BUDA — Since moving to 6A in 2022, the Moe & Gene Johnson High School boys basketball team has been seeing major success, winning its district title in the 2022-23 season and starting this season near the top of the district, once again.

Competing in a district with Texas high school powerhouses, such as Westlake and Lake Travis high schools, Johnson has very quickly shut down any doubt about a new school being able to compete with the top programs and cemented the school as a top Austin area school. Senior Sam Mckinney has been one of the Jaguars’ top players and is a clear example of all of the factors to the school’s recent success.

Committed to play basketball at St. Edward’s University in Austin, Mckinney has been doing this from the start, having played the sport since he was 9 years old. The senior forward was drawn to the game by his father: “[He] introduced me to it and I fell in love,” Mckinney said.

Since then, Mckinney has been a phenomenal player, scoring more than 1,000 career points and becoming one of the premiere players on his team. He has also benefited from the media, having been covered and featured in an Austin American-Statesman article after a game winning tip-in against Westlake and being featured on various social media accounts that cover Texas high school sports.

However, this didn’t come effortlessly. In order to be successful on the court, a player has to learn and really put in the work and Mckinney perfectly explained this when describing how he’s learned throughout his playing career so far.

“[You] have to give it your all in the moment. Try to have the least amount of regrets possible … And know you gave the sport your all when the time was needed,” he said.

Despite all of this, Mckinney has put his focus on working towards a successful career and his team. When asked about his favorite moment playing high school basketball, the senior wing described the moment Johnson won a district championship, “[It was] our first year in 6A and we proved everyone wrong and it felt like all of the hard work in my life paid off and was showing, ” he said.

Even with all of the possible distractions that may come, Mckinney makes sure to put any sort of selfishness to the side and put his team first, as well as friends and family when off the court.

The St. Edward’s commit is also working to pursue a career in business and entrepreneurship.

“My future goals outside of basketball are to be a successful businessman/entrepreneur and become successful and provide for my family,” Mckinney said.

While the Johnson senior wants to play professionally after attending college, he also wants to ensure he still keeps a healthy balance between basketball and his career.

“I balance basketball with my career by knowing when to lock in and work on the sport and [by] knowing when it’s time to rest [and] focus on my business goals,” Mckinney explained.

In an era of high school sports where the athletes are more showcased than ever, by staying focused on basketball and managing responsibilities outside of the sport, Johnson senior Mckinney is able to provide a solid example to student athletes on how to be successful.