Trying to Decide His Net Worth

Matt McKinney is 6 feet 8 and 200 pounds, with long arms and a 36-inch vertical leap.

He’s one of the top high school volleyball players in the nation. In basketball, he could easily play in the Pacific 10 Conference.

College coaches in both sports have been making trips to Santa Ynez High, trying to convince McKinney what’s best for his future.

He’s torn between his love for basketball and his natural talent for volleyball.

“That’s definitely what the issue is,” he said. “I consider myself, and other people consider me, the No. 1 or No. 2 player in the country for volleyball. When you have that sitting on your shoulders, it’s tough to just quit. But I’ve always loved basketball and really like it more than volleyball.”

If only he had a crystal ball and could take a peek into the future.

As a junior, McKinney averaged 22 points and 13 rebounds in basketball. In volleyball, he helped Santa Ynez win its third consecutive Southern Section Division III championship.

Not since Jud Buechler played for Poway High in San Diego 15 years ago has Southern California produced a better volleyball-basketball prospect.

With Nov. 14 the first day to sign a letter of intent, McKinney remains undecided not only on a college choice but what sport to pursue.

“It sounds very familiar,” said Buechler, who plays for the Phoenix Suns.

In 1986, Buechler was an All-American volleyball player with basketball aspirations. He was recruited by the nation’s top volleyball programs--UCLA, Pepperdine and Stanford. But he fell in love with Arizona and Coach Lute Olson on a basketball recruiting trip. The Wildcats didn’t have a volleyball team.

“It just seemed the right fit,” he said. “I had worked real hard at my basketball and wasn’t willing to sacrifice that. I wanted to give basketball 100% of my effort and concentration.”

He experienced dreams he never imagined in basketball, playing 11 years and counting in the NBA. He briefly played professional beach volleyball during the NBA off-season, joining a four-man team. But volleyball lost out in the end.

McKinney is weighing all his options. Arizona State, UC Santa Barbara, UC Irvine and Pepperdine are offering him basketball scholarships. UCLA and USC are offering him volleyball scholarships.

Bruin Coach Steve Lavin is considering whether to offer him a basketball scholarship. McKinney could play volleyball and basketball at any of the schools except Arizona State, which doesn’t play volleyball.

Complicating McKinney’s decision is that Pepperdine volleyball Coach Marv Dunphy has told people at Santa Ynez that McKinney is good enough to be a candidate to make the 2004 or 2008 U.S. Olympic volleyball teams.

One thing is certain for those passing the wineries, horse ranches and Danish pastry shops of Solvang on their way to Santa Ynez: McKinney won’t give up basketball.

Since he was old enough to hold a ball as an infant, he has been playing basketball. He lived in Woodland Hills until the fifth grade, when his parents had safety concerns about raising their only child in a big city.

They packed their bags, headed up the 101 freeway past Santa Barbara and moved to a ranch with horses in quiet, secluded Santa Ynez.

McKinney wouldn’t have tried out for volleyball if not for the success Santa Ynez High had in the sport, with six Southern Section championships since 1992.

“Every great athlete at the school plays volleyball because there’s a history of winning [section titles],” he said.

McKinney was an immediate success in volleyball. His thick arms and natural instincts made him a prolific passer. He started to commute more than two hours to Los Angeles to play on a top club team. He received rave reviews at Santa Ynez, which includes U.S. national team members George Roumain and Andy Witt among its graduates.

“Matt is one of the premier hitters in the country,” Santa Ynez volleyball Coach Chip Fenenga said. “Sometimes I call him ATM for his nickname because he’s money whenever we need to go to him. This year, we’ll rename him SportsCenter. He’s just going to be a highlight film.”

Ask McKinney what he enjoys most--dunking a basketball or spiking a volleyball--and his answer is easy.

“When you dunk on somebody, it’s the greatest feeling ever,” he said. “Nothing’s better.”

He had more than 40 dunks last season. His most memorable dunk came in the final league game. McKinney got hit in the mouth, chipping a tooth.

“I threw it away and was so angry,” he said. “The next time down, I posted up on the guy, got the ball, turned on him and boom.”

Lucky for McKinney, a dentist was sitting a couple rows in front of his mother and offered to fix his tooth. They went to the dentist’s office, fixed the tooth and he was able to make it to a school dance the same night.

McKinney wonders how good he could become in basketball if he devoted all his time to the sport.

“I feel if I focused on one sport, I could be unbelievable,” he said.

But which sport will he choose?

“I’ve talked to so many people that I’m sick of talking to people about it,” he said. “I think mainly what it’s going to come down to is how much I like the school and the players.”

Whatever happens, he’s looking forward to college.

“Being secluded in a little town, I can’t wait to get to a big city where I can be set free,” he said.

He keeps looking for a sign and waiting for a gut feeling to tell him what to do.

“I want it to just click,” he said.

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Eric Sondheimer can be reached at eric.sondheimer@latimes.com