Senior Michaels king of court
By Austin Bower
Senior Jake Michaels has been playing basketball since third grade, and he makes a point of contributing “all he’s got” every time he hits the court, whether it’s for practice or an important game.
“I love playing with my team and just being in the atmosphere and hearing the crowd chant for the team,” Michaels said.
Michaels, who plays small guard and forward for the varsity basketball team, said his key influences have been his father and teammates. As he looks back over his years on the high school team, he sees one memory standing out: the Highlanders’ victory over Mt. Lebanon last year.
Throughout that game, the team kept its poise, and the Baldwin players’ endurance allowed them to charge up and down the court to grab the lead.
“We fought hard and finally came out on top to win it,” Michaels said.
Michaels’ teammate A.J. Greco called that Mt. Lebanon game “nerve-racking and very intense,” going right down to the wire until Baldwin pulled out the win.
As for this season, Greco credited Michaels for both his athletic ability and leadership qualities.
“He is a very athletic individual who is very lanky, but in a good way. He is able to get to the ball,” Greco said. “(He is) a definition of a team leader, and a type of person who is looked at as a coach.”
Michaels also does a great job representing Baldwin sports, Greco said.
He is “good at everything he tries, (and is) compassionate about the sport, and representing Baldwin athletics,” Greco said.
Like many athletes, Michaels has certain routines he likes to follow, including listening to his iPod and taking a power nap. Before games he listens to “Name Me King,” by the rapper Game, which he said gets him pumped to hit the court and help the team win.

Freshman Milan a force on varsity
By Elaina DePetro
The first game of ice hockey Max Milan ever played did not turn out the way he would have liked. He got a pass and then made a bad pass. The other team picked off the pass and scored.
The game ended with a score of 1-0. That one pass cost his team the game.
Now Milan is a freshman on the varsity team here at Baldwin. As an eighth grader he played on the freshman team.
“He is good. As a freshman he is doing really well,” teammate Brian Dee said.
Milan did not start playing hockey until seventh grade. It wasn’t until a certain Penguin player came to Pittsburgh and took the city by storm that Milan started playing.
“Sydney Crosby inspired me to play. Just the way he came to Pittsburgh and got big,” Milan said.
Hockey players are known for their crazy superstitions before games. Milan is no different.
“We always try to sit next to each other in the locker room if we can,” Dee said, explaining one superstition.
Milan explained another.
“I always put on my right skate first,” Milan said.
Milan starting playing football, but it got boring for him. Hockey is more fun for him.
“It’s different skating. It’s not normal,” Milan said.
Players might have thought that Milan, as a freshman, might have come in with an attitude. That could not have been farther from the truth.
“He just came in and worked hard and did what he needed to do,” Dee said.
The ice hockey team at Baldwin plays in the Open Division, for developing teams, not Quad A. But Milan has hopes for his team in the future.
“I think it’s a good start for a young team,” Milan said, “I think we have a chance to win.”
Milan currently plays center but has played defense in the past for the team. In the first nine games, he had almost a dozen points. The team went 6-2-1 in that span.
Dee had nothing but good things to say about Milan on and off the ice. Milan puts the same focus into school as he does ice hockey.
“He is