Hall of Fame
Sara McKinney was a four-year starting guard/small forward for the women’s basketball team from 2001-2005.
Once called “The Willie Mays of the PSAC” by an opposing coach, she was a three-time Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) All-American, four-time all-conference selection and three-time PSAC-West Athlete of the Year selection.
She becomes the third Hall of Fame member from Cal U’s 2004 NCAA national title team, joining 2009 inductees Becky Siembak ‘04 and Sameera Philyaw ’04. All three received Cal U’s highest athletic honor in their first year of eligibility.
“I was pretty excited when Becky called about seeing the new Hall of Fame was on the website,” McKinney said. “I really just wanted to play basketball and never expected all the achievements and goals that we were able to attain. This is a great honor.”
Making an immediate impact, McKinney averaged 17 points, 11 rebounds and six assists per game as a freshman while leading the 2001-2002 team to the program’s first-ever PSAC-West and PSAC championships. She became the first and only player in PSAC history to be named the division’s Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year in the same season. She was also the PSAC Tourney’s Most Valuable Player, helping the Vulcans reach the NCAA Division II Regional finals.
Despite missing seven games because of an injury, McKinney averaged 13 points and eight rebounds per game as a sophomore. Cal rolled to a 33-2 overall record, a perfect 12-0 PSAC-West mark and its second straight conference crown, advancing to the NCAA II Final Four.
During McKinney’s junior season, Cal attained the ultimate goal by winning the NCAA II National Championship with a school-best 35-1 overall record. A healthy McKinney averaged 18 points and nearly nine rebounds a game.
The quest for the coveted national title was longer then just that memorable season according to McKinney.
“That year really began when we lost to Northern Kentucky (45-43) my sophomore year in the semifinals,” she said. “We had a grudge. Our team had great chemistry. We were solid and we all wanted the same goal.”
Always playing at her best in the big games, she led all scorers with 26 points in Cal’s 75-72 national title game win over Drury, and she averaged 20 points and seven rebounds per game at the NCAA II Elite Eight tourney. Before hitting those marks, she produced per-game averages of 17 points and nine rebounds and 18 points and 13 rebounds at the NCAA Regional and PSAC tourneys, respectively.
“My teammates and I wanted it,” she said. “I did not want to let down the seniors. I just wanted to play for them and I knew I had to step it up as a leader and get the team started. That’s all I tried to do.”
Cal advanced to consecutive NCAA Elite Eight tourneys following dramatic regional championship home wins over Glenville after losing to the Pioneers on the road in the 2002 regional finals.
“It instantly became a rivalry because of how badly we were treated in Glenville,” said McKinney. “We got treated so bad, the crowd was hostile and we knew the only way to get the revenge we wanted was to host and be the top seed. That drove us.”
McKinney capped her brilliant career by leading the Vulans to a 26-6 overall record in 2004-2005 after averaging 18 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. Among her many awards included being selected as the 2005 Women’s Division II Bulletin Player of the Year. Five years later that publication listed her as the second Player of the Decade and Cal’s 2004 team as the decade’s finest.
Perplexingly, McKinney was only recruited by former Cal U head coach Darcie Vincent coming out of high school. Being overlooked by many inspired her.
“It motivated me a lot and people said I had a bad attitude,” McKinney said. “For years Tennessee and Connecticut came to see Swin Cash play in McKeesport and I was just five minutes and a bridge away but they did not come to see me or even Pitt. So I had something to prove to all those people who did not recruit me and show all of them what they passed up.”
McKinney lauded Vincent and associate head coach Heather Kearney.
“She’s a great coach who knew how touch my buttons and get me started,” McKinney said. “If I came out flat she knew exactly what to do to get me back on track. I respect her and Heather. They both know basketball so well. She took me under her wing, kept me out of trouble and prepared me.”
Overall, McKinney finished her career with 2,117 points, 1,204 rebounds, 882 field goals and 315 steals — all school records at the time. She was the first Cal U women’s basketball player to score more than 2,000 points and to pull down more than 1,000 rebounds as a Vulcan player.
During the McKinney era, Cal compiled a 119-15 (.888) cumulative record and 44-4 (.917) divisional mark with four PSAC-West titles, three PSAC championships, two National Four appearances and one National Championship.
Originally from Duquesne, Pa., and a graduate of Duquesne High School, McKinney was a four-year starter on her high school basketball team. Although her team didn’t make the playoffs, she received numerous awards. She also played baseball for one season.
After earning her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, McKinney played professional basketball for one season in the Netherlands. Single and a resident of Pittsburgh, she currently is pursuing a master’s degree in business management at DeVry University while also working as a chef at the University of Pittsburgh.
McKinney praised the overall support she received at Cal U rather then signaling out a certain individual.
It was a challenge coming from Duquesne to adjust to college life,” McKinney said. “But all my teachers were good influences and pushed me hard. I was not there just for basketball and wanted the college degree. The teachers, coaches and my friends were always there for me to help achieve the goal.”
Though maintaining or improving the team’s remarkable success each year was very difficult, McKinney looks back favorably on her overall collegiate experience.
“It felt like a bull’s eye on our back to keep that excellence each season but I really enjoyed going to school there,” she said. “Everyone knew who you were and the people were nice to you. I loved it.”
