For sophomore Mikayla Brown, basketball is not just a game; it’s the standard in the Brown household. This is what drove her to pursue her basketball dreams and outwork her peers to become the star player.

“Seeing my older brother play sparked that love for basketball for me,”  Mikayla Brown said. 

Although she started at 10 years old, which is a late age for most basketball players, Brown credits late nights playing with her dad and brother to helping her improve quickly. 

“I wanted to beat them every time; it’s what drove me to hone my skills and outwork everyone,” Brown said. 

In only the 7th grade, she was already playing up on the Girl’s high school varsity team.

“It was a struggle at first when I first started playing up,” Brown said. “The game moved faster, other girls were bigger, faster, stronger, but those early struggles made me the player I am today,” Brown said.  

Since overcoming those struggles, Brown has flourished into a star for the program; in her fourth year on the team, she averaged 24.8 points per game. Brown believes this success would have never happened without the help of former and current teammates. 

“You can’t win a basketball game yourself; you need teammates to help you on and off the court to succeed,” Brown said. 

For the team, the season marked a change, with new head coach Jahsim Monk joining the program and a majority of players in their first season with the team.

“We all gained each other’s trust fast,” Brown said. “Whether it be a coach’s trust in a player or a virus, by mid-season we knew what we had and what our jobs were,” Brown said.  

Even though the season is over for Brown and her team, she has already started working on her game and her goals for next season.

“My personal goal for the team next year is to win in the playoffs. I’m willing to do whatever it takes to achieve this goal,” Brown said.