As told to Christian Mordi @thedribbledrop on Instagram / Twitter
I started playing basketball in 4th grade. My dad got me into basketball heavy. In 6th grade, I started taking the game more seriously. My coach told me that I needed to expand my game beyond just shooting and to work on my ball handling. I took on the challenge and dedicated myself fully to the game.
When it was time to go to high school, I chose Saddle River Day. I shadowed there for one day and I loved it. From the door, I knew it was a great choice. Saddle River Day is a family community. The coaching staff and players embraced me with open arms. My head coach has helped me grow so much as a player and person. He has helped me with my confidence level. We have a great relationship.
When I started playing AAU basketball on the high school level, I played for coach Walt and iExcel. He’s a great guy and coach. After my time there, I went on to play for the New Jersey Sparks. I loved it there. Playing for the Sparks has been a great experience. We play on the EYBL circuit against the best competition in the U.S. Playing on the EYBL definitely helped my recruiting. A ton of colleges reached out to me due to seeing me play on the circuit. My coach let me play my game and the NJ Sparks did a great job of putting together a great team loaded with talent. When you play on the circuit, every single coach is at your game.
My recruiting picked up a lot last year during my AAU season. The first major boost I saw was at the first session at Boo Williams during the live period. I had a couple really big games and things picked up fast for me.
I decided to not announce a top 5. I kept the recruitment low key. I wanted to keep things between my family for the most part. The main person in my corner in regards to my recruitment was my dad. He helped me through the process. In the end, I narrowed it down to three schools: Florida, Michigan and Harvard. I took my official visit to Harvard. I loved the campus and I liked the basketball program. I thought about it for a week or so, and decided to cut Florida off the list. I narrowed it down to Harvard and Michigan
I decided to go to the University of Michigan. Academically, I want to do business. They have one of the best business schools in America. Athletically, they are one of the best programs in America. I wanted a great school in regards to academics but I really needed a school with an top notch basketball program. That’s what I train for. To play against the best.
I also got to talk to a former New Jersey player that just graduated from Michigan named Katelynn Flaherty. She just became the all-time leading scorer in school history. Seeing someone who plays my position from Jersey go there and have a high level of success grabbed my attention. When I talked to her she always told me how much she loved the school and how she wouldn’t change anything here. I love the culture and I trust the coach. Seeing a girl from New Jersey go there and play at such a high level of success made me feel like I could go there and do it too.
Right now I want to turn my attention fully to training and winning a state championship. Last year winning Non-Public was nice, but we are all locked in and focused on the goal of going all the way this year.
There are so many people that helped me along the way in my basketball journey. To everyone, I want to say thank you for everything. I want to take time out to say a special thanks to my family and especially my dad. He’s been in my corner this entire time and helped me through the process. He’s been my go-to guy. Without him I couldn’t do it. I want to say thanks to my coach. I have known him since I was like 5 years old. He’s always trusted me and been there for me. He’s always supported me and I appreciate that for sure.
Go Wolverines,
Michelle