SHELBY: | A Legacy Worth Sharing |

Two of the top five all-time scoring leaders in the nation both play in the same league at Shelby Lifetime Fitness in Michigan. Rivals in Shelby’s veterans league, teammates in the recreational league. Jason Sawinski ranks 2nd in scoring with 6,072 points. While Mckinsey Golfin is at the 5th spot at 5,973 points. Both players have titles under their belt, with their own teams in the veterans’ league. Also in our rec league, especially their back-to-back championship run with Performance Issues. In nature, friends tend to try to be better than each other. It’s all just fun competition, just to get an edge on your buddy, and tease them about it, we all know how that goes. The question that is at hand is how two good friends play together, knowing in the back of their minds that they both will be the top players of all time that competed in Ultimate Hoops.


Q: Describe your relationship with each other throughout your careers at Ultimate Hoops.

Jason: Well our relationship between each other has stayed the same but our roles have changed. We have very high expectations for one another and for ourselves. Whether we say it or not we will walk away from a loss taking the blame for not doing enough to help the team win, even though we may have. Kenzie has always been a leader and always tried to keep everyone involved even though he could score at will. I was always the quiet one. I would just always try and do everything myself instead of brining everyone along. Kenzie is more likely to take the game into his own hands on an important possession now and I’ve been more likely to get everyone involved and make smarter plays. So things have changed a little.

Mckinsey: My relationship with Jason has been a good one. We’ve been through some good and tough times, majority of them good with championship wins. Once we separated, it was good to see him get back in the league and keep playing. I then took time off from Ultimate Hoops due to my schedule and he continued to play and progress. Now we’re back to playing together in the rec league.

Q: You both are in a tight race, in all-time scoring in the nation. How do you put aside that and play together knowing that one of you guys will have more points than the other in certain games throughout the season?

Mckinsey: I don’t care about whose scoring on my team. I sometime shave to yell at him to shoot the ball at times. When we are playing on the same team, that doesn’t even cross my mind. I do whatever it takes to win the game and honestly Jason does too. If there is one thing I wish he would do is be more vocal on the court. That’s important

Jason: As far as personal accolades go. There will never be a time when he or I will sacrifice winning for our team to attain a personal achievement. We will always do the right thing.

Q: Both of you are very close in career shooting percentage. Jason you’re at 53%, Mckinsey you’re at 54%, again very close. You both can hit the three ball, and also get points in the paint. Who is the better scorer between you two?


Jason: As far as comparing our skill sets. We both are unique players who can score efficiently in variety of ways. We both have a signature move that everyone knows is coming but can’t stop from a go-to hook shot, or a certain crossover to make a play against our opponents. The main reason for our success has been that we both create mismatches against most of the teams we play. Kenzie is too strong for a guard who is just as quick to defend, and my ability to shoot and drive makes it hard to put a true big man on me. As far as who is better I’m just going to say we are equal. Kenzie is probably the popular choice since everyone treats me like the bully (Mckinsey and Jason share laughs).

Mckinsey: I don’t think that it’s necessarily who’s the better scorer because we play two different positions. He’s good at scoring in his most dominant position and that’s down low. But he can also stretch the defense and shoot the three. Myself, I have to get it the best way I can, either on the drive or outside the perimeter. So I have to switch it up a lot of times to keep the defense guessing. So I wouldn’t say I’m better than him, but just a bit more polished.

Q: When it is all set and done, most likely both of you are going to be the top two in points in the nation. Who is going to finish first?

Mckinsey: I don’t know if I’ll ever finish over Jason but it’s just good to see it and know that we both helped each other out in our careers and we can look back at this as an accomplishment of being two of the best scorers in Ultimate Hoops history.

Jason: I think it is going to be a lock that Kenzi and I will be number one and two all-time in scoring at least for the foreseeable future. It’s defiantly an honor considering the talent in the leagues across the country and considering there are something like fourteen thousand players. Besides our talent, it’s also takes dedication to playing. We’ve played through injuries, team turmoil and personal events. We always stayed committed to our teams. There is a lot talented players that we play against right now who I could see passing us if they stay committed and healthy. As far as who will finish on top I do not know. It would only be fitting for us to retire tied in points (both share laughs). There is a chance I could be the leading rebounder in history and Kenzie could finish in assists. Maybe that will keep us both satisfied. At a minimum I think that the league should induct us both into the Ultimate Hoops Hall of Fame together. It would only be fitting.


Mckinsey Golfin and Jason Sawinski have a bye week in the Rec League this Wednesday, but will face off against each other this Saturday as the Hooter Warriors take on the Pistons as the legacy continues of these two future hall of famers, that all of us here in Detroit have been able to watch play here at Shelby Lifetime.