SAN ANTONIO — JJ Redick’s phone buzzed during the Los Angeles Lakers’ coaches meeting Wednesday in San Antonio, just as the staff began trying to figure out a way to beat a conference rival on the second night of a back- to-back.

Redick knew the anniversary was near. But he didn’t know it was that date until he read his wife, Chelsea’s, Instagram post and all of the emotions flooded back. Tears filled his eyes.

“Sorry, guys,” he told his staff.

A year ago, the Lakers were in Dallas when Redick woke up from a pregame nap to learn that his family would be evacuating the house they rented in the Pacific Palisades, a community they planned to make their permanent Los Angeles home. A fire that began in the Santa Monica Mountains sprinted through dried-out vegetation pushed by dangerous winds. By nightfall, it devoured nearly an entire community, including the home in which Redick, his wife and two children were living. Another fire in the nearby San Gabriel Mountains did the same in Altadena. In total, at least 31 people died. An estimated 13,000 homes were destroyed.

In the 12 months since, Redick and his family bounced from hotels to short-term rentals and then back again to hotels. He and his family have vowed to rebuild the Palisades Recreation Center, where his sons once played youth sports. That effort continues this week with the foundation Redick co-founded, LA Sports Strong, hosting its largest fundraiser to date on Thursday.

Following the Lakers’ loss to the San Antonio Spurs on the first anniversary of the fires, Redick told The Athletic that the impact of the fire on his family and friends still lingers — and has even brought to light again the characteristics in the people he loves most.

“Sometimes you have to be reminded by the resilience of people,” Redick said. “We’re having a big event (Thursday). It’s our first real large fundraising event for the rebuild of the rec center. We’re making a lot of headway. And seeing families that have relocated multiple times over the last year — we had to as well — we were in a hotel for five and a half to 10 months before we ended up getting settled. … I told Chelsea today … I’m proud of her, and I’m proud of the kids, and I’m proud of all our friends.

“It’s been a lot for a year.”

Redick and his family recently moved into a new home. Many of his friends and neighbors have not.

As he reflected on the past year, Redick didn’t revisit the horrific drive through the Palisades the morning after the fire, the difficult trip back with a reporter or the grief-filled nights inside hotel lobbies with friends who had lost everything. Instead, he spoke with some level of gratitude for his loved ones and their resilience through a defining period in their lives.

“The first 10 days, you’re devastated,” he said. “You’re in shock, and you’re just trying to function in some ways.”

In some ways, Redick’s family was fortunate. He said his sons’ school wasn’t impacted by the fires, so they had some sense of normalcy. His job, too, created an escape. But the devastation landed hardest at home — particularly for his wife.

“I think for a long time, Chelsea, she wore it the hardest. And she’s a mom, and what do moms want? They want to nest. They want to have a bed for their kids, and they want to have stuff up on the walls that show that this is where we live and this is where our family plays Rummikub together and watches stupid Netflix kid shows together. Like the disruption of that.”

Nearly all of their personal belongings, and the routines that had given the family comfort, were lost in the fires.

“It didn’t really get normal again for a long time,” Redick said. “And I think a lot of people are still going through that. And that was the angst that we felt as a family. I know my boys felt it for months and months after. And it wasn’t until we felt settled again. And even that took two to three weeks of, ‘Oh, OK, we can actually turn off that valve of anxiety that we’ve had for the last 10 months.’”

In the immediate aftermath of the fires, Redick became one of the public faces of the tragedy. He spoke emotionally about the rec center and the bonds he formed in the Palisades following the Lakers’ first practice back after the fires. He was raw, and he promised to try to be a part of solutions.

A year later, he remembered that sentiment.

“I talked about our family. We were, we’re gonna be fine,” he remembered. “We were gonna go through the very specific challenges that our family was gonna face. And that was devastating and sad. And was emotional.

