Report: Jimmy McKinney Jr. named Vashon boys basketball head coach

McKinney was a standout player at Vashon and played at the University of Missouri

Vashon boys basketball coach Jimmy McKinney / Photo by Nate Latsch, SBLive

The months-long search for the next boys basketball coach at Missouri powerhouse Vashon High School is over.

Taking over the Wolverines will be former Vashon standout Jimmy McKinney Jr., according to a post on X (formerly Twitter) from CBS Sports/247Sports College Football Analyst Carl Reed Jr.

McKinney was a standout player at Vashon under legendary coach Floyd Irons and went on to have a successful career at the University of Missouri, where he scored 1,146 points during his four-year career from 2002-06.

McKinney was the head coach at Kirkwood High School before leaving that position to take an assistant coaching role with his alma mater. His son, Jimmy McKinney III, was a freshman guard on Vashon's most recent state championship team and is already a Division I prospect with a scholarship offer from the Missouri Tigers.

McKinney takes over for Tony Irons, who left the position in May to become the head men's basketball coach at Mineral Area College. Irons won eight state championships during his time at Vashon, Madison College Prep and Imagine College Prep.

Irons went 216-38 in nine seasons in charge of the Wolverines and led Vashon's recent return to prominence after the St. Louis Public High League school had struggled following the retirement of his father, Floyd Irons.

When Irons left the Wolverines, McKinney seemed like a logical fit to take over. A few months later, the school came to the same conclusion.

Vashon defeated John Burroughs in the Missouri Class 4 championship game in March to win the Wolverines' fifth straight state title and 15th in school history. Irons' squad finished the 2023-24 season with a 26-6 record.

Vashon's semifinal victory over KC Central was highlighted by Jimmy McKinney III scoring 16 points off the bench, including three 3-pointers, in a 69-52 win.

"I don't think he realizes what he just did," Irons said of his freshman guard. "He's a special player. He works incredibly hard. So the moment isn't too big for him. We've been preaching the same thing all year. When you get to this time you're going to have different people step up in moments. I think this is going to be a moment that he's going to remember. Our team is happy for him as well because he gave us a huge spark in some situations where we were a little stagnant."

The older McKinney was asked for his thoughts on his son's big performance in the state semifinals.

"I can't really dwell in the moment right now," the elder McKinney said then. "Probably after we leave. I just told him he did a good job and we have one more game to go. But this is something that I see every day and something that he's really really comfortable with. So he's just got to continue to work."

Vashon 2027 guard Jimmy McKinney III / Photo by Nate Latsch, SBLive

The Wolverines lost some talent from last season's team, including 2025 big man Nicholas Randall, who transferred to Compass Prep in Arizona for his final high school season.

But Vashon's roster should still have plenty of talent going into the 2024-25 season.

In addition to Jimmy McKinney III, one of the top prospects in the sophomore class in Missouri, the Wolverines return senior guards Trey Williams Jr., Christian Williams and Dehrio McCaskill, all Division I prospects, along with junior guard and D-1 prospect Kain McCaskill. Dehrio McCaskill committed to Southern Illinois Edwardsville last month.

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- Nate Latsch |  latsch@scorebooklive.com