CARTERVILLE (WSIL) -- Mario McKinney has been a nice addition to the John A Logan men's basketball roster.
Through four games he's averaging 28 points and already has division one coaches calling.
"You go to go get it," McKinney said. "Nothing in St. Louis is handed to you. You got to really go get it on your own. You got to get it out the mud."
It's a toughness that allows Mario McKinney to stay hungry, fight through adversity and focus big picture.
"I'm trying to feed my family. That's the whole reason I'm playing basketball is to try and get my family from out of St. Louis so every time I go out there I play with a chip on my shoulder. A winning mentality. Every time I go out there I got to win."
Mario, who goes by Rio, was a highly recruited guard out of St. Louis. Signed with Missouri, but didn't get much playing time with the Tigers. With John A Logan, Rio has been able to thrive.
"It's been an unbelievable transition for him as a person, as a player, control the controllables as we say, attitude and effort," John A. Logan Men's Basketball Coach Kyle Smithpeters said. "Those are the two things he's concentrated on severely for the last two months and has developed himself into a great leader which we always knew was there. Obviously, he can play."
"I just make sure I keep the game under control, make sure I've got everybody in the right spots, making sure I'm being a point guard," McKinney said."
There was a lot said about him on social media, but he pays that no attention.
"I really haven't been on social media, I've been taking time away from social media," McKinney said. "I've been locked in, coming in here and getting extra shots up, getting my teammates to come in and get extra shots up, just stuff like that, I've really been locked in."
If you meet him in person, he's all smiles, very polite. On the Court a switch goes off. He's a competitor. He plays at speed that is like no other.
"We've talked to Mario about adjusting, going from first gear to fourth gear, second to fifth," Smithpeters said. "He now has that ability to stay in control and use it more as a burst than an overall speed. When you have a guy like that to be able to make a pass, set a screen, come back to the basketball and rip a basket, it's really, really hard to stay in front."