“I think the harder part, and it still is, it’s like that sense of loss of community. … We still feel that. And all the people that we hung out with in Palisades, we still hang out with them all the time, but they’re just not in the Palisades.”

Stories like this, tied to the anniversary, remember the devastation. For Redick, the reminders are constant.

“There are certainly stories like us. Like, now we’re settled. But I know so many people that aren’t still settled,” Redick said. “And it’s just amazing to see their … spirit and hope and optimism. We all have bad days, but the resiliency really just stuck out to me about everyone in that community.”

UW-La Crosse is inviting the community to Mitchell Hall on Saturday for a day of play and remembrance, dedicated to the legacy of Charlie “Bubba” Lonning Weber.

The festivities kick off at from noon-2:45 p.m. with the Charlie’s Kids fest, and lead into the UW-L women’s basketball game after that, where attendance is free and they hope to break the WIAC single-game attendance record of 2,112 fans.

The game will also feature a deeply personal tribute, as the Eagles take the court in special jerseys. Each jersey will be inscribed with the names of 19 infants who have passed away, serving as a visual memorial to raise awareness for pregnancy and infant loss.

Know before you go: Bubba’s Youth Day & Charlie’s Kids fest

If you are planning to help “Fill Mitchell Hall” Saturday, here is the schedule and what you need to know:

• Charlie’s Kids fest (Noon–2:45 p.m.): The pre-game party takes place in the Mitchell Hall Fieldhouse. It features inflatables, obstacle courses, and activity stations for kids (preschool through 8th grade).
• The Big Game (3 p.m.): Stick around as UW-La Crosse Women’s Basketball takes on UW-Platteville. This is the official push to break the WIAC attendance record of 2,112 fans.
• Admission is FREE: Both the fest and the basketball game are free for fans of all ages.
• Registration & Waivers: While the event is free, children participating in the fest must be accompanied by an adult. You can save time by signing the required waiver online before you arrive.
• The Cause: The event is hosted by Bubba’s Fund, which supports the Charlie’s Kids Foundation. Their mission is to provide SIDS education and “sleep safe” resources to new parents, a mission that has already significantly impacted childcare safety in the La Crosse area.

While the record is a target, organizers say the primary goal is to “Fill Mitchell Hall” with support for a cause that has already transformed local childcare safety.

The event supports Bubba’s Fund, established by UW-L women’s basketball coach Moran Lonning and her husband, Alex Weber, after their son Charlie passed away in 2024 at just three months old.

Since then, the fund has reached a major milestone in successfully providing automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to every state-licensed childcare facility in La Crosse.

Saturday’s events will help sustain that momentum and support “Rising Athletes,” a nonprofit that removes financial barriers for local youth sports.

Charlie’s Kids Fest at Mitchell Hall Fieldhouse is free for children (preschool through 8th grade) and features inflatables, obstacle courses, plus a chance to play alongside UW-L student-athletes.

Parents are encouraged to sign a participation waiver in advance at bubbasfund.org.

Moran was a guest on La Crosse Talk on Thursday morning with Sean Dwyer.

La Crosse Talk airs weekdays at 6-8 a.m. Listen on the WIZM app, online here, or on 92.3 FM / 1410 AM / 106.7 FM (north of Onalaska). Find the show on Apple Podcast, Spotify or here.

As the calendar turns to 2026, the City of Lauderhill is preparing to place youth development, international collaboration, and elite competition firmly in the spotlight through the Caribbean Americas Soccer Association (C.A.S.A.) and City of Lauderhill Youth Classic Soccer Tournament.

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In a statement welcoming the event, Lauderhill Vice Mayor Richard Campbell described the tournament as a fitting way to open what he called a “bright and prosperous New Year,” underscoring the city’s growing reputation as a hub for high-level youth sports and community engagement.

Scheduled for January 15-18, the four-day showcase will be staged at Lauderhill Sports Park, located at 7500 West Oakland Park Boulevard, and will feature top-tier players between the ages of 15 and 20, all competing with one clear objective: exposure, development, and the pursuit of college scholarship opportunities.

