Bearcat DerMarr Johnson.

Old school

Tuesday night found McKinley facing Walnut Hills, in the road blue of Winton Woods. McKinley played his freshman and sophomore seasons for the Eagles. Though starting for the opposition, a packed house at Walnut had favorable reactions for their former center.

"It's never bad blood," McKinley said. "It's always a family thing over here. Forever an Eagle."

The Eagles battled but in the end, McKinley's Warriors prevailed 49-44. The future Bearcat overcame double teams to score 18 points, pull down eight rebounds and block three shots.

On hand to watch were UC associate head coach Chad Dollar and assistant coach Andre Morgan.

"I just do what I've got to do to find an open possibility," McKinley said. "You can get your teammates involved and it's easier to win a game. It's a team game."

Despite being the focus of every defense, McKinley leads the ECC in rebounding (10 per game), shooting percentage (61.1%), assists (4.2) and is second in scoring (17.7). His highs thus far have been 27 points at Kings and 18 rebounds vs. Turpin.

Two seasons ago as a sophomore, he was the ECC's Offensive Player of the Year at Walnut Hills, averaging 17.2 points per game and 7.4 rebounds.

Which schools sought McKinley and Betsey?

McKinley's offers included Alabama, Auburn, Dayton, Kansas State, Michigan State, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Penn State, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia Tech, West Virginia and Xavier.

When he committed he said UC won him over when it sent the entire coaching staff to Walnut Hills his sophomore year for a 6 a.m. workout.

"They're my guys," McKinley said. "They just want to see me have fun and get better for next year."

Betsey plays at St. Thomas More High School in Connecticut where former Bearcat Cain Broome coaches. He's the top recruit in the state and No. 6 at his position nationally. Betsey picked UC over his home state Huskies and Alabama.

For perspective, UC was also on the final choice lists for No. 34 recruit Jase Richardson who went to Michigan State to play where his NBA father Jason Richardson played. They also were close on No. 70 recruit Travis Perry who stayed with the home state Kentucky Wildcats.

UC has three Top 100 recruits for 2024-25

McKinley and Betsey are coming and the other is already in place. Rayvon Griffith, who led Taft's Senators to an Ohio state Division III title before playing a season out west for Arizona Compass, committed to the Bearcats in the spring of 2022. Because of the players at his position, UC is strongly considering redshirting him rather than wasting a year putting him in for meaningless minutes.

On the 2023 list, Griffith was the No. 64 recruit and No. 3 prospect in Arizona when he signed with UC. He was the top junior in Ohio before departing for Arizona Compass his senior season. He also was the highest-rated Greater Cincinnati recruit at the time since Withrow's Yancy Gates. However, McKinley has recently surpassed him in numeric ratings.

"I think it's going to be high, intense energy," McKinley said of next season's Bearcats. "I think it's going to click on and off the court and that's really good for our chemistry. I go to a lot of games. I talk to Ray (Griffith) and TB (Tyler Betsey) and JJ (Jizzle James). It's good vibes."

Who were UC's top recruits?

Since such things have been measured, UC has had two five-star recruits: Lance Stephenson in 2009 and Jermaine Lawrence in 2013. Stephenson went on to play for several NBA teams and Lawrence all but disappeared, showing how a rating isn't always a reliable indicator.

Remember, there were no such recruit ratings for the likes of Oscar Robertson, Jack Twyman, Kenyon Martin, Nick Van Exel or Corie Blount.

Who returns for UC to help Betsey, McKinley in addition to Griffith?

From the current roster, only John Newman III and Ody Oguama would leave from being out of eligibility.

From the rotation, C.J. Fredrick could have another year as he played during the 2020-21 COVID-19 year that gave all student-athletes a free year. Transfers Day Day Thomas, Jamille, Reynolds, Simas Lukošius and Aziz Bandaogo could all come back along with Dan Skillings Jr, Jizzle James, Josh Reed, C.J. Anthony, Landen Long, Chase Kirkwood, Viktor Lakhin and Sage Tolentino.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Tyler McKinley ready to help hometown Cincinnati Bearcats in 2024-25