When Cameron Michael was a senior at Loveland High School, he watched as Northern Colorado won the Big Sky Tournament to punch its ticket into the NCAA Tournament.
The Greeley school got its chance on the national stage. It was inspiring.
“Seeing that, you really wanted to do that and deliver that to a school that was 20 or 30 minutes from my house,” Michael said. “You couldn’t really ask for much more.”
Four years later, the former all-state player has an opportunity to make the vision a reality. Northern Colorado (15-14, 10-8 Big Sky) opens its postseason Thursday as the fifth seed in the Big Sky Tournament, playing fourth-seeded Northern Arizona (18-13, 13-5) in Missoula, Mont. For the Bears, the mission is simple: Win three games in three days for an improbable entry into the NCAA Tournament.
To do so, Michael will probably need to play a major role.
The 6-foot-5 redshirt sophomore guard is UNC’s second-leading scorer (12.9) and its biggest 3-point threat, shooting 39.9 percent (65-of-163) from behind the arc. In the Bears’ regular-season finale Saturday — a 72-71 victory over North Dakota — Michael scored 18 points and made 5-of-10 3-pointers.
“He brings a lot to the table,” Bears senior Tevin Svihovec said. “He stretches the floor for us. He gives us different angles to score the ball, and that helps in so many ways.”
Michael’s role as a key cog in the Bears’ offense didn’t come easy. After all, his sophomore season came four years after he graduated from high school.
“It’s been a journey,” he said. “That’s a good way to say it.”
Michael attended the Air Force’s prep school after his senior year at Loveland. He then played a season on the varsity squad at Air Force. But on a team stocked with seniors, playing time was scarce. Moreover, he realized the academy wasn’t the right fit for him away from the court.
When Northern Colorado coach B.J. Hill heard that Michael might be looking to transfer, he saw an opportunity to soften the blow of losing two-time all-conference player Tate Unruh, who graduated last year. As soon as Michael showed up for his first practice in Greeley, Hill knew he had a player who would make his team better right away, even if he couldn’t play a season ago because of NCAA transfer rules.
“Probably the most valuable thing about Cam is just how he attacks every single day in terms of practices and games,” Hill said. “He brings the same motor every day. You see a lot of guys that don’t probably bring that intensity they need to in practice, and Cam never changes. He’s done a great job since the day he got on campus, basically two years ago when he had to sit out, of just bringing an intensity level to practices that raised our level of competition from the get-go.”
When Michael finally took the floor this season, there was rust he had to shoot off. He hadn’t played meaningful minutes since high school, and his shot suffered. An 0-for-10 performance from 3-point range against Colorado State in December marked a low point.
But his work ethic in practice never waned, and soon he rediscovered his stroke. He nailed at least three 3s in seven of the team’s final 11 regular-season games.
“It’s been humbling,” Michael said. “It kind of puts things into perspective and makes you thankful for each opportunity you get to play. I worked hard the whole time through that journey. And it’s a hard-work-pays-off thing going on right now.”
Big Sky tournament
At Dahlberg Arena
Missoula, Mont.
Thursday’s quarterfinals
(Seeds in parentheses)
(2) Eastern Washington vs. (7) Idaho, 11 a.m.
(3) Sacramento State vs. (6) Portland State, 1:30 p.m.
(4) N. Arizona vs. (5) Northern Colorado, 5:30 p.m.
(1) Montana vs. (8) Weber State, 8 p.m.
Friday’s semifinals
E. Washington-Idaho winner vs. Sacramento St.-Portland St. winner, 5:30 p.m.
Montana-Weber St. winner vs. N. Arizona-N. Colorado winner, 8 p.m.
Saturday’s championship
Semifinal winners, 7 p.m., ESPNU