A platform where talent meets opportunity

According to Vice Mayor Campbell, the Youth Classic is more than a tournament; it is a launchpad.

The event is designed to give emerging athletes “a platform to compete for college scholarships while showcasing their talents to scouts from across the United States,” placing Lauderhill at the intersection of sport, education, and future opportunity.

With college recruiters and evaluators expected to attend, the tournament reinforces the city’s commitment to youth advancement through sport, while offering players a rare chance to perform on an international stage without leaving South Florida.

Elite field assembled for four days of competition

The 2026 edition of the Youth Classic will feature six elite teams, all sponsored by the City of Lauderhill, and divided into two competitive groups:

Group A: Jamaica, Tekkerz, ESP

Group B: Plantation, Rush, C.A.S.A. Allstars

Vice Mayor Campbell highlighted the strength of the field, noting that the participating teams represent a blend of international flair and domestic excellence, creating a highly competitive environment throughout the tournament.

Jamaica’s best high school talent takes the spotlight

One of the marquee attractions of this year’s event is the Jamaica national selection, composed of standout players from the All-Manning Cup and All-daCosta Cup competitions, widely regarded as the pinnacle of Jamaican high school soccer.

“This talented selection represents the finest high school soccer talent in Jamaica,” Campbell stated, emphasizing the caliber of athletes set to compete.

The Jamaican team is scheduled to arrive on Thursday, January 15, and will take the field on Friday, January 16, and Saturday, January 17, with both matches kicking off at 8:30 p.m., drawing considerable attention from fans and scouts alike.

Youth Soccer Clinic adds developmental focus

Beyond match play, the tournament will feature a Youth Soccer Clinic on Sunday, January 18, from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., reinforcing the event’s developmental mission.

Described as a “high-energy, two-hour clinic,” the session is designed to challenge and inspire young players in a competitive yet enjoyable environment. The clinic will provide participants with an opportunity to sharpen technical skills, build confidence, and compete outside traditional match settings, serving as a prelude to the day’s championship finale.

Tournament Schedule: Four days of high-intensity action

Thursday, January 15
7:30 p.m. — Plantation vs. Rush

Friday, January 16
6:30 p.m. — ESP vs. C.A.S.A. Allstars
8:30 p.m. — Jamaica vs. ESP

Saturday, January 17
6:30 p.m. — Plantation vs. Tekkerz
8:30 p.m. — Jamaica vs. C.A.S.A. Allstars

Sunday, January 18
2:00 p.m. — Youth Soccer Clinic
3:00 p.m. — Second Place Group A vs. Third Place Group B
5:00 p.m. — Championship Match: Winner Group A vs. Winner Group B
6:45 p.m. — Medal Presentation

Soccer with a purpose: Community and global support

Vice Mayor Campbell also emphasized the tournament’s broader humanitarian mission. Throughout the four-day event, attendees are encouraged to support Lauderhill’s Sister City, Falmouth, Trelawny, and William Knibb High School through donations of non-perishable food items and school supplies as part of ongoing hurricane relief efforts.

“Beyond the pitch,” Campbell noted, community participation can make a meaningful difference in the lives of those affected.

Families are invited to attend and enjoy the matches, with refreshments available on-site, as Lauderhill comes together to celebrate sport, solidarity, and the promise of the next generation.

When we launched the Kidsburgh Podcast in 2024, our very first interview guest was former Pittsburgh Pirate Travis Snider. We knew that his message was one that could help many families: The growing professionalization of youth sports has made athletics a source of tremendous stress for many kids, but parents and coaches can change that. 

We shared Travis’s advice again last summer as the school sports season was approaching. Now, midway through the school year, we were glad to see that the New York Times interviewed Travis about finding ways to ensure a mentally healthy experience for kids in youth sports. 

