Middlebrooks, McGregor explain why North Idaho is the perfect fit for basketball
Some athletes have NCAA Division I talent written all over them, and North Idaho College has been the stepping stone for many students in years past.
Michael Middlebrooks, a 6-foot-9 freshman power forward, has helped the team reach an 18-4 record. Middlebrooks is 19 years old, wears number 15 and is pursuing general studies. His hometown is Seattle and he went to Rainier Beach High School.
Middlebrooks said that he wasn’t qualified for NCAA Division I because of his final high school transcripts. NIC ended up being the best school for him.
“The coaches seemed nice,” Middlebrooks said. “I didn’t want to go to a big school right off the bat. I liked the area and the surroundings so that’s what brought me to NIC.”
Middlebrooks didn’t start playing basketball until his junior year of high school.
Being from Seattle, Middlebrooks said that basketball in the metropolis is extremely competitive. That environment allowed him to develop his skills quicker than if he was to grow up in a city like Coeur d’Alene.
“When we got together to play in Seattle, we always came at each other pretty hard,” Middlebrooks said. “It was very competitive each night we played.”
Growing up in Seattle was rough for Middlebrooks, since his mother was a single parent of 11 children.
“My mother didn’t have the best of jobs, but she did what she could to provide for us,” Middlebrooks said. “I’m the second-oldest in my family, but also the first to go to college. So I’m trying to be the best role model that I can be for my family.”
Middlebrooks said that his favorite type of music is rap and R&B. Sometimes before a game Middlebrooks said he likes to get pumped up, but most of the time he likes to keep relaxed.
Pregame music is just a small part of Middlebrooks’s game, though. He said he has faith in this year’s team.
“I think we have the pieces, and that we have so much depth that we could win it all,” Middlebrooks said. “We are building better chemistry. I like the guys on my team and we are building a family bond.”
Middlebrooks is being scouted by Gonzaga University. He recently went to a couple of games, met head coach Mark Few and had the players show him the locker room.
“I really like Gonzaga and I’m really considering it, but I guess I’m going to go to the best fit for me like how I chose to come to NIC.”
“Michael is probably the best defensive player in the conference because of the way he can change the game by blocking shots and rebounding,” said head coach Jared Phay. “When he is not blocking a shot he is probably intimidating other players to maybe not even take a shot, and that is invaluable.”
