6-foot-2 Chabot College lefty guard Makaio Mims acquired his first name in an unusual manner. His older brother (by 15 years) was charged with determining his newborn brother's first name and produced a word of Hawaiian origin that means 'gift from God.'
Gladiator Coach Keenan McMiller, a dogged recruiter, gladly welcomed Makaio to his roster three years ago out of James Logan High. Benefiting this season from Mims' 14.2 points per game alongside 5.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists with 50%, 43% and 73% shooting accuracies, McMiller would be more than happy to have a regular recruiting pipeline from the Almighty especially if they are all as talented as Mims.
The Road to Chabot
After graduating from high school, Mims considered a trio of community colleges—San Jose City College, Las Positas College and Chabot—to attend. "I talked with Coach Keenan and watched a practice." Mims witnessed the proof he needed. McMiller and Chabot was it.
How has his experience been to date? Besides being an important member of a very successful program, "Coach Keenan puts us through workouts and it's tough to be mentally strong enough to get through them. But he works so hard himself. He believes in me, gives me confidence and shows us love."
A query about Mims' best basketball skills produced "my shooting form. My uncle Lupe changed my shot so I could be like Klay Thompson. He watches a lot of (basketball) film and has been really helpful. Also, I hustle for rebounds and I'm good at it for my size."
Stamina might be another plus attribute Mims brings to the court. He ran track in middle school and high school and it wasn't short distances like the 100 or 200. Mims ran the 800 and the mile. During his track tenure, he earned all league honors and achieved MVP status as a freshman. In a feat that separates the best from the good, he ran the 800 in under two minutes. But he liked the effect of the crowds in basketball which boosted his adrenaline so he turned to hoops.
Getting a Basketball Body & Mind
"My size has definitely changed," Mims acknowledged. "I grayshirted my first year at 150 pounds. I'm at 170 now but my metabolism makes gaining weight hard." Another difference is "I'm also a lot more confident now than when I was a freshman."
Mims calls himself "a leader by example. I'm usually quiet and soft-spoken but my teammates see how hard I work."
Boasting a more than solid 3.5 grade point average, Mims combines his academics, plus the lengthy amount of time spent with basketball while also working at Starbucks. If he is ever required to write a theses/dissertation for a class or a higher degree, time management is a subject he has mastered.
Coach McMiller effusively praises his sophomore, "Makaio is a Hayward-grown talent who is soft spoken, a great person and excellent student-athlete with 3.5 gpa. He is a no-brainer for any four-year programs as his best basketball is ahead of him. Makaio will be a great entrepreneur but if he decides after he graduates from his four-year university that he wants to play professionally, he will. He has the work ethic, IQ, tough mentality and talent to play for a long time professionally. I'm so grateful to Makaio, his family, mentors and coaching circle here in the local area for their support of the Gladiator program! Forever a Gladiator!"
Best Hoops Moments
Mims named two when asked about his best basketball moments. "Last year against CCSF, we beat them at home. It was a high energy game that came down to the wire." Chabot won 89-87 with Mims contributing nine points (on five shot attempts) three steals and a pair of blocked shots in 20 minutes of court time. As he noted, "We never lost at home last season." Plus, "just the other night in a game, I fired up a three-quarter length shot with time running out and it banked in. ABC7 sports showed video of it. I was saying to myself, 'it's not going in, it might go in, it went in.'" But he did not call the bank.
Mims will major in business at the four-year level. Utilizing such a degree, in 20 years I see myself working with real estate investments (his own). I want to be my own boss at that point."
He offered thanks to "all the coaches who believed in me and who got on me to work and be better. Thanks to my family and friends for aiding my confidence. I have a lot of love for them. I hurt my back in the summer and at the beginning of this season I wasn't a starter because I wasn't playing up to my potential. My family picked me up during that time and it was really helpful."
Regarding recruiting, Mims said, "I prefer Los Angeles and southern California but I will take the best offer I receive."
His grand production this season should bring forth multiple offers and there are quite the number of colleges and universities situated in the Southland so...
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