Their recent article — “As Youth Sports Professionalize, Kids Are Burning Out Fast: A growing body of research shows how pressure from overbearing coaches and parents is stunting children’s emotional well-being and leading to injuries” — explores the issues that kids face and the ways parents can help. 

“Though he reached the highest level of his sport, Mr. Snider felt that distorted priorities turned baseball into a burden, something he wanted to help others avoid,” the New York Times writes. “Last year, he started a company, 3A Athletics, to help children, parents and coaches develop healthier approaches to sports that include separating professional aspirations from the reality that most young athletes just want to get some exercise and make friends.” 

“We as a culture really blended the two into the same experience, which is really toxic for kids as they’re going through the early stages of identity formation,” Mr. Snider said. “You have a lot of parents who are sports fans that want to watch youth sports the same way they watch pro sports without recognizing, hey, the thing I love the most is out there running around on the field.”

To learn more about healthy sports parenting, listen to this episode of the Kidsburgh Podcast. 

Photo by Adrià Crehuet Cano via Unsplash.

A dejected, 9-year-old NaVorro Bowman Jr. stared at the car’s passenger-side floor mats as tears inched down his cheeks after his first tryout with the Team Takeover AAU basketball program in Washington, D.C.

When the coach had the best players scrimmage at the end of the session, he abrasively instructed Bowman to take a seat against the wall.

As Bowman and his mom drove away from the gym, he sobbed and said he didn’t want to play basketball anymore.

“I was going as hard as I could, and when the coach told me to sit while everyone else was playing, I was going through all types of emotions,” Bowman recalled.

Playing against those seasoned Team Takeover kids proved more difficult than slam dunks on the mini-hoop in the San Francisco 49ers Kids Room at Levi’s Stadium while his father, NaVorro Bowman Sr., forged his legacy as one of the greatest linebackers in franchise history.

“Little NaVorro could move his feet because he played soccer,” said his mother, Mikale Bowman. “He was really good at defense, but had problems getting the ball up the court. He also couldn’t shoot very well. He was crying. He felt defeated.”

He didn’t stay that way. Bowman Jr. has since developed into one of the nation’s premier high school basketball prospects in the Class of 2027.

The 6-foot-3 junior guard, ranked No. 46 in the 2027 ESPN SCNEXT 60, is starring for Notre Dame High School, which plays Sierra Canyon High on Friday in a boys’ basketball game between two of California’s top teams (ESPN2, 11:30 p.m. ET).

Bowman Jr. holds scholarship offers from UCLA, USC, Villanova, Cal, TCU and his father’s alma mater, Penn State, among others.

“I’ve been blessed to coach a lot of high-level kids,” Notre Dame head coach Matt Sergeant said. “I don’t know if I’d rank anyone higher than NaVorro in terms of his desire to compete. He wants to win every drill, fights for every inch on the court, and accepts coaching. And he’s a smart, funny kid with an innate Magic Johnson-type joy that can light up any room.”

After that Team Takeover tryout, Mikale took matters into her hands and called her husband. Bowman Sr. was finishing his final NFL season in 2017, his lone year with the Oakland Raiders, capping an eight-year career that saw him earn four first-team All-Pro honors.

Soon to return to the family’s Maryland offseason home, Bowman Sr. received an edict regarding his son’s athletic trajectory.

“If you don’t coach him, he’s not playing,” Mikale told her husband.

Team Takeover fielded two teams heading into that spring and summer. They included some of the best youth basketball players in the D.C. area — a Red squad and a Black one.

Bowman Sr. volunteered to coach a developmental squad called the Gray team. It was for kids — like his son — who weren’t polished. At the end of that summer, after the Red and Black teams were eliminated from the AAU national championships, the Gray team continued to advance, and it eventually placed ninth in the country.

“NaVorro Bowman Sr. is a patient, excellent coach and teacher who instilled confidence in all of those kids,” Mikale said. “Each week, you could see them improving.”

Bowman Jr.’s rapid development didn’t go unnoticed. 

