Indomitable Dakota’s Kismayo De Michael needed true grit to make himself the best high school basketball player in Manitoba
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 09/03/2024 (593 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Resilience. Tenacity. Perseverance.
You can use those adjectives to describe how Kismayo De Michael has lived his life over the last five months. But the words really don’t do it.
Kismayo, or Kizzy as he is known to his Dakota Collegiate teammates, speaks for himself on the court. The quiet 18-year-old has become a man of action in the months since his mom, Akuch Machuor, was killed by a suspected drunk driver at the corner of Fermor Avenue and St. Mary’s Road on Sept. 26, 2023.
Machour, a 43-year-old single mom, left behind three children — Kizzy, his 13-year-old brother and 17-year-old sister.
“The first few months of the (school) year were tough,” says De Michael, a Grade 12 forward/guard on the Lancers varsity boys basketball team. “Nothing was really going through my mind except what happened to my mother. But the next day I came and I shot (balls) in the morning and then shot afterwards.
JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS Kismayo De Michael of the Dakota Lancers is averaging 30 points, three assists, six rebounds, five steals and two blocks this season.
“Nothing was really going my way and I didn’t know how to react. I didn’t know what to do. I felt stuck.”
It was in the gym where De Michael felt he belonged.
“I think he found basketball — and maybe this was true for his life prior to the accident with his mom — but I think he finds basketball to be a refuge, a safe place, a comforting place, a familiar place to be where he can go in and do his thing and forget about the bad things he’s experienced this year,” says Lancers head coach Dean Favoni.
“Nothing was really going through my mind except what happened to my mother. But the next day I came and I shot (balls) in the morning and then shot afterwards.”–Kismayo De Michael
Favoni also knew this: De Michael, who averaged about 20 points per game in Grade 11, was a talent with undefined limits. Although he only started playing the game in Grade 9, his raw ability has become more refined in his final year of high school.
He has averaged 30 points, three assists, five steals, two blocks and six rebounds this winter while leading the Lancers to a No. 2 ranking in Manitoba and a berth in Saturday’s quarterfinals at the provincial AAAA championship. He has one 50-point game and five 40-plus-point outings on his 2023-24 resumé.
Earlier this week, a panel of coaches voted De Michael the province’s No. 1 varsity boys player in the annual Free Press poll.
JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS Kismayo De Michael lead the Lancers to a No. 2 ranking in Manitoba and a berth in Saturday’s quarterfinals at the provincial AAAA championship.
“Before she passed, she’d talk about how she’s proud of me and how far I’ve came in basketball,” says De Michael. “And I told her that I’ll go as far as I can in university basketball and she supported it a lot. So now that’s since she’s not around anymore, I can’t really tell her about my games and how much I’ve put up — banners, awards and championships — because that’s what I’d usually do when I got home.
“So now, everything I do is basically just for her… I’m honouring her and what she’s done for me because not having a father figure and her taking care of three kids alone, was quite the challenge.”
De Michael’s accomplishments defy understanding. He has moved in with the family of a former Dakota teammate and he has relied on the support of his coaches.
“The circumstances — you can’t even imagine it and to be able to do what he has done, it’s just unfathomable,” says Lancers point guard Blake Penner, one of his closest friends. “It’s incredible… truly it is.”
Favoni believes De Michael is only scratching the surface of the player he may yet become.
“The circumstances — you can’t even imagine it and to be able to do what he has done, it’s just unfathomable”–Blake Penner
An impossibly slender 6-3, 155-pounder, he may still be growing. An active metabolism has so far made it difficult to add weight.
“There was a jump from Grade 10 to 11 and I think the jump from 11 to 12 was even bigger,” says Favoni. “But I still think there’s lots of potential in him. He’s still figuring some things out and I don’t think he’s reached his ceiling yet. There’s room for him not just as a scorer, but I think there’s room for him as an elite rebounder and defender…
“His focus has been primarily scoring but I think there’s some potential for him to be very, very good in other areas of the game.”
Still a relative newcomer to the game, De Michael’s shooting form is a thing of beauty. He usually hits 40 per cent of his three-point attempts.
“Him shooting a three-pointer from all kinds of distances looks effortless — he’s very smooth,” says Favoni. “It doesn’t look like it’s taking a lot of power and strength while for other players, you can tell it’s taking a lot of energy to get it there.”
As his reputation has grown, so has the defensive pressure from opponents.
“Him shooting a three-pointer from all kinds of distances looks effortless — he’s very smooth”–Dean Favoni
“He’s really like opened some eyes this year,” says Lancers assistant coach Chiranjit Goswami. “He’s definitely a three-level scorer. He can get to the rim, he can finish around the rim with a few different skill finishes. He can pull up and he’s got deep range. He’s saved us a lot with his range this year.”
