In her senior season, forward Mya Hiram hopes to make the most of her final year playing basketball.
Born and raised in Onsted, Mich, Hiram didn’t want anything to do with sports. Being one of the tallest in her grade and coming from a sports family where her dad played football at Michigan State, she tried out for travel baseball. She was coached by Ferris State men’s basketball player Joey Cabana’s mom, Suzanne. She looked at Hiram and decided to coach her in her travel basketball team.
Up until sixth grade, Hiram didn’t pick up a basketball until she got into travel basketball, which she says is where she got a lot of her skill from, and even received some college offers even before she played in a high school game.
Hiram talked about her experience throughout high school.
“So, I grew up in a small town,” Hiram said. “I think it was like me and two other girls in my grade who played any kind of sport besides running. We had a lot of runners in my grade, but I grew up in a really small town and played a lot of other small schools, and high school was a lot of fun. I went to Onsted High School, and the only other person that got a lot of attention for basketball was Austin Davis, and he played for Michigan.”
Hiram got her first offer from Ferris during the summer going into her sophomore year, before she even turned sixteen. Hiram loved everything about Ferris, from knowing some of the girls and being friends with some of them as well as loving the environment it offered. She loved how Ferris was family-focused, and everyone was super gritty and got along.
Hiram was recruited by former head coach Kendra Fosten, who ended up leaving before her freshman year and was replaced by Kurt Westendorp. The two had a two-hour conversation with Hiram about how he still wanted Hiram to play for the Bulldogs. That, along with liking the small town of Big Rapids, is why Hiram stayed.
Hiram’s favorite part about Ferris is her teammates.
“These are girls that are going to be my bridesmaids,” Hiram said. “These are girls I call on to cry to, to share small accomplishments about. Nothing makes me happier than just being able to celebrate each other. We take birthdays so seriously. Two of our girls got engaged over the summer, and so we take celebrating that super seriously. It’s just knowing that I have thirteen girls there to back me up and that I can share these moments with. They make every day worth it, and it’s the girls on the team that make this choice one I would make a million times over again.”
In her senior year, Hiram is just trying to stay in the moment and keep connecting with the girls on the team, whether she only played with them for one year or has played with them for five years. One of the girls that Hiram will play with for only one year is freshman guard Charlotte Miller.
Miller talks about how Hiram is a good leader for the freshmen.
“She is an amazing leader and role model for the freshmen and I,” Miller said. “She always looks out for us and is just a great teammate. She holds us accountable and pushes us to get better every day.
Hiram graduated last May with her degree in dental hygiene and works part-time as a dental hygienist after getting her license over the summer. Once the season is over, Hiram wants to travel and spend time with her family after missing a lot of moments due to being a college athlete.