Toney McCray

• 2012 University of Nebraska Graduate

 

2011-12 (Senior)
McCray put together the best season of his Husker career in 2011-12, setting personal bests in both scoring (9.9 ppg) and rebounding (4.6 rpg), as he was second on the team in both categories. The 6-foot-6 guard also was third on the team in steals (1.0 per game) while averaging a career-best 27.3 minutes per contest. McCray shot 33 percent from 3-point range (33-of-102) and a career-high 72.7 percent from the charity stripe during his senior campaign.

He played out of position for most of the year, sliding into the forward spot when Jorge Brian Diaz suffered a foot injury in December. He started the final 21 games, averaging 10.8 points and 5.1 rebounds per contest, after averaging 7.9 points and 3.3 rebounds per game coming off the bench. McCray reached double figures in 15 contests, including seven straight games once he moved into the starting lineup. The stretch began with a 20-point, seven-rebound effort against Alcorn State on Dec. 17, and had 16 points and nine rebounds against No. 11 Wisconsin on Dec. 27. McCray led NU with 13 points and five rebounds at No. 6 Ohio State and had 16 points and five rebounds at Northwestern on Feb. 2. In the first matchup with Minnesota, he totaled 15 points and six rebounds.

During non-conference play, McCray had three straight games where he tied or set season highs, including 15 points and five rebounds at No. 22 Creighton on Dec. 4. He also had 12 points in Nebraska's games against South Dakota and Wake Forest.

McCray closed his career strong, totaling 14 points at Minnesota on March 3 before totaling 13 points and eight rebounds in a loss to Purdue in the Big Ten Tournament. McCray led the Huskers in rebounds and assists (four) in the setback to the Boilermakers.  

McCray was limited in his summer work following surgery on both feet and also missed time at the start of the year because of a toe injury.

2011-12: Totaled 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting and led NU in both rebounds (eight) and assists (four) in the Huskers' loss to Purdue in the Big Ten Tournament....Reached double figures for the first time since Feb. 5 at Minnesota when he had 14 points and four rebounds...Finished with eight points in 20 minutes at Purdue...Totaled all eight of his points in a 19-2 spurt to open the second half against Illinois, while also adding four rebounds...Finished with 15 points, six rebounds and tied a career high with three blocked shots against Minnesota...Matched his high in Big Ten play with 16 points, including a trio of 3-pointers, while adding three assists and five rebounds in the loss at Northwestern...Led Nebraska with eight rebounds and scored all eight of his points in the final 9:30 to help Nebraska rally at Iowa...Keyed Nebraska's comeback with 11 points, including six in the final 6:32, as the Huskers rallied from an 11-point deficit to defeat No. 11 Indiana...Saw his string of double-figure efforts end at seven, as he finished with seven points and team highs in both rebounds (six) and steals (three) at Wisconsin...Was one of four Huskers to finish in double figures in the win over Penn State, totaling 13 points and grabbing five rebounds...His 13-point night was his seventh straight game in double figures, the longest stretch of his career and also the longest by a Husker in 2011-12....Had eight points in the second half including a 3-pointer that gave the Huskers an 18-point lead at 62-44 with 5:09 remaining...Finished with 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting and six rebounds in the loss at Illinois...Led Nebraska with 13 points and five rebounds and two assists in the loss at No. 6 Ohio State...Reached double figures for the fourth consecutive game, finishing with 14 points and six rebounds against No. 16 Michigan State...Led NU with 16 points and 9 rebounds in the loss to No. 11 Wisconsin...finished with 11 points and had then season-bests in both rebounds (8) and assists (3) vs. Central Michigan...made his first start of the year against Alcorn State and finished with a season-high 20 points, going 9-of-11 from the floor and grabbing seven rebounds...Finished with eight points in 26 minutes off the bench in the win at TCU...had nine points on 4-of-6 shooting and three rebounds vs. Florida Gulf Coast...set a season high for the third straight game with 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting at No. 22 Creighton on Dec. 4...Totaled double figures for the second straight game with 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting against Wake Forest in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge...Provided a spark in the win over South Dakota State, putting up 12 points and six rebounds after scoring just 11 points in Nebraska's first four contests...Had four points in the win at USC, but hit a pair of free throws in the final minute of regulation and then tied the game with two free throws with 2.8 seconds left in the first overtime...Hit 4-of-6 shots and grabbed six rebounds in the season opener against South Dakota.

2010-11 (Junior)
McCray enjoyed a strong season after elbow surgery, averaging 8.5 points per game while playing in all 32 games. He chipped in 4.0 rebounds per game and ranked third on the team in both assists (1.3) and steals (1.0) per game while connecting on a team-high 41 percent from 3-point range.

He got off to a slow start as he dealt with plantar fasciitis, averaging 4.4 points in the Huskers' first nine contests before Nebraska shifted to a four-guard lineup in early December, a move that coincided with the Huskers' 11-game win streak.
His breakout performance came against TCU, when he came off the bench for 15 points and 10 rebounds. McCray, who was 4-for-4 from long range, scored 12 of his 15 points in the second half, including a pair of 3-pointers in a 13-0 run that put the game away. He followed that effort with a career-high 11 rebounds in 20 minutes of action against Eastern Washington.

