Michael Ward always makes sure to thank his basketball student-athletes for taking his coaching and quickly learning from mistakes. The Yelm Middle School sixth-grade math teacher, basketball coach and trainer molds his coaching style based on his experiences from his collegiate and professional basketball career.
“Positive words of encouragement go a long way, especially when you’re training and connecting with players. They need to hear that and make sure that they’re doing things right and continue to build on it,” Ward said.
It’s not just a coaching style for Ward; it’s a reflection of his journey through life and basketball. Born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, he began playing organized basketball in middle school. He went on to play in high school at Hogan Prep Academy, where, in his senior year, the team was the top-ranked team in the state. He collected several scholarship offers from junior colleges and universities, and as the buzz grew around the team, his love for the game and his ambitions to thrive within it grew.
“That success showed me that I could play at the next level. From that point, I wanted to go play at the highest level and try to make a career out of it,” Ward said.
The full-ride scholarship offers and attention from college coaches were new to Ward. He grew up in a tough neighborhood and used sports as an outlet and a potential opportunity to leave the area. He searched for a role model and mentor who could guide him through his looming collegiate decision and to help make his professional dreams come true.
“I didn’t really know what was in front of me,” said Ward, whose mother passed away when he was young. “I didn’t have that mentor to tell me which route was best.”
He spent one year at Kansas State University, and the athletic director suggested that Ward consider the junior college route as he had several scholarship offers on the table, but he initially turned them down, hoping he’d get a chance to play at a prominent basketball program like Kansas State.
After his freshman year at Kansas State, he visited Washington to be with his brother, who was a senior at North Thurston High School in Lacey. Ward enrolled at Pierce College in Puyallup and started on the basketball team, unsure of how long he’d stay in Washington. However, a new factor played into his future: the birth of his first son, Kadyn.
Ward transferred to South Puget Sound Community College in Lacey to be closer to his son and the mother of his child. He enjoyed individual accolades, including leading the team in scoring and earning the title of team MVP and All-Conference honors. Despite having more opportunities to play for schools around the country, he accepted a full-ride scholarship to The Evergreen State College, where he continued to have team and individual success. But the choice between chasing his dream of playing professional basketball and remaining close to his family stuck in his mind.
“When my son was born, I made a decision to stay here locally just for the sake of my family,” Ward said. “It was tough because I knew I could’ve played at a higher level, but I had to stay here and turn down all the offers that I had. I had to make those sacrifices.”
After his time at Evergreen, Ward played professionally for teams in Washington, played overseas in China and Spain and tried out for the NBA Development League. As he played professionally, he was compelled to give back to the community, working with the Boys & Girls Club, Lacey Youth Basketball and more. He fell in love with coaching and training, and through that, he realized he could be the mentor that he didn’t have growing up.
“One of my coaches from Evergreen took me up to Aberdeen to start training some high school teams. I started seeing the effect that I had on these young kids,” Ward said.
In 2016, he created West Academy, a non-profit organization that provides youth with a basketball program in Washington and the opportunity to learn leadership skills, confidence and to give back to their community on and off the court. Although his primary knowledge lies in basketball training and player brand marketing, he also wants to provide educational help and mentorship to students.
“At West Academy, our slogan is ‘family.’ I have an open-door policy for kids to come in. I try to meet every kid in the program. I have like over 100 handshakes, different ones with all my kids. But I want to help these kids get through some of the struggles that everybody doesn’t see on the outside.”
Ward also began working to become a teacher, serving as a para-educator in numerous districts in the Lacey and Olympia areas, as well as working with the Boys & Girls Club. He is in his sixth year as a math teacher at Yelm Middle School, while also continuing to build West Academy, westacademy.net, into a prominent program in the Pacific Northwest. Within its first three years of operation, the academy went from two teams to 16 teams and has mentored some of the top prospects from Thurston County.
“People who know me know I’m always thinking about bigger plans,” he said. “For West Academy, I just want to continue building quality student athletes. Basketball is only temporary, but a student can get their college degree and go beyond basketball.
“I’ve been truly blessed to be able to do this. I feel like it’s one of my callings to see these kids grow up successfully, see these parents celebrate their kids, and it’s been a blessing to be a part of their journey,” he continued.
