Mikayla Blakes took in the scene of the 2022 men’s Final Four inside the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. She was there for her older brother, Jaylen, then a freshman at Duke.
Blakes had been along for his team’s journey to college basketball’s biggest stage. She witnessed the adversity, the struggles and the thrill of triumph. And the way the stadium buzzed with excitement and nerves on that April day lit a fire within the younger Blakes.
“That moment was just insane for me,” Blakes told The Post. “Just seeing that, it just kind of amped me up to be able to want to be in college and be able to play in those moments.”
Blakes could have increased her likelihood of achieving such a feat by going to a basketball school with a rich history of success. But the most rewarding journeys aren’t the easy ones.