“He had some athleticism, played extremely hard and challenged himself to stop his man from scoring,” Bowman Sr., 37, said. “His best trait was that he was a competitor.”

Heading into nationals that year, the much-improved Bowman Jr. was asked to join the Black squad. 

“It felt great to grow with the kids who supposedly weren’t good enough to play on the so-called best travel teams,” Bowman Jr. said. “So when they asked me to jump over to the Black team, I was like, ‘Nah, y’all cut me. I’m good.’ ”

To accelerate his son’s basketball education, Bowman Sr. reached out to a couple of old friends. One was Patrick Robinson, the ball-handling wizard and D.C. playground legend more popularly known as Pat Da Roc. The other was Keith Williams, a renowned trainer who has tutored the likes of NBA players Kevin Durant, DeMarcus Cousins and Markelle Fultz, among others.

“Players from the DMV [District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia] are gritty, they go hard. So I had to learn how to play physical and get tougher mentally” said Bowman Jr. “Training with Pat got my handles tight. It was a masterclass in the use of hesitation dribbles. With Keith, it was about fundamentals, repetition and mastering pull-up jumpers off the dribble. The better I got, the better I wanted to get.”

Williams knew Bowman Sr. when he was an adolescent competing against some of the area’s top high school and college basketball players at the 24-hour Run-N-Shoot facility in District Heights.

“Most people don’t realize how good he was at basketball,” said Williams. “NaVorro was an incredible defender with quick feet. He had natural instincts and anticipation. During his NFL offseasons, he’d be in the gym with us holding his own against NBA guys.”

Williams had to temper Bowman Sr.’s timeline and expectations, though, urging patience as it related to his son’s development.

“I got Little NaVorro when he was 9 years old, and he was such a nice kid,” said Williams. “I told his dad, ‘Here’s the problem: There’s no way he’s going to be as hungry as you were at that age. You came up rough, in a one-story house with two rooms and seven people. You can’t duplicate that. He ain’t hungry right now. But he’ll get there.’ ”

Bowman Sr.’s hunger was born from necessity. He grew up along two older brothers in tough Suitland, near D.C. His father worked at the electric company and moonlighted as the neighborhood mechanic. His mother managed a nearby Wendy’s.

“I absorbed their work ethic while also being aware of what was going on around me,” Bowman Sr. said “There was a lot of violence, a lot of drugs. My parents didn’t have all the resources, but they were hard-working. They stressed school and being respectful. It sounds cliche, but most of the guys I came up with are now dead, in jail, or doing really bad.”

He honed his toughness playing tackle football in the streets with bigger, older kids. But basketball was his first love. The Run-N-Shoot facility was an oasis that kept him away from the temptations that his peers fell victim to.

One middle school teammate was a neighbor, a quiet kid with long arms and legs, and a sweet shooting stroke for whom basketball was also a security blanket. His name was Kevin Durant.

“I was more outspoken at that age than Kevin,” Bowman Sr. said. “He was quiet and would defer to others. But he was so skilled, so long, and could score all day long. I’d be telling him to shoot every time he touched the ball. Even at that young age he was something special.”

Bowman Sr. played for the nation’s most revered AAU team at the time — DC Assault — with other future NBA players, such as Nolan Smith and Michael Beasley.

As a junior at Suitland High School, he was among the nation’s top football recruits after compiling 165 tackles, nine sacks and three fumble recoveries on defense. On offense, he rushed for 1,200 yards and scored 22 touchdowns. After his junior season, he was named Washington Post first-team All Met, first-team all-state, and Maryland Defensive Player of the Year.

He also received basketball overtures from Clemson, Wake Forest, N.C. State and others before focusing solely on football. “I wasn’t getting any taller,” said Bowman Sr., who is 6-foot. “But hoops was always my first love.”

