BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT GETS UNDERWAY TOMORROW!
MOUNTAIN VIEW IS ONE
OF SEVERAL LOCAL
QUALIFIERS... AN
IMPROBABLE JOURNEY
FOR MAVERICK SENIOR
MIKE OZOMAH
...
OUR WILL HALL SHARES
HIS JOURNEY WITH US... A
JOURNEY THAT WOULDN'T
BE POSSIBLE WITHOUT
FAMILY...
WE ALL HAVE ONE TO
CALL OUR OWN.
"ONE, TOGETHER, TO BE
THERE
THERE FOR
THERE FOR EACH OTHER IN TIMES OF NEED, AND NEVER GIVE UP ON ONE
ANOTHER," SAID AUSTIN
OJUKWU,
OJUKWU, MIKE'S UNCLE. "IT'S THE WE VERSUS ME TYPE OF MENTALITY," SAID
NETTLETON.
THE GREATEST STRENGTH
OF A FAMILY IS THE
ABILITY TO OVERCOME.
"I'M SO GRATEFUL TO
THEM, AND I'M SO
THANKFUL," SAID
VICTORIA OZOMAH,
MIKE'S MOTHER.
NO OBSTACLE TOO
STRONG, NO ADVERSITY
TOO HARD
"NEVER HAD A PLAYER
THAT HAS GONE
THROUGH WHAT HE'S
GONE THROUGH AS AN
INDIVIDUAL WITH HIS
FAMILY," SAID NETTLETON.
NO STORM TOO BIG, A
FAMILY, CAN'T WEATHER
"LIFE GIVES YOU TRIALS
AND TRIBULATIONS, IT'S
HARD TO PUSH THROUGH
THAT STUFF, BUT IF YOU
HAVE A DREAM, YOU GOT
TO GO CHASE IT," SAID
MOUNTAIN VIEW SENIOR
MIKE OZOMAH.
MOUNTAIN VIEW SENIOR
MICHAEL OZOMAH AND
HIS FAMILY HAVE GONE
THROUGH MANY TRIALS
AND TRIBULATIONS OVER
THE LAST 18 MONTHS.
HURRICANE HARVEY HIT
THE GREATER HOUSTON
AREA IN THE FALL OF 2017,
DUMPING NEARLY 40
MILLION INCHES OF RAIN
ON THE AREA. THE
OZOMAH FAMILY ONE OF
THOUSANDS IMPACTED BY
THE CATASTROPHIC
FLOOD THAT INFLICTED
OVER 125 BILLION
DOLLARS IN DAMAGE.
"IT WAS REALLY HORRIBLE,
IT WAS SCARY. THE
WHOLE CITY WAS JUST A
BIG MESS. WE HAD A
BUSINESS THAT COULDN'T
SURVIVE AFTER THAT. OUR
HOUSE WAS ALMOST
GOING IN FORECLOSURE."
SAID VICTORIA.
"I MEAN THEY LOST
EVERYTHING, AND THERE
WASN'T ANY INSURANCE
TO HELP COVER IT. THE
DAMAGE TO THE HOME
WAS EXTENSIVE, AND THE
LOST OF WORK PUT A LOT
OF STRAIN ON THE
FAMILY."
FAMILY... A BOND BUILT
ON LOVE, IN THIS CASE,
BIG BROTHER LOVE...
VICTORIA'S BROTHER
AUSTIN, WHO LIVES IN
MERIDIAN, KNEW HIS
NEPHEW WAS IN NEED OF
A HOME FOR HIS SENIOR
YEAR OF HIGH SCHOOL.
"HIS UNCLE GOT AHOLD
OF ME AND JUST SAID
HEY, MY NEPHEW MIGHT
BE COMING TO LIVE WITH
ME," SAID NETTLETON.
"IT WAS HEARTBREAKING,
BUT IT WAS SOMETHING
THAT HAD TO BE DONE.
AND MY BROTHER
PROMISED ME AND SAID I
WILL TAKE CARE OF HIM,"
SAID VICTORIA.
"I LOVE MY MOM TO
DEATH. IT HURTS ME
WHEN I SEE MY MOM
STRUGGLING LIKE THAT.
SHE MEANS A LOT.
EVERYTHING. SHE'S
LITERALLY LIKE MY ROCK,"
SAID MIKE.
"I MEAN THERE WAS NO
QUESTION ABOUT IT, I
KNEW AT THAT MOMENT I
HAD GIVE HIM A CHANCE
TO COME DOWN HERE."
SAID OJUKWU.
MIKE ARRIVED IN BOISE
JUST DAYS BEFORE THE
START OF THE SCHOOL
YEAR, THE GOAL TO ENJOY
AS NORMAL A SENIOR
YEAR AS POSSIBLE WHILE
LIVING WITH HIS UNCLE.
NO STRANGER TO
ADVERSITY, FITTINGLY,
INITIALLY HE WAS DENIED
THE OPPORTUNITY TO
PLAY BASKETBALL FOR HIS
SENIOR SEASON. SO THE
SCHOOL FILED ONE LAST
APPEAL.
"AND WITH THAT
ELECTRONIC APPEAL, I
TOLD THEM THEY WOULD
HAVE TO OPEN
THEMSELVES UP. THE
MEAT OF IT IS
DOCUMENTATION OF WHY
IS THIS A HARDSHIP THAT
HAS NOTHING TO DO
WITH ATHLETIC REASONS,"
SAID LUKE WOLF,
MOUNTAIN VIEW AD.
