It is with a heart filled with humility that Brighton Heights resident Michaela Porter, 17, achieves one outstanding basketball achievement after another.
That includes being named MVP on her high school team two years in a row, and being named player of the year in the Pittsburgh City League and making its all-star team. Additionally, as a starter for her team at Pittsburgh Obama 6-12, she is already being courted by upward of 10 coaches from around the United States.
The term “champion” is not unfamiliar to Michaela. She is part of a trio of stellar athletes in her family.
Her dad, Darrell Porter, was a four-year starter at the University of Pittsburgh and was the all-time leader in assists, second in steals and a member of the 1,000 Point Club when he finished his career. Darrell led the Big East in assists during the 1990 season. In 1997, he became the youngest head basketball coach in Duquesne University’s history.
Michaela’s brother, D.J., is currently a student athlete at Polk State University on a full scholarship. A 6-foot-5 guard, he, too, played basketball at Pittsburgh Obama 6-12, averaged 21.9 points a game his senior season and led his squad to the Pittsburgh City League Championship game. Like Michaela, he was named Player of the Year for the Pittsburgh City League and he also was one of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Fab Five.
It is clear that Michaela has a genetic connection to basketball and while being part of a family where this kind of talent lives is good in many ways, she says it is important to her that she is judged on her own merits.
“I don’t want anyone saying that I got offers because of whom my dad is or because of the work he does with kids,” says Michaela. “I want my talent to stand on its own.”
She has within her highly developed tools of success, focus, determination, ambition and time management skills that make her a standout. These skills have resulted in excellent academic achievement—high honors and also membership in the National Honor Society for her grade school and high school career.
“My parents made it plain for me early on: don’t get the grades, there is no basketball,” she says. “It was that simple—so I do what I need to do.”
Michaela’s coach at Obama, Monique McCoy, is a fan.
“I could see the skill in her from the time she was in 5th grade,” McCoy says. “She is truly an outstanding athlete, an outstanding person as well. She does not follow, but is a true leader. She knows who she is and goes with that, plus she puts in the work to be the athlete she is. I’m blessed to be able to coach her.”
“Early on, I didn’t necessarily want to see Michaela start playing basketball,” says her mother, Michelle Hunt Porter, director of Traffic and Transportation at Carnegie Mellon University.
“I had intentions of having a ‘girlie girl’ daughter. Michaela was a cheerleader and in dance, but by the fifth grade, she was playing at Ammons where her father was coaching.”
“Still for both my children,” Michelle continues, “it was never all about basketball. It was about making your own choices, being excellent at whatever you did, staying grounded and being productive adults. I’m grateful that Michaela started out with a good head on her shoulders and has kept it up.”
Michaela admits, “I was kind of forced into the sport at first and did not like it, but as I kept going and seeing other girls play and seem to get better, I started to like it. I actually met my best friend from playing basketball.”
Playing for both the Western Pa. Bruins and at school, she really appreciates that she has been able to travel to places like Texas, Georgia and Kentucky because of basketball.
“I was really amazed and thrilled to be in these other places. I was out of my comfort zone, but it was good to see something else besides Pittsburgh.”
Michaela has not zeroed in on a school as yet, but is greatly interested in becoming a health care professional.
“I’m willing to go wherever the path of basketball takes me, but my goal is to be a physician’s assistant in a pediatric setting,” she says. “I watched an infomercial once on St. Jude’s Hospital and felt that is what I’d like to do—work with children who are so brave in the face of their health challenges.”
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