Home on summer break after his freshman year at Penn State, Bowman was stuck in a traffic jam on a balmy Friday night on Okie Street in northeast D.C. Mikale was a few cars down, dressed up, out with friends, and sitting in the same congested stretch en route to Dream, a popular nightclub.

When Bowman Sr. walked over to say hello amid the spontaneous block party atmosphere that was fueled by the stalled cars’ blaring music, Mikale was taken aback by the commotion surrounding her.

“That’s NaVorro! That’s NaVorro!,” her friends yelled.

Mikale was a track athlete at Largo High School, Suitland’s rival. She was a 100-, 200- and 4×100-meter sprinter.

“I’d heard his name before and my girlfriends knew him from Suitland,” said Mikale. “I ran track but didn’t really follow sports, so I didn’t see what the big deal was. But when he came over to the car, I noticed how handsome he was, with this big, beautiful smile.”

Their first phone call was more serious than Mikale expected. The young man was vulnerable, talking about how deeply hurt and affected he’d been by the recent death of his father. That initial conversation lasted hours.

“I felt his pain on a very personal level because my father was murdered when I was 14,” said Mikale. “We’ve been stuck together like glue ever since.”  

On Fridays, when Bowman was at Penn State, she’d leave work, either from the Universal Hair Salon in Fort Washington or her gig as an assistant at a Bethesda realtor’s office, and drive four hours to spend her weekends in State College, Pennsylvania.

Some of those autumn Saturday afternoons were spent among the other 106,000 spectators in Beaver Stadium as she watched her boyfriend become one of the nation’s most dominant college football players.

Two years after their first conversation, she was still taking those long weekend drives, but now with infant NaVorro Jr. strapped in his rear car seat. By then, Bowman Sr. was wrapping up a decorated college career as an All-American and two-time first-team All-Big Ten linebacker before forgoing his final year of eligibility to enter the 2010 NFL draft.

By the time Bowman Jr. enrolled in middle school, he was a blur from sideline to sideline, baseline to baseline on the basketball court. His jump shot was dependable, and his handles crisp.

“He had a unique flair with the way he moved and handled the ball,” said Mikale. “He wasn’t just good, he was entertaining. And he wasn’t chasing points or hunting shots. He let the game come to him.”

Mikale had seen the brutal toll that football exacted on her husband and his peers. She was grateful that he walked away physically and mentally intact, and for the upward mobility it provided their family. But she had long told her son — in no uncertain terms — that he’d never be allowed to play the game that made his father famous.

So imagine her surprise, when picking him up from The Bullis School one early fall afternoon, to see her eighth-grade son clad in shoulder pads and gripping the face mask of a helmet that dangled by his side.

“I’d been hinting for a while about wanting to play, but she either didn’t catch on or was just ignoring me,” said Bowman Jr. “I was going to all the early training sessions and practices, telling her that I was staying late at school to study. She just stared at me with this cold look.

“My dad must have smoothed things over because I was allowed to play. And I absolutely loved it. I played running back, receiver, corner[back] and defensive end. It was the most fun I ever had. I had to get it out of my system because I knew that in high school I wanted to give everything I had to basketball.”

As a freshman at St. Paul VI in northern Virginia, Bowman expected to be a varsity contributor on a D.C. area powerhouse that is perennially ranked among the nation’s top high school basketball teams. But he’d have to wait his turn.

That 2023-24 St. Paul VI team finished as runner-up in the Chipotle Nationals, losing to future No.1 NBA draft pick Cooper Flagg’s undefeated Montverde Academy (Fla.) squad in the championship game. St. Paul VI featured five starters who earned major NCAA Division I scholarships: Ben Hammond (Virginia Tech), Garrett Sundra (Notre Dame), Isaiah Abraham (Connecticut), and Darren Harris and Patrick Ngongba (Duke).

After fall workouts and practices before the start of that season, Bowman Jr. was sent down to junior varsity.

