Practically every basketball fan knows Julius Erving, the high-flying forward who starred in the ABA and the NBA in the 1970’s and 1980’s, taking the slam-dunk to another level. During the same era of Doctor J., Nurse J. made her mark in basketball. Before there was Cheryl Miller, Cynthia Cooper, Sheryl Swoopes and Flint’s Pam and Paula McGee and Tonya Edwards, there was Linnell Jones, a player ahead of her time.
The 1976 Northwestern High graduate dazzled crowds with her skill and athleticism that hadn’t been seen in the women’s game. Pound-for-pound, Jones, now Linnell McKenney, is possibly the best basketball player to come out of Flint.
“She was amazing,” said Larry Watkins, the Acting Director of Pupil Personnel Services for the Flint Schools. “She could go out and dominate the game against boys or girls, it didn’t matter. She was fearless. She could do it all – shoot, pass and create.”
“She is one of the best basketball players I’ve ever seen.”
Had McKenney, 48, been playing in the era of ESPN, coupled with the added emphasis on women’s athletics, she would’ve been regarded as a superstar. However, she is just as pleased to be recognized as a pioneer of women’s basketball in Flint, and an inductee tonight in the Greater Flint Area Sports Hall of Fame.
“It is an incredible honor,” said McKenney, who along with her husband, Ricky, a minister, have operated the New Direction Youth Program in Flint for 16 years. “I am proud to be a part of Flint’s great athletic tradition.”
McKenney was a phenomenon. In elementary school and junior high, she played on the boys’ teams. She averaged 27 points per game during her career at Northwestern. She had to be seen to be believed, explains Letia Hughley, the Northern High coach. “Where do I start?,” Hughley said. “She is one of the greatest players I’ve ever seen. She dominated the game. Her ball-handling, shooting, speed, and passing was superb. She could do everything. I was in awe watching her play.
“I loved the challenge of playing against her, because I knew if I could stay on the court with her, I could play with anyone.” Unfortunately, McKenney didn’t have many opportunities. Title IX was in its infancy and colleges didn’t place a priority on women’s athletics that they do today. In fact, McKenney enrolled at Ferris State without a scholarship.
“It’s great to see women’s basketball grow the way it has,” McKenney said. “Women now have so many opportunities to choose from. The only way for me to receive a full scholarship was to transfer to Kentucky State. At Ferris State, I had no scholarship. At Saginaw Valley State, I had a half scholarship.”
After college, McKenney played overseas professionally for six seasons in Viterbo, Italy and Vicenza, where she once had an 84-point game. She said a typical scoring average was 30 points per game. She also played for the St. Louis Streaks of the WBL in 1980-81 and averaged 10 points and 10 assists.
Although she enjoyed the competition overseas, being so far away was difficult.
“There were times when I was alone without my family,” McKenney said. “Only God could have kept me in the right frame of mind to continue on in times when I might have wanted to give up.”
“So without Christ, I would be nothing. I owe Him all the praise. I love the way God has blessed me to have a positive attitude about life in general. And with a positive attitude you can be or do anything in life.”
In addition to her mentoring program, McKenney writes a weekly column for The Journal called ‘Dream Big,’ where she encourages readers to seek the best that life has to offer. Perhaps the only thing more impressive than McKenney’s accomplishments on the court, is what she’s done off it. The McKenneys have made a positive difference for thousands of kids.
“I would need hours to tell how gratifying it is to have had an impact on young people as an athlete, and now through my ministry with my husband,” she said. “As a child, I have always had a dream to help young people. I had a traveling all-star team and we would travel to other schools play basketball, talk to the youth, and teach some basketball skills. It has been my heart’s desire to help young people.”
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