“I’ve always loved basketball. It’s something for me to enjoy away from people where I can just exist and not have to think.

My family is very basketball-oriented. My grandparents have been season ticket holders for the San Antonio Spurs for over 30 years, so I grew up around basketball. It wasn’t forced on me; it’s just a part of who I am. I played in leagues like the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA), summer camps, middle school basketball, Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) and high school basketball.

There’s a lot of different aspects of basketball I like, such as working as a team, but I also like how there are individual parts. So many different components work together, such as being stronger, faster and more skilled. I like how you can better yourself in so many ways.

I’ve met a lot of people that have changed my perspective on things. Coach Cedric Netty, the head assistant coach at Bellaire, helped me develop skills in basketball that could translate into real life, such as how to communicate and motivate others. There are different types of people and you have to learn different approaches to communication for everybody. With basketball, I’ve also become a lot better at handling adversity. Even though it’s hard, the adversity is always worth it and the feeling after is amazing.

A meaningful moment from basketball was getting praise from Coach Bruce Glover after four long years. I never stopped believing in myself, but for him to say it from such an honest and genuine place was nice. One time, he was like, ‘Micah always finds a way. Micah always finds a way.’ Sometimes he’ll say some hard things to you, but being used as a good example shows me that other people see what I’ve done.

In basketball, I don’t always agree with Coach Glover’s decisions, but I think he’s really prepared me for life. Knowing him has made me better in life and I really enjoyed playing for him. He’s taught me how to deal with things in the moment, push through and always find a way. There were multiple times where he tried to cut me because I was a small guard, which can be seen as a liability on defense. But I made up for it and now I’m one of the best defenders in the district—I ended up starting and getting in the all-star game. It wasn’t supposed to happen, but I found a way. He always lit a fire under me.

I’ve always been undersized in basketball, so that’s a challenge. There’s nothing I can do about that, but I’ve always found a way to make up for it. I’m always the fastest, one of the strongest and work the hardest. I do everything I can to make up for the things that I lack.

I was always told high school goes by fast, but you don’t really understand it until you’ve lived it. I didn’t value the little things like studying with friends at a coffee shop, being able to go to sports games with my friends or seeing my friends every day as much as I should have. A lot of senior year has been spent reflecting on all the good stuff that’s happened. Being able to miss something is a big blessing because it means you had something worth missing.”