Those performances moved McCray into the starting lineup, where he averaged 10.3 points per game over the Huskers' final 20 games. He was in double figures 11 times after reaching double digits just once in non-conference play, and his average of 11.5 points per game in Big 12 play was second on the squad. He shot 47 percent from the floor and was among the conference leaders in 3-point shooting percentage (.433, fifth) and steals (1.4, eighth).

McCray opened conference action by averaging 14.0 points per game in NU's first four games, including 17 points at Missouri, and matched his career best with 18 points and snared eight rebounds against Colorado on Jan. 18. He scored just 28 points over the next four games before coming up with the best offensive night of his career with 23 points, including a trio of 3-pointers, and seven rebounds at Baylor on Feb. 9. While he provided NU with a consistent offensive threat, his effort on the defensive end keyed the Huskers' biggest win of the season, as he held first-round draft pick Jordan Hamilton to 3-of-16 shooting from the floor in a 70-67 win over No. 3 Texas. McCray reached double figures in five of his final six Big 12 games and had 11 points in NU's one-point loss to Oklahoma State in the Big 12 Tournament.

2009-10 (Sophomore)
McCray played in just three games before having surgery to fix the ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow.  He averaged 6.3 points and 4.0 rebounds per contest while hitting 53.3 percent from the field. His best game came at Saint Louis when he had nine points and eight rebounds.

2008-09 (Redshirt Freshman)
McCray averaged 5.7 points and 2.8 rebounds per game in his first season of action. He shot 45.4 percent from the floor, including 34.5 percent from long range.

McCray opened with a flurry, scoring 17 points and grabbing nine rebounds in the season opener against San Jose State, helping him earn Big 12 Rookie-of-the-Week honors. From there, McCray scored in double figures three more times in the non-conference slate, all in a four-game span. He posted 12 points against NCAA Tournament participant Alabama State, 13 at Oregon State and 11 vs. IPFW, hitting 15-of-26 shots from the field in that stretch. McCray's solid play helped him earn three starts at the end of non-conference play, against South Carolina State, Maryland Eastern Shore and Florida A&M. He hit 7-of-15 shots from the floor in that stretch, including nine points, four rebounds and a career-best four steals against UMES.

Despite a dip in playing time early in league action, McCray averaged 17 minutes per game down the stretch while posting several key baskets that helped Nebraska to a .500 record in league play for the first time in a decade. McCray started his strong finishing stretch by hitting three of his field-goal attempts and adding a blocked shot in 13 minutes at Colorado. Two of his baskets came late in the game and stopped a pair of Husker scoring droughts, as NU snuck out a 55-53 road victory.  In the Huskers' next contest, McCray  played a big role in NU's 58-55 win over No. 16 Texas, hitting 4-of-7 shots while grabbing five rebounds and two steals in the upset. McCray ended the regular season on a high note, earning his second Big 12 Rookie-of-the-Week accolade in the final week of the season. After scoring just four points against Iowa State in the home finale, McCray set a season high with 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting in a road victory at Baylor. He added four boards, two blocks and two steals.

2007-08 (Freshman)
McCray redshirted in his first year at Nebraska.

Before Nebraska
McCray came on strong during his senior season and was a fast-rising prospect before becoming the Huskers' final signee in 2007. He averaged 16 points, six rebounds and 2.5 assists per game in 2006-07 for Fort Bend Elkins High School. McCray helped Elkins to a 31-5 record as a senior and a No. 5 ranking in the state. Elkins won the district title and reached the third round of the state tournament.

McCray was named the Most Valuable Player in the district and earned first-team all-district accolades in 2006-07. McCray also earned all-region honors from the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches and was ranked among the top 20 recruits in the state according to texashoops.com.

McCray did not play basketball during his junior season as he was held out while undergoing examinations for a medical condition. The testing was necessary as his older brother, Jason, died from an enlarged heart in 1998 at age 19. Jason was a defensive end on the Navy football team and was on a summer cadet cruise that stopped in Boston where he was playing pickup basketball when he collapsed and passed away.

Personal
Toney is the son of Valda and Tony McCray, and was born on April 13, 1989. He has one sister, Danielle. His cousin is former Nebraska quarterback Steve Taylor. After missing his junior season, McCray was not heavily recruited, but saw considerable late interest from major programs like Georgia, UConn, Washington State and Baylor before choosing Nebraska. McCray majors in sociology and received his degree from Nebraska in May of 2012.

		Minutes		Total			3-Point			F-Throws			Rebounds
Year	gp-gs	min	avg	fg	fga	pct	fg	fga	pct	ft	fta	pct	off	def	tot	avg	pf	fo	ast	t/o	blk	stl	pts	avg
2008-09	30-3	492	16.4	69	152	.454	10	29	.345	24	41	.585	17	66	83	2.8	48	0	19	39	18	24	172	5.7
2009-10	3-0	56	18.7	8	15	.533	2	4	.500	1	2	.500	2	10	12	4.0	3	0	2	3	0	1	19	6.3
2010-11	32-22	720	22.5	102	225	.453	35	86	.407	32	50	.640	34	103	137	4.3	70	1	42	61	6	32	271	8.5
2011-12	30-21	818	27.3	112	252	.444	33	102	.324	40	55	.727	37	101	138	4.6	81	4	38	67	12	30	297	9.9
TOTAL	95-46	2086	22.0	291	644	.452	80	221	.362	97	148	.655	90	280	370	3.9	202	5	101	170	36	87	759	8.0