Starkville's Myles signs with Wichita State
Nov. 16—Makhi Myles is willing to go wherever his dream takes him. And it's taking him to Wichita, Kansas.
The Starkville senior signed a basketball scholarship with Wichita State on Wednesday. He had offers closer to home — Mississippi State and Ole Miss — but the Shockers' program stood out in his mind.
"They're used to winning, and they play a lot of high-value teams like Memphis, Cincinnati, Houston," Myles said. "They play these teams with a lot of good players that get drafted and a lot of schools with a lot of recognition. Playing at that level and playing against teams like that has been a dream of mine since I was little."
The 6-foot-6 forward got connected to Wichita State by Starkville assistant coach Edward Townsend, who once played for Wichita head coach Isaac Brown. The Shockers started recruiting Myles, who came to believe that the coaching staff there could help him become a better player.
"He was looking at the guys Wichita had sent to the (NBA) and the development that their coaches did. That played a real big part in him choosing Wichita," Starkville head coach Woodie Howard said.
Myles averaged 22 points, 11 rebounds and 4 blocks per game last season and was named to the Daily Journal All-Area first team.
While he mainly plays the four spot for Starkville, Myles said he'll be a guard at Wichita. That's why he's been honing his already wide skill set.
"They do a lot of motion offense, as far as pass and cut, stuff like that," he said. "With my ability to shoot and create shots, I feel like I will fit really good in their offense, being able to space the floor and stretch the defense."
Wichita State went 15-13 last season. The Shockers made their 16th NCAA tournament appearance in 2021 and have a reputation as one of the better mid-major programs.
Of course, there are other programs will similarly strong histories Myles could have chosen. He also held offers from Creighton and Missouri and had interest from both Georgetown and Providence.
But he has no doubts about his decision to continue his career at Wichita State.
"It's definitely going to be hard being that far away from home, but this is my dream, and I've always dreamed of playing at a high level and playing against high-level teams," Myles said. "This will just have to be a sacrifice I'll have to make to accomplish my dream of going pro one day."
