AJ McGinnis - Never Doubt His Ability

AJ McGinnis - Lipscomb University

Nashville, TN

By Terry L. Watson

Photos Provided by AJ McGinnis

It’s almost as if he was born with a basketball in his hands.

Huntsville, AL, native AJ McGinnis says that his story is unique. “I started playing basketball straight out of the womb. God has blessed me with an amazing family, education, and gifts to succeed. I was raised by a family with three uncles who played basketball and my dad, Antonio McGinnis Sr, who played at Texas A&M University. It is a no brainier on why or how I picked up the ball at such an early age,” he says.

Growing up, AJ played a lot of basketball for the Boys & Girls Clubs in Huntsville. That experience sped up his development. Each day, AJ says he came home from school, and his mother, Kreslyn Kelley-Ellis, baptized him with soap and water, washing away the residue from running around the club all day. When he arrived at Buckhorn Middle School, basketball would take an even greater presence in his life. “We had a great team at Buckhorn, and we competed with some of the best middle schools in the surrounding areas. During this time, I also competed at a high level with the Bledsoe Ice and Madison County Warriors during AAU.”

AJ would only play in his freshman year at Buckhorn High, which included some big-time varsity games. After his freshman year, he decided to move to Madison and play for James Clemens High School. That is where AJ’s skill level began to improve.

AJ graduated from James Clemens in 2019 and later attended Link Year Prep in Branson, Missouri. At Link Year, AJ was able to acquire a good amount of interest from schools in the area. Once he finished his senior year, his recruitment came to a standstill. He says, “I did not have any more interest. That is when Adam Donyes, my coach at Link Year, showed interest in making me better and helping me achieve my dreams. Shortly after graduating, I made my decision to take a gap year. That decision really helped my body mature. I was in the gym a lot, and my game was getting better every day.”

His time at Link Year Prep was cut short due to Covid-19. Still, he was able to commit to playing at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, in Greensboro, NC. In the fall of 2020, AJ arrived at UNCG. There, as a Spartans Men’s Basketball team member, he won the Southern Conference Championship and the regular season title. In the spring of 2021, he entered the transfer portal to follow his coach, Wes Miller, to the University of Cincinnati. He played for UC for one year and moved on to Lipscomb University, where he currently attends and plays basketball. At Lipscomb, he has been a part of two 20-win seasons in consecutive years. AJ plans to graduate from Lipscomb with a General Studies Degree, with a heavy concentration in Communications, in May 2024. Not to be slowed down, AJ is currently in the transfer portal looking for my next home as a grad student.

The thing AJ says he loves most about sports is the fact that it brings people from all over the country together. “I’ve had the opportunity to travel all over the United States and the world because of basketball, and it has opened my eyes to new cultures, people, traditions, etc. I also love that it can be an outlet for people to express themselves in unique ways.”

God and his faith in God are the centerpiece of AJ’s life. He adds, “Nobody really knows this, but my family fought for everything that we have. My parents are prime examples of stand-up men and women. I saw their lives change before my eyes, and even today, I am still learning more from them. Through all my ups and downs, God has never changed and has continued to make way for me and those around me.”

Being overlooked as an athlete can sometimes conclude their career. In AJ’s case, that only fueled his fire. He says, “I always have been humble, but I know when people are trying to get over on me. My whole life, I have dealt with situations where I had been constantly looked over. That put a chip on my shoulder, and I was determined it would never happen again.”

While his time at UNC-G, UC, and Lipscomb University has come with great rewards, AJ admits that being away from home and family does take its toll. He says that while going through things, he can’t just go home and tell his mom to fix them. He adds, “I can’t go home and get love just by being in the presence of the people that raised me. Being a college athlete can be extremely hard sometimes because there are times when life hits, and you have to stay down and grind through it all.”