Stars are routinely born in the month of March.
Every year when the madness hits the hardwood for the most exhilarating portion of the sports calendar, Cinderella teams and players from seemingly out of nowhere emerge to take down blue-blood favorites and take the nation by storm.
One name that fits that mold is Riley Minix, a former Vero Beach High School star that has carried Morehead State to the NCAA Tournament. The Eagles are making their first appearance in the big dance since 2021 after winning the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament and receiving an automatic bid. They earned the 14th seed in the East Region and will take on No. 3 Illinois at 3:10 p.m. Thursday from the CHI Health Center in Omaha, Nebraska.
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“It’s been awesome and so surreal. I still don’t think that it’s hit me yet,” Minix said. “This has always been a dream of mine since I was a kid and now it’s just coming to fruition. I’m just extremely blessed that God has put me in this stage in my life and given me this opportunity to go do what I love at the highest level.”
It is at that time where many eyes will view one of the country’s best players for the very first time.
Transferring last year following an All-American career at NAIA Southeastern University, Minix has enjoyed a stellar debut campaign in Morehead, Kentucky. He averages 20.8 points and 9.8 rebounds through 34 games this season and was named the OVC’s Player of the Year and Tournament MVP.
His ascent isn’t a surprise to those within college basketball circles as pundits have spotlighted the 6-foot-7 graduate student as a player to watch in March. But as he heads into the biggest game of his career, Minix isn’t worried about the added recognition sure to come his way.
“My one and biggest reason for coming here was to make it to March Madness,” he said. “My goal wasn’t to be seen, wasn’t to be recognized, wasn’t to become famous, as some people would say it was. It was to play basketball at the highest level, because this is what I love to do. This is the platform that God has given me, and with that, I’m going to use this platform to celebrate God and to praise him because I feel like I couldn’t do it without him.”
Along his path to March Madness, Minix said his self-confidence never wavered, although he does admit he needed some time to adapt to his surroundings shortly after arrival this past summer.
He described the move to a small town as a “big culture shock” after spending his entire life in Florida. Secondly, he had to get used to playing under a much more elaborate system for a much larger coaching staff as opposed to the freedom of stepping on the floor and figuring things out himself. There were also more workouts as well.
Lastly, he says his first regular season game, a 105-73 loss on Nov. 6 at Alabama, was his “Welcome to Division I” moment.
“I was like, ‘Oh my goodness.’ I’m playing on this stage, I’m playing against this competition, which is a lot better than what I’ve seen,” Minix recalled.
The learning curve was steep, but Minix eventually made the adjustments.
“I bet on myself. I took a chance to move to this level, which I knew I could play. At the same time, just testing it on a daily basis and staying consistent was the toughest thing,” he said. “But then once I felt like I grasped that and I caught it in stride and I kept pushing, it was all up from there. My teammates trusted me, my coaches trusted me and they allowed me to play to the best of my ability.”
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Late in conference play, the Eagles endured a three-game slide before a 78-57 victory on Feb. 22 at Western Illinois served as a turning point. They have yet to drop a game since and enter the NCAA Tournament on a six-game winning streak.
“And after that game, I thought if we play like this every night, we’re making it into March. And not only are we making it there, we’re making a good run,” Minix recalled. “We had confidence that we can beat anybody playing like how we played.”
Can Morehead State pull off an upset and make it seven in a row? Following more than a week of phone calls and congratulatory text messages from loved ones back home, Minix is determined to make it happen.
“Knowing that everybody back home, all my buddies, all my friends, everyone from Vero Beach High School and throughout the whole community reaching out and letting me know how proud they are has been huge,” Minix said. “The joy that it has brought my parents and my family has been amazing and I’m so blessed to be from Vero Beach, Florida. To be able to bring those smiles back to my community and have them have something to look forward to in watching March Madness, not only to watch basketball but to feel like they have one of their own out there, I’m extremely grateful and I’m gonna do my best to leave it all out there and show what Vero Beach is all about.”
Patrick Bernadeau is a sports reporter for Treasure Coast Newspapers. He can be reached at (772) 985-9692, on X at @PatBernadeau or via email at pbernadeau@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Morehead State’s Riley Minix proud to represent Vero Beach in NCAA Tournament
