Malik and Kyreese Willingham were always confident that, with enough work, determination and the right mindset, one day they would lift a championship trophy together.
After missing out on the opportunity in high school, coming one game short Malik’s senior and Kyreese’s junior year, that dream would have to be put temporarily on hold as Malik transitioned to the college game.
“That’s why you play sports, to get to play for a championship, and if you’re not gonna live with that goal or work hard to get there, there’s no reason for you to compete that way.” said Malik, as him and his brother hosted a community day in Waseca, celebrating the high school and collegiate accomplishments of the two. “So, you know, a lot of people laughed at me and Ky [Kyreese] for just saying all these things that we were gonna do. But, you know, we believed in each other.”
Kyreese got the opportunity to lift the MSHSL state championship trophy with Waseca his senior season, but the goal of doing it together would be re-ignited when he committed to join Malik a short drive down Highway 14 at Minnesota State University, Mankato to play basketball for the Mavericks — a team that had a long history of success but had never gone the distance to claim a Division II national championship.
“It’s just, growing up my whole life, we were always playing on the same team, and just we always had success playing on the same team with each other,” said Kyreese. “Just having the opportunity to go to college and play with your big brother is, like, something not a lot of people would get the opportunity to do.”
Through a roller coaster college career that featured a shortened and fan-free season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a couple of disappointing seasons for the team, and a lot of roster turnover, the Waseca brothers marched forward, putting their stamp on the Maverick program while spending nights off returning home to watch the Bluejays hoops teams during the winter.
It was the 2023-24 season that saw everything the two had dreamed of come together in an unforgettable way. Malik and Kyreese led the Mavericks to a team record 35 wins on the way to the program’s first national championship, just one day after the women’s basketball team claimed its second title.
“Having that COVID year kind of helped us, because we got another year of eligibility, and in our last year, we went out together the right way,” added Kyreese. “So I’ve just tried to be in the moment, and it led to memories we’ll have for a lifetime.”
When the title was on the line, it was the brothers who put together a moment that, not only will they remember forever, Maverick fans and everyone who followed their college careers from home will never forget.
With five seconds remaining in a tied game, Malik came off a high screen, taking the ball into his hands from teammate Justin Eagins, and as a pair of Northern State University defenders brought the double team on the arc, he lofted the ball to Kyreese in the right corner. Ky caught the pass, and with no hesitation, as a defender closed in on him, he rose up to launch a three that splashed through the hoop with just .8 seconds remaining.
After getting the stop and securing the title, the celebration began, and just a week later, the Mavericks men’s team was joined by the women’s title team in Mankato to celebrate the national championships in style. During the championship welcome home event, men’s head coach Matt Margenthaler recounted the faith he had in the brothers to make the right basketball play.
“For a second when Malik took that ball, I felt he might take that shot, but he saw Ky in the corner and hit him with the perfect pass, and the rest is history.” recalled Margenthaler.
That confidence, from teammates, coaches and one another, has been a staple of the Willingham brothers’ athletic history, dating all the way back to Malik’s freshman year when he began to make his impact on the varsity squad.
“We used to play basketball from a very young age together,” said former teammate and mentor figure on the court for Malik, Nick Dufault, who was a junior on the Waseca boys basketball team when Malik got called up to play varsity. “Malik’s freshman year, we got super close, and Kyreese was in the same class with my brother. He always had just beaming confidence and a smile that would light a room.”
Malik credited Nick with being a big influence and a role model early on.
Waseca’s penchant for producing championship level talent and immensely impactful individuals has been highlighted the last several years with Saiveon Williamson claiming back-to-back football national championship trophies at South Dakota State University the last two seasons before being joined by the Willingham brothers with their championship run this season.
The Willinghams were in Waseca in late June, greeting and receiving congratulations from community members. At the same time at the park, kids were shooting hoops, building up their own skills, which will perhaps one day be seen in Waseca’s blue and gold, and perhaps beyond.
The lesson to the kids, the reason the Willinghams wanted to put on the community event in the first place, was perfectly clear.
“Our goal is just to bring out our kids, the younger generation around this town. This is where it pretty much started for me and Ky, so just to have this event set up by our uncles and family for all of them to come out, it’s so nice.” said Malik. “To see younger kids here makes us want to show them that you can come from a small town and do big things — just have big dreams, and you can accomplish them.”
Local News
Comments / 0