A 6 foot 4 inch flash of red and white mesh hustles down the hardwood floor of the Varsity Gymnasium, stops on a dime about 2 feet before the three-point line and steps into a pass, left foot then right. He jumps, toes pointed straight down and follows through with perfect form as if he were placing the ball into the hoop nearly 20 feet from his extended arm. As the ball rips through the nylon net, Head Coach Bill Gunn blows his whistle signaling the end of practice and for the team to circle up around the “K” at half court. Sixteen fists rise up to create one unit, and the voice of Mike McDowell yells the words, “Wood on three. One, two, three.” The team follows, “Wood!”

It is not every day you see a 6 foot 4 inch high school basketball player pull-up from three, and it is even less likely this same kid was given a chance to do right over a past and knock down that shot, too.

McDowell, senior, was involved in a fight Oct. 17, 2008, at a KHS football game. He received a 10-day suspension for the fight, but for other previous and future offenses, his suspension was extended for the remainder of the school year.

“I was really confused at this time in my life,” McDowell said. “People were pointing me in different directions. I didn’t know whether I would be let back into KHS or have to move to another school.”

Before this incident, McDowell was a co-captain of the freshman basketball team. His love and passion for the game of basketball was what, in the end, kept him from getting a double technical from basketball for life.

“Basketball kept me from giving up,” McDowell said. “I love the game, and all I wanted was another chance to play. But I knew I had to earn it.”For the remainder of his sophomore year, McDowell took classes at The Collaborative School, currently Vista, where he strived to take steps towards a more positive life and another chance to play basketball. Romona Miller, assistant principal, was the one who continually checked up on McDowell’s progress toward a new, positive mindset.

“I kept tabs on him while he wasn’t at KHS,” Miller said. “While he was at the collaborative school, Mrs. Radington [collaborative school principal] said he was showing signs of maturity and growth.”

That growth led him back to KHS for junior year and gave McDowell reason to forget about his past and look forward to a varsity basketball season along with some of the players he led on the freshman team. Gunn was glad to see McDowell and never doubted he would someday be back and playing for the Pioneers.

“He has always been a great kid, he just had a problem with backing up his statements in the past,” Gunn said. “Since then, he’s become much more responsible and follows through with every action he is involved in.”

Yet due to his suspension from school and involvement with the police, McDowell was given a five-game suspension. He returned for the Meramec Holiday Tournament against DeSmet Dec. 26, 2009, and although Christmas came a day late for McDowell, another chance to play was all he could ask for.

“I was doing everything I could to resolve conflicts that I was involved in, without fighting,” McDowell said. “When I finally got the chance to step on that court, I was nervous but incredibly happy.”

McDowell now has begun to plan his future. Playing college basketball is at the top of his priorities. Whether at Tennessee State, Rockhurst or Murray State, McDowell is looking to play at some level in the NCAA.

“As long as he takes care of business in the classroom, Mike has the potential to be a college-level player,” Gunn said.

McDowell has increased his GPA since his freshman year. What used to be a “C” average report card now looks more like “A’s” and “B’s”. The confusion is gone, his life is together, he is happy to be back and everything is going right for McDowell.

“His story speaks to the fact that when you don’t give up on someone and they don’t give up on themselves, they may in fact become a total success story,” Miller said. “And that’s just what Mike is.”