Mules basketball player number seven, Lazerek Houston, has received seven major awards in his freshman season, both within the MIAA conference and nationally. He has also been featured twice on ESPN SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays. 

  “I really don’t care about the individual awards. I’m trying to win with the team,” said Houston.

  Houston is a freshman majoring in Business Administration. He graduated from Lincoln Northeast High School, located in Lincoln, Neb. Houston has played basketball since elementary school.

  “I started at a young age. My dad kind of put it in front of me, and then I just took it on from there,” said Houston.

  Since then, he has stayed focused on basketball, making sure he and the rest of the team not only have a good game but also leave the court with a win. According to Head Coach Adam Bohac, Houston values the team’s success. 

  “Our team is outstanding in terms of how they love one another; they all individually work really hard because they respect the group and love the group,” said Bohac.

  According to Bohac, the MIAA is a competitive conference because it’s full of outstanding players, outstanding coaches, and institutions that really care about winning. 

  “Those environments and institutions that care about winning attract great coaches. And so the league is just littered with outstanding coaches, and then those coaches attract great players,” said Bohac.

  According to Bohac, Houston plays point guard, a position that requires leadership and strong decision-making on the court. As the team’s primary ball handler, he helps organize the offense and takes the opportunities for his teammates to score. 

  “He’s a point guard, so he has the ball and is the quote-unquote quarterback of the team, and so he makes a bunch of decisions. So a lot of the stuff goes through him. He’s really good off the ball screen. He’s really good in transition. And so a lot of possessions begin when he has the ball, and then oftentimes the possession ends with him having the ball. He’s a big part of what we do,” said Bohac.

  In the eyes of Bohac, Houston has grown and improved over the course of the season. 

  “I think his growth has been monumental since he’s been here, just in terms of his everyday practice habits, his consistency with handling his business off the floor, in the weight room, in the classroom, and then just his play,” said Bohac. “I mean, there was a time in the first semester, I believe, he was leading the country in turnovers, and this semester and in conference games, he’s been outstanding and taking care of the basketball and not turning it over. So some of the intangibles, but also the tangible areas. Boy, he’s improved all across the board.”

  According to UCM basketball fan and freshman student Gabe Eller, attending UCM games is a really good experience.

  “Player number seven is very skilled and very good at going to the hoop. He also plays some pretty good defense,” said Eller. 

  Despite Houston’s success, he still succeeds in focusing on his academic career and social life.

  “I would say, as a basketball player, you can’t only be a basketball player. I mean, one day, it’s gonna stop. I just heard stories about players who fall into depression. So I feel like there’s way more to me than basketball. I’m kind, a funny person, and I like to hang out with my friends, play video games. I’m just a regular person.”