SDSU guard Wayne McKinney III faces his old team when USD comes to Viejas Arena – elcajon newson Elcajon News only

Wayne McKinney III said his goodbyes to teammates last spring after three years at USD and announced he was transferring down Interstate 8 to San Diego State, figuring they’d stay in touch and he might bump into them at open gyms.

Then one of them called him in late summer.

His message: “Yeah, we just got our schedule. We’re excited to play y’all.”

Wait, whaaaaat?

It was the last game he expected, knowing the Aztecs had ended their annual series against the Toreros three years earlier and there were no signs it would be resumed anytime soon. But here it is, Saturday night at Viejas Arena, USD at SDSU, the heart and soul of the Toreros playing against the Toreros.

“I had no clue,” McKinney said. “But honestly, I love it. I was like, ‘OK, let’s do this.’”

What was once a rarity in college basketball has become more commonplace with the relaxation of transfer regulations and the lure of NIL payouts. If you transfer within the conference, it’s unavoidable. Coaches can and do regularly avoid nonconference games against former players or their former teams.

But SDSU needed a game in early December. USD had an opening. SDSU was offering $80,000 for a one-off date in Viejas Arena without a return next year at Jenny Craig Pavilion. USD wanted the check.

And the parting with McKinney, by all accounts, was amicable.

Game on.

“Sometimes you don’t want to schedule a game against a guy who used to be on your team because you just know how hard it can be, for both ends — for the player and the coaching staff,” SDSU coach Brian Dutcher said. “Obviously, Wayne had a great career at USD and did a lot for them. I know it’s always hard going against your old team. You think it would be, like, well, I’m really going to show them.

“But I don’t think that’s the case with Wayne. I think he’s grateful for his experience at USD, for Coach (Steve) Lavin and the games he’s played there. I think he just felt for his own benefit and career, it would be better to move across town and play one season with us. And at the end of the day, once the ball is thrown up and you start playing, those thoughts kind of quickly fade away.”

McKinney played at Coronado High School and wanted to stay close to home. He dreamed of wearing scarlet and black, but the Aztecs already had a similar guard in freshman Lamont Butler — powerfully built, slightly undersized, defensive-minded.

USD coach Sam Scholl landed him instead.

After two solid seasons, and amid rumors that Butler might turn pro, McKinney entered the transfer portal. Butler ultimately stayed at SDSU, and McKinney withdrew his name and stayed at USD.

Last spring, he was in and out of the portal before Butler finally left for Kentucky. McKinney jumped back in after several Toreros teammates left just days before the portal window closed, and this time SDSU had a spot for him.

“When that opened up, it was the best decision for me being a hometown kid,” McKinney said. “I always wanted to be here. I just know in the end, the best decision for me was to go up a level and show what I could do on a bigger stage. Luckily for me, I was able to come here and be where I want to be and stay home.”

There was a caveat: The second team all-West Coast Conference guard who started 76 games for USD might not start for SDSU. It already had Florida Atlantic transfer Nick Boyd, plus returning guards Reese Waters, Miles Byrd and BJ Davis.

McKinney nodded. Understood.

Through seven games, he has started once — when Boyd was injured against Division III Occidental — and averages just under 20 minutes per game, 10 fewer than he did at USD last season. His scoring average (8.3 points per game) is down five points, although his 3-point accuracy is up (44.4% compared to 31.2% at USD).

“It’s been great,” McKinney said. “It’s shown me that there are roles in basketball. You’re not always going to have the ball in your hands. You have to do other things to help the team win. If I want to play at the next level, it’s not always going to be just about me. It’s about what I can do to make everybody else better.

“I find blessings in every little thing that I do, regardless of if I’m scoring 20 or if I’m scoring six, whatever the case may be. As long as the W column is filled, then I’m more than satisfied.”

Exhibit A: The 73-70 overtime win against then-No. 6 Houston in Las Vegas last weekend. McKinney had two points in 16 minutes and didn’t play at all the final 12:33 of regulation or in overtime.

And he was fine with it.

McKinney looked like a giddy kid, celebrating on the bench, as the Aztecs came from 11 down in the second half and hung on in OT.

His previous career wins against ranked teams: zero.

Wins against ranked teams last week: two.

“It was unreal, just a great moment for me,” McKinney said. “As long as we got the win, the coaches made the right decision keeping those guys on the floor. You just have to understand, there’s a time and place for everything. And in the end, we won. It was just being excited for that and not worrying about me or my emotions or anything of that stuff. Just being a team player.”

Four nights later at Fresno State, McKinney provided the spark off the bench after his team’s lackluster first half, scoring all 12 of his points (on 5 of 6 shooting) after intermission. In his 13 second-half minutes, the Aztecs outscored the Bulldogs by 20.

It provided a small sense of what Saturday night might be like. Fresno State has Alex Crawford, a teammate of McKinney’s at Coronado.

Now he’ll face an entire roster of former teammates.

He went to USD’s preseason exhibition at Jenny Craig Pavilion and sat in the stands, which, he admit, was “different.”

“I still cheer on my guys from afar, of course,” McKinney said. “Those are still my brothers. I appreciate them for helping me develop into the guy I am. I’m proud of them. Whenever I can root them on, I will.

“But business is business. We have to play ball at the end of the day.”