Father of Michigan basketball star Trey McKenney talks son's freshman year journey at Final Four

Some of Michigan's biggest fans are heading to Indianapolis to cheer on the Michigan Wolverines in the Final Four this weekend.

However, no one will be cheering louder than the athletes' parents. CBS News Detroit spoke with the father of freshman Trey McKenney to learn about what led him to the Wolverines and the Final Four.

McKenney had many options coming out of high school. He was the top recruit coming out of Michigan in the class of 2025. He chose to stay home and join the team that his father, John McKenney II, says he always dreamed of playing with.

"The way he is as a person, how driven he is as a young man, is why me as a father, I'm not surprised with anything he does," said John McKenney II.

From Flint to freshman phenom, John McKenney II says his son is always ready when the lights are brightest.

"The bigger the game, the better he plays. The bigger the situation, the better he plays. There's no mountain really big enough to stop him," he said.

He says Trey grew up enamored with the Wolverines program, starting with another legendary Michigan guard who shared his name.

"When he first really started following basketball, following Tre Burke's journey. A lot of it is the last 10-15 years Michigan has probably been the more successful team," John McKenney II said.

Breaking a trend of players from his area who often choose the Wolverines' biggest rivals in East Lansing, Trey set his sights on Ann Arbor. John McKenney II says he sees his son carving his own path, the same way Flint native and Michigan legend Glenn Rice did.

"The cherry on top would be a championship, so to see my son, the first kid from Flint since Glenn to attend Michigan, it would mean that much more," he said.

It's no surprise how he expects Trey's freshman year to end, either.

"I expect us to win it all. Go Blue," he said.

The Wolverines have been leaning on McKenney more than ever since LJ Cason's season-ending injury, especially in the NCAA Tournament. Only in the blowout against Tennessee in the Elite Eight did he log fewer than 20 minutes, and he matched his second-best scoring output of the season with 17 points when Michigan needed it most against Alabama in the Sweet 16. 

However, the job's not finished, and it continues Saturday night against Arizona.