A.J. Whittenberg School of Engineering second grader Miyah Valentine is seven years old. While she might be a little young and a little short to play for the Paladins right now, Miyah knows that one day she's going to be a basketball star. And what better place than Furman? There's just one obstacle standing in her way; Miyah has never seen girls play competitive basketball before.
Thanks to the Furman coaching staff, that obstacle was easy enough to overcome. Sitting just a few rows back from the action, Miyah got a taste of just how impressive collegiate basketball can be, watching the Paladins rack up points in a 66-46 victory over Western Carolina last Saturday. Now that Miyah has seen that her goal is attainable, there is nothing holding her back.
Miyah, along with her brother, Maddox, are two of the 25 children grades K-2 who attend an afterschool program in Greenville called YouthBase. YouthBase services A.J. Whittenberg and Stone Academy, two schools in the Greenville community, in giving extra help to young students where it is needed. With the help of volunteers and Furman work study students, YouthBase provides reading and math help from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Miyah is no stranger to the rough physical play of a sport such as basketball. She's grown up with four brothers, which made her tough and assertive at home. At YouthBase, she's often the only girl willing to play ball, and never backs down from a game of one on one. This toughness does come with a few negative side effects; another reason for attending the Furman game was to show her that real basketball players do not get into fights.
The Paladins came through with a perfect display of sportsmanship. Furman went up 23-10 in the first quarter and never looked back, taking care of business professionally and without taunting the other team, an accomplishment that might feel like second nature in the world of collegiate sports, but for a seven year old is an impressive feat.
Freshman forward Celena Taborn led the Paladins early on from her place in the paint, putting up 13 points while making her 6'3" presence known. Miyah's somewhat nervous commentary; "She's tall!" The star of the game for Furman was sophomore guard Le'Jzae Davidson, who put up 18 points thanks to her stellar three point shooting, going 5-9 from deep on the night. According to YouthBase director Linda Tassie, also in attendance, Miyah's style of play is very similar to Davidson's; no-nonsense, fast paced, and ball dominant.
Most importantly from a teaching standpoint? Not one player got into a fight during the game. Not one. Sure, there was some competitive trash talk, physical play and a couple of hard fouls, but the players didn't let their emotions get the best of them. It was the perfect example for young Miyah, showing her that girls can play basketball at a high level without having to back up their play with their fists.
Special thanks again to the Paladins for letting Miyah attend her first ever women's basketball game. Furman will take on Wofford on Saturday the 24th at home for the last game of the season. The team's generosity and awesome work as role models for young girls in the Greenville community like Miyah is sure to reap rewards in the future. In eleven years the class of '32 might just feature a guard by the name of Miyah Valentine.