“He didn’t like that one bit,” Mikale said. “He was upset and sulking around. I finally had to tell him, ‘Your path is your path. Stop worrying about what other people are going to say and think. Even Michael Jordan and Chris Paul played on their high school JV teams. A few years from now, nobody is going to care what you did as a freshman.’ ”

After a few weeks, Mikale noticed a shift in her son’s demeanor. He hopped in the car one afternoon after practice, smiling, and volunteered without provocation: “I actually like this now. I’m having fun.”

“Not making the varsity at Paul VI messed with me a little bit,” said Bowman Jr. “It was humbling. I was practicing against two of the best senior guards in the country every day in Ben Hammond and Darren Harris. It was a reminder that I had a lot more work to do.”

In early February 2024 during his son’s freshman year, Bowman Sr., then a defensive analyst at the University of Maryland, received a call from his former San Francisco 49ers coach, Jim Harbaugh. He asked Bowman Sr. to join him and the Los Angeles Chargers as their linebackers coach.

While Mikale was having lunch at a restaurant shortly after Bowman Sr., was hired by the Chargers, an acquaintance asked her about the Los Angeles-area schools they were thinking about enrolling their son upon their return to the West Coast.

“You should really look at Notre Dame,” the man advised. “I’m close with [rapper] Master P. That’s where his son went.”

Mercy Miller, the son of the rap icon and founder of the legendary hip-hop label No Limit Records, was a star basketball player at Notre Dame. In December 2023, Miller set the school’s single-game scoring record with 68 points before accepting a scholarship to the University of Houston.

“We were looking at Harvard-Westlake, Sierra Canyon and some others at that point, and the guy calls Master P and hands me his cell phone,” Mikale said. “And P was like, ‘I heard your son’s good. Y’all should go to Notre Dame.’ ”

After a number of visits, most of the coaching staffs were lukewarm at the prospect of Bowman Jr. — who’d only played junior varsity ball — joining their teams. But the Notre Dame visit was different.

“The energy from that visit felt like home,” said Bowman Jr. “The admissions director took us around, and the coaches seemed genuinely excited about having me there.”

If there were any doubts about the new sophomore from D.C., they were quickly assuaged during fall practices. Bowman turned more than a few heads with his poise, body control, playmaking, long-range shooting, and his ability to attack the rim and create his shot off the dribble.

“Right before Little NaVorro left to go to California, he’d turned the corner,” said Williams. “He grew, got better, and blew up during his sophomore year out there.”

When one of Notre Dame’s projected starters was injured during a fall league game against Redondo Beach, Bowman Jr. came off the bench and scored 21 points without missing a shot. He has started every game since.

“As soon as he got here, it was undeniable how good he was going to be offensively,” coach Sergeant said. “The initial questions we had were from a defensive and rebounding standpoint. But by late October, early November, we saw a kid with the whole package. It was obvious then that NaVorro was going to be a special player for us.”

Playing alongside Tyran Stokes, a gifted 6-7 wing and the consensus No. 1 player in the Class of 2026, Bowman Jr. was a nationwide revelation once this season tipped off.

He averaged 16.4 points over his first nine games, including a 26-point, five-rebound, six-assist gem against Mater Dei, as Notre Dame raced to a 9-0 start to the season. During the team’s run to the state semifinals, he averaged 23 points per game.

“As soon as he started having success, those schools that weren’t really feeling him started calling,” said Mikale. “But I made it clear that we weren’t interested in hopping around. We liked where he was, and he was going to stay there.”

The momentum continued snowballing on the Nike EYBL (Elite Youth Basketball League) circuit last summer. Playing on NBA star Russell Westbrook’s Team Why Not squad, Bowman Jr. established himself as one of the nation’s most electrifying backcourt talents and California’s top-ranked point guard in the Class of 2027.

And with Stokes suddenly withdrawing from Notre Dame on Nov. 5, Bowman Jr. will be playing under a more intense spotlight this season.