"MIKE'S COMING FROM
HOUSTON, I DON'T HAVE
RECRUITERS IN HOUSTON
LOOKING FOR PLAYER,"
SAID NETTLETON.
"SITUATIONS LIKE THOSE,
YOU GET TWO CHANCES
AND IF YOU DON'T GET IT
IN THOSE TWO CHANCES,
YOU'RE DONE," SAID MIKE.
COMMON SENSE
PREVAILED, AND THE
STATE BOARD ALLOWED
MIKE TO PLAY HIS SENIOR
YEAR WITH THE MAVS.
"HE HAD A BIG OLE' GRIN
ON HIS FACE, HE CALLED
HIS MOM RIGHT AWAY,"
SAID NETTLETON.
"I CRIED, MIKE IS SUCH A
GOOD YOUNG MAN AND
YOU JUST WANT THE BEST
FOR HIM," SAID OJUKWU.
WITH NEWFOUND
OPPORTUNITY GRANTED,
MIKE HAS WASTED LITTLE
TIME SHOWCASING
ATHLETICISM WE DON'T
ALWAYS SEE ON THE
HARDWOOD AT THE HIGH
SCHOOL LEVEL IN IDAHO.
"HE HAS THINGS AS A
COACH THAT YOU CAN'T
TEACH, YOU CAN'T TEACH
JUMPING OUT OF THE
GYM, YOU CAN'T TEACH
ATHLETICISM LIKE HE
HAS," SAID WOLF.
"HE'S 6"5, HE'S PRETTY
WELL BUILT, I MEAN YOU
CAN'T MISS HIM, HE
STICKS OUT. THERE'S
PLENTY OF GAMES THIS
YEAR WHERE THE GUYS
AND EVEN MYSELF ARE
LIKE, OKAY, YOU DON'T
SEE THAT OUT HERE THAT
OFTEN," SAID NETTLETON.
TEAMS BUY IN AND PLAY
FOR ONE ANOTHER,
FAMILIES LOVE ONE
ANOTHER AND SERVE
EACH OTHER, SEEN IN
SELFLESS ACTS LIKE
SURPRISING YOUR
BROTHER WITH A PLANE
TICKET HOME, TO SEE HIS
OWN FAMILY, DURING
CHRISTMAS. "HE'S GIVEN US A LOT, SO WHY CAN'T WE GIVE BACK
TO HIM AND SEND HIM
HOME FOR CHRISTMAS?"
SAID SENIOR GUARD,
DALLIN
DALLIN PERRIN. "HE PUT HIS HAND OVER HIS HEAD AND STARTED
JUMPING UP AND DOWN
AND IT WAS SO FUN TO
SEE HIM SO ECSTATIC,"
SAID SENIOR FORWARD
CAMILLE MASSAAD.
"IT MEANT A LOT, FOR
PEOPLE WHO MET ME
JUST A COUPLE OF
MONTHS AGO, THEY
SHOWED ME A LOT OF
APPRECIATION AND
CARE," SAID MIKE.
"HAVING HIM HOME? OH
WOW, WOW, WOW. THAT
WAS THE BEST!" SAID
VICTORIA.
AND THANKS TO
TECHNOLOGY, MOM EVEN
HAD
HAD A
HAD A FRONT ROW SEAT TO MIKE'S SENIOR NIGHT. "WATCHING HIM WAS THE
BEST THING EVER," SAID
VICTORIA.
ONCE A PIPE-DREAM 18
MONTHS
MONTHS AGO, NOW COMING TO FRUITION, THANKS TO? FAMILY.
"EVEN IF SHE COULDN'T
FLY HERE, WE WANTED
HER TO FEEL LIKE SHE WAS
THERE. IT WAS A SPECIAL
MEMORY FOR ME, ONE I'LL
CARRY WITH ME FOR A
LONG TIME," SAID
OJUKWU.
A SACRIFICE OF LOVE, A
GIFT SO UNCONDITIONAL,
ONLY FAMILY CAN
UNDERSTAND.
"IF I HAD TO DO THIS
OVER AGAIN, I WOULDN'T
EVEN THINK TWICE ABOUT
IT, I WOULD DO IT A
THOUSAND TIMES OVER,"
SAID OJUKWU.
"WE'RE ALL IN THIS
BUSINESS TOGETHER AND
THAT IS TO HELP KIDS,"
SAID WOLF.
"MIKE'S A TOUGH KID,
BOTH PHYSICALLY AND
MENTALLY, HE'S GOT A
REALLY GOOD MINDSET
ON HOW TO PUSH
THROUGH," SAID
NETTLETON.
"IF YOU HAVE A DREAM,
YOU CAN GO CHASE IT,
WHEREVER IT IS. IF YOU
HAVE A DARK TIME, OR
SOMETHING SEEMS LIKE A
ROAD BLOCK TO YOU, YOU
CAN GET THROUGH IT,
YOU JUST HAVE TO
PERSERVERE," SAID MIKE.
MIKE
MIKE AND
MIKE AND THE MAVERICKS PLAY IN THE STATE BASKETBALL
TOURNAMENT
BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT TOMORROW NIGHT AT