Siblings Bring Their Basketball Skills To Miami Dade College
Basketball has always bonded Amar and Michaela Lane.
As kids, the siblings shagged loose balls, snagged rebounds and perfected their shot on an asphalt court outside of their home in Trenton, New Jersey.
“We grew up in a really competitive house,” Michaela recalls.
Those backyard battles that started long before they were teenagers shaped their basketball careers.
Nearly 15 years later, the duo is back on the same court. But now, they have traded in the frigid northeastern cold for the South Florida sun as basketball players at Miami Dade College.
Michaela, 23, is a 6-foot-4 inch center for the Lady Sharks and 20-year-old Amar is a 6-foot-8 inch forward/center for the men’s squad.
The sophomores are expected to offer rebounding and shot blocking to fortify the teams frontcourts.
“Basketball is my whole lifestyle,” Amar said. “Everything I know is centered around basketball.”
Michaela started her organized basketball career at the Burlington Recreation League where she played from the ages of 11 to 14. Amar started at Burlington Township Middle in sixth grade during Michaela’s last year at the recreation league.
The duo soon moved on to The King’s Christian School in New Jersey. Michaela started as a freshman on the women’s varsity squad; Amar, who was a seventh grader, played on the school’s middle school team.
Their time at King’s was short-lived. The siblings moved to North Carolina the following year, but attended different schools.
Michaela attended David W. Butler High School for her final three years. During her senior season, she led the team with 16.3 points per game and 11.8 rebounds while the Bulldogs posted a 19-10 record and finished second in the conference.
Amar spent his eighth grade season playing at a middle school near Charlotte before transferring to David W. Butler for his freshmen and sophomore seasons then he returned to New Jersey to play for Burlington Township High School.
During his senior season he proved a dominant defense force, finishing the year with 123 total blocks, including a game where he recorded seven blocks.
Michaela started her collegiate career at Augusta University in Georgia where she averaged 4.5 points per game and 3.4 rebounds per game.
After high school, Amar played at Quality Academy Prep, which eventually led him to Northwest Kansas Technical College. As a freshman, he led the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference in total blocks with 76, averaging 2.37 per game. He added 4.1 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. That year, Michaela joined Amar at Northwest Kansas Technical College, but only as a student.
Amar’s play caught the attention of Sharks head men’s basketball coach Jorge Fernandez who offered him a scholarship at MDC. Michaela accepted an offer to join him in Miami shortly after.
“He has great athleticism, plays above the rim, brings great energy and is also a good defender,” said Sharks guard Jamaal Morris, who lived in Burlington, where Amar went to high school.
Michaela is earning similar praise.
“She’s [a] silent giant,” said Lady Sharks head basketball coach Susan Summons. “[Michaela is] not a loud talking person, but is learning to be more vocal.”
Both teams start the regular season on Nov. 1. The Lady Sharks square off against South Georgia Technical College at 5:30 p.m. in a road game. The men’ team plays at home at the Theodore R. Gibson Health Center versus Victors Prep at 7 p.m.
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