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McKines hopes to sign early

If Richmond High's (Calif.) Wendell McKines has it his way, he will sign a letter of intent this fall. After leading the region in scoring at 32.5 points to go along with 14.1 rebounds and 3.8 blocks per game this past season, the 6-foot-5, 230 pound forward has received his fair share of attention from college coaches.
"I'd like to commit before my senior season starts, so that I can concentrate on school," said the No. 4 ranked prospect in Northern California.
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McKines is prepared to take his game anywhere. "I want to go somewhere that will make me a better basketball player and a better person. Where the school is located is irrelevant. I'm open to anything," he continued.
Schools showing interest include Washington State, Nevada, USF, St. Mary's, Wyoming, Arizona, and San Diego State. Scholarships have already been offered to McKines by USF, St. Mary's, and Nevada.
In addition to attending ABCD camp this summer, McKines will be playing for Shakur Village, once again teaming up with Eli Holman, his Richmond High teammate who was suspended for the bulk of this past season. Without Holman in the lineup, a huge part of the scoring burden fell on the McKines' shoulders. Undaunted, McKines accounted for over 40% of the Oilers' points.
Richmond High coach Rob Collins comments about the intensity of his star forward. "[Wendell] is the most explosive player I've ever seen at the high school level," said Collins. "He attacks the rim more than anyone in Northern California. He wants to dunk everything."
In a 105-84 victory over Berkeley, the prolific scorer sent home fifteen crowd-pleasing dunks.
However, the season ended somewhat unceremoniously. In what turned out to be the last game of his junior campaign, McKines received two technical fouls late in the fourth quarter of his team's 63-40 loss to Montgomery in the North Coast Section finals. Hence, he was ineligible to play in the first round of the NorCal regional tournament, where the Oilers' lost 85-51 to Palo Alto.
McKines will have all spring and summer to think about what could have been. "I think that Wendell is going to come back next year trying to prove something," said Collins. "The kid is a winner. He absolutely loves to win."
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