Gazette MVP: Sarah McKee is model of consistency in four years with Medina

Sarah McKee was very good when she began her high school basketball career and even better when she finished it. The only female player in Medina history to score at least 200 points in four straight seasons, the 6-foot-1 McKee finished her career with 1,042 points, which ranks third in school history, and used her attacking style to set program records in free throws made (301) and attempted (402). In her four years the Bees went 74-27, shared two Greater Cleveland Conference championships and made two Division I regional appearances. In her senior year Medina went 19-7, shared the GCC title and won the Northeast 4 District crown. For all those accomplishments — plus being a great team leader — McKee has been named Gazette MVP for the 2020-21 girls basketball season. "She set the pace in practice," Medina coach Karen Kase said. "She was the first one there. If you think of a coach's dream of someone showing up ready and knowing stuff, that's her. "She's not going to be showboaty about it or make a gesture, but if she got an and-one or made a big play, you could see a smirk on her face or a body language that said, 'I want the ball.' She grew into that, because she's not an alpha personality at all. She wants the team to get all the credit, but silently she knew she was our best player. She wanted the ball and loved that role." McKee, who will continue her career at D-II Ashland, is much more than a good basketball player. She's ranked fifth in a senior class of 531 students with a 4.7 grade-point average, scored a 28 on the ACT and plans to major in biochemistry, with the hope of going on to become a physician assistant. A self-described perfectionist, McKee averaged 8.7 points as a freshman, 10.0 as a sophomore, 13.9 as a junior and 11.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.9 blocks as a senior. She shot .383 from the field (85-for-222), .387 on 3-pointers (12-for-31) and .774 at the line (101-for-133) this season while attempting double-digit shots just nine teams in the 24 games in which she appeared. "I'm definitely competitive," McKee said. "Even in practice, something drives me, even in little drills. Small things, like missing a few free throws, it's something I would get mad at myself about and try to correct it. It can definitely be good. Sometimes I can be a little too hard on myself, but it helped build me into the player I am today, because I had to work really hard to continue to get better." A team captain and leader, McKee took pride in helping the Bees develop tight bonds. When sophomore post player Mylie Roberts moved from Washington state to Medina in August and was scared to death about attending a new high school, McKee was the first future teammate she met while working out at Elite Training Performance. "She was super welcoming and told me all about the team," Roberts said. "She embraced me and allowed me to be a part of it. She really helped me be myself on the team. She embraced me into the culture, into the team. She introduced me to people on the team. I felt included and a bigger part of Medina overall because of her." Point guard Aly Dwyer and power forward Shannon Wojciak, both seniors, go back way longer than that with McKee. Since third grade, they've witnessed the intensity she brings to practice, the facial expressions she makes when things aren't going well and the camaraderie she helped all her teams develop. "She's really selfless and is a quiet leader but an amazing one," Dwyer said. "She's really humble and a great player overall. She's up there for competitiveness, because she always wants to win. It's been a blessing to be a part of her journey throughout this. She's grown into such a great player and person." Wojciak concurred. "She was always going 100% in practice and games," she said. "She doesn't show it much, but she's very competitive. She has these facial expressions she makes sometimes when she's getting upset, but she always goes hard. Sometimes Sarah does not agree with the refs' calls. You will see that come out of her, which is funny, because Sarah doesn't usually act like that." Just 145 pounds as a freshman, McKee worked hard in the weight room and is now a solid 165. In addition to basketball, she ran cross country for four years and lettered in track as a freshman. Her favorite memories include playing at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, helping the Bees win a tournament title in Florida as a sophomore and, above all else, the friendships she developed with teammates. "Team chemistry is so important," McKee said. "It shows on the court. This year we all got along. It showed in the way everyone was unselfish. We didn't care who got the credit or the points as long as we were all doing it together." Contact Rick Noland at (330) 721-4046 or rnoland@medina-gazette.com. Follow him @RickNoland on Twitter.