These days, De Michael is usually shadowed closely by a defender. The constant duress can be suffocating, with an opponent lurking in his face, only inches away.
“This year is when people really know me now and do try things just to stop me,” says De Michael. “It’s hard to adjust to it because I’m not used to that type of basketball… It will go on all throughout provincials.
“I wouldn’t say it’s extremely physical. It depends on the team. Some teams are like, ‘I’m gonna get under your skin and be extremely physical on you.’”
The Dakota coaching staff has countered these tactics by trying to free De Michael with off-ball screens before he gets the ball.
“He has an ability to force people to do things that they don’t want to do and force them into situations which are completely unfavorable for them”–Blake Penner
A wingspan thought to be in the range of 6-10 and quick hands have helped to turn De Michael into a feared defender.
“He has an ability to force people to do things that they don’t want to do and force them into situations which are completely unfavorable for them,” says Penner, who rated No. 9 on the FP list. “And it just creates opportunities for himself on the other end.”
Adds Favoni: “His length is deceptive. He kind of baits people into making passes that they think can get through and he gets us lots of deflections and steals out of it.”
De Michael is aiming to help bring a provincial title back to Dakota this month but his basketball future beyond this spring remains uncertain. He is not contemplating any U Sports offers, but physical maturity and a university weight-training program could make him a very interesting prospect.
“Kizzy has not yet filled out,” says Goswami. “It is pretty incredible what his frame could probably handle in a couple more years.”
mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca
FREE PRESS VARSITY BOYS BASKETBALL TOP 10
This list was compiled by the Manitoba High Schools Athletic Association and based on voting from a panel of high school coaches:
1. Kismayo De Michael, 6-3, Grade 12 forward, Dakota Lancers
Profile: A tough matchup for defenders. Long and athletic and can shoot from distance, take it to the rim or pull up. His frame is a tremendous asset on the defensive end. He covers the rim, jumps passing lanes and grabs rebounds.
2. Taven Vigilance, 6-7, Grade 12 forward, Oak Park Raiders
Profile: A long, athletic scoring forward who uses his size to advantage. His agility allows him to disrupt team’s offences, alter shots and dominate on the boards. Excellent shooter whether his back is to the basket or he’s hitting long-range shots.
3. Magnus Carlos, 6-0, Grade 11 guard, Vincent Massey Trojans
Profile: A very smart player who plays with a great pace and feel for the game. He is a very crafty finisher around the rim who can also shoot from the outside. A true floor general with his court vision and defensive knowledge.
4. Inderjeet Brar, 6-5, Grade 12 forward, St. Paul’s Crusaders
Profile: A tremendous shooter who has become a better finisher at the rim. A good team leader who distributes the ball and runs the floor.
5. Chris Piotrowski, 5-11, Grade 12 guard, Vincent Massey Trojans
Profile: A lethal threat in transition who’s also a solid finisher around the rim and shoots well from distance. His intensity at both ends of the floor helps to disrupt opponents.
6. Lance Mangaron, 6-0, Grade 12 guard, Sisler Spartans
Profile: A shifty guard who can come off screens, make the read and shoot the ball. A very tough matchup. He’s pesky defender that can create havoc for opponents.
7. Settimo Yugu, 6-6. Grade 10 forward, Kildonan East Reivers
Profile: Employs size to his advantage at both ends of the floor. Offensively, he can handle the ball, shoot the outside shot and create off the pass. His length on the defensive end is trouble for his opponents at the rim and in passing lanes.
8. Liam Jaro, 5-10, Grade 10 forward, Miles Macdonell Buckeyes
Profile: An exceptional two-way player who can score many ways and always looking to take the shot. On the defensive side, his is a leader for his team often defending an opponent’s top players.
9. Blake Penner, 6-2, Grade 12 guard, Dakota Lancers
Profile: A physical guard with good court vision. A smart decision-maker and shooter who can score in many ways. Floor leader who sets the pace on offence and rebounds hard.
10. Jerry Ige, 6-0, Grade 12 guard, Vincent Massey Trojans
Profile: A dangerous scoring threat with his ability to take it to the rim or shoot the outside jumper. His length allows him to disrupt shots and get into passing lanes to create steals.
Honourable mentions: Crue Gard, Grade 11 centre, Garden City Fighting Gophers; Elijah Wiebe, Grade 12 guard, Westwood Warriors; Dante Dyck, Grade 12 guard, Garden Valley (Winkler) Zodiacs; Noah Macalalad, Grade 11 guard, Maples Marauders; Adrian Ortega Pelegrin, Grade 12 guard, Oak Park Raiders; Daven Sharma, Grade 11 guard, Sisler Spartans
History
Updated on Monday, March 11, 2024 6:26 AM CDT: Adds web headline