“Ever since he got cut from his first AAU team, it’s been a process,” Bowman Sr. said of his son. “He didn’t like that feeling. When he started to experience success against the top guys, he never got complacent and always answered the bell.”

Bowman Jr.’s hunger hasn’t waned. Judging from chatter on the grapevine as his junior season is underway, it’s only become more ravenous.

“I follow my dad’s example and listen to everything he says, like starting my workday at 5:30 a.m. while my competition’s sleeping,” Bowman Jr. said. “He’s excelled at the highest level of sports, and he’s a coach. And he also helps me from a mental standpoint, with simple stuff like making my bed every morning to start the day off by accomplishing something.”

As the scholarship offers grow, so is that hunger that was predicted when he was 9.

“Offers don’t mean anything,” said Bowman Jr. “If anything, it’s made me want to work harder to get more. The only goal in front of me right now is for us to win a state championship. The chip on my shoulder is getting bigger, just like that first time I got cut.”

Michael “Mike” Joseph Smith (68) of Great Falls, Montana, died in a tragic car accident on January 4, 2026. A Memorial Service will be held on Friday, January 9, 2026, at 3 p.m. at Croxford Funeral Home in Great Falls, Montana.

Mike was born July 28, 1957, in Billings, MT, to Warren and Jane Schlachter Smith. He grew up in Joliet, MT, until 1968 when the family moved to Plains, MT. Mike graduated from Plains High School in 1975 and MT Tech in Butte, MT, in 1979 with a degree in Environmental Engineering.

Since there was a scarcity of environmental engineering jobs available, he worked in the oil fields of Eastern Montana and North Dakota for several years. In 1982 Mike started his professional career with GE in Billings, MT, and later moved to Seattle, WA, Honolulu, HI, and Columbus, Ohio. In 1995 he joined Nationwide Financial in the office of compliance. He retired from Nationwide in 2020 and moved back to his beloved Montana in 2022.

Mike met the love of his life, Suzanne “Suzy” Percival Smith, while playing walleyball at the apartment complex where they both lived in Seattle. They married on October 1, 1988, in Red Lodge, MT. They have two children: a son, Jordan Michael (1993), and a daughter, Hannah Jane (1995). Mike was a wonderful husband and father and friend to all he met.   

Mike enjoyed hiking, snow shoeing, pickleball, gardening, traveling, spending time in the great outdoors especially sleeping unencumbered on a cot beneath the night sky and taking care of his cats. Mike was Eli’s, Hannah’s dog, favorite person and their bond was extraordinary. He was a well-loved and exceptional youth sports coach for football, basketball, baseball, lacrosse, and volleyball. His way with children was admired by many and will be sorely missed. A lifelong volunteer, Mike was involved in community gardens, youth mission trips, and picking up after litter bugs. Since moving to Great Falls, he immersed himself in Wild Montana. Above all Mike treasured time with family and friends and being a devoted husband and father.

Mike is survived by his wife, Suzy; son, Jordan Michael (Terra) Smith; daughter, Hannah Jane Smith (Cody Allison); sisters Margaret (Dave Swan) Halko, Janice (Roger) Hassenpflug, Patricia (John) Buck, Mary (Steve) Supola, Jean (Casey) Clinch, Laura King, Catherine (Jonathan) Roen, and Rebecca (Jeff) Crider; brothers Robert (Pam) Smith, Mark (Penny) Smith, and Paul Smith; sisters-in-law Louise Evered and Laura Percival; brother-in-law Dan Percival; as well as many, many nieces, nephews, and cousins. Mike is also survived by cherished friends, including the classmates he reconnected with during his 50th high school reunion last summer, his pickleball friends, everyone involved with Wild Montana, and his lifelong hiking and basketball groups in Columbus, OH.  

Mike was preceded in death by his parents, mother- and father-in-law, Betty and Bob Percival, brothers-in-law Joe Halko and Robert Percival, and sister-in-law Cindy Smith.

Memorial donations may be sent to Wild Montana or a charity of your choice.

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