Wake Forest Athletics
My Basketball Journey: Travis McKie
2/10/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 10, 2011
This article was originally published in the Jan. 29 edition of Wake Forest's basketball gameday magazine, which is given away at all men's basketball home games.
Q: When did you first start playing basketball?
A: When I was two, in the house with the little hoop and the basketball and it just carried on from there. I started off playing recreation first and then I went to AAU, and I just kept growing as a player and eventually it led me here.
Q: When did you first realize you were "good" at basketball?
A: When I was 12, that's when I started getting national recognition. When I started getting that I thought that I might be pretty good and better than what I think I am, so that made me motivated to get even better and work harder.
Q: Were you always one of the better and taller players on the court growing up playing basketball?
A: Yes. The only time that I wasn't one of the best players on the court was when I played pro-am my freshman year and I had to guard Ben Wallace and Reggie Williams. I was 14 years old, and I was so mad. I worked so hard for the next pro-am and the next summer, I was first in my pro-am, so I always use that as a stepping stone. I was pretty much always tall. I think I was 13 and 6'2" or 6'3", so I think I was always tall. I never had a tremendous growth spurt.
Q: What is the one area of your game that you have had to work the hardest on to improve?
A: Defense and ball handling, I'm still improving on those right now. I think when I was younger I was a great ball handler because I was so low to the ground, but now that I've grown it's more difficult, so I'm working mainly on that and defense. I get in the weight room because I didn't really lift a lot of weights in high school, but now I'm getting bigger, so I have to work on those few things to get better.
Q: What is the one area of your game that has just seemed to come naturally?
A: Rebounding is just an instinct of mine. I've always had a head for the ball, so I always go where the ball is. It's something that I just do very well.
Q: What is the best memory of your high school basketball career?
A: Being undefeated at home for three years. My sophomore year to my senior year we pretty much dominated the city, and we did everything but win the state title. That's the only thing that I regret, but everything else was great.
Q: What is the best memory of your AAU basketball career?
A: Playing in the national championship for 17 and under last summer. My last AAU game was the national championship, so you can't ask for any better than that. We lost, but it was a great experience.
Q: What made you decide to attend Wake Forest?
A: It was the best visit I took. For academics and basketball, it was one of the best things I ever could have done. My mom liked the school and I liked the school, so we waited a little while to see if I would still feel the same way after visiting some other schools, but I made the decision to come here.
Q: What do you see yourself doing after your basketball career is finished?
A: I think I'm going to major in business and communication; either opening a business, hopefully playing in the NBA, or just being successful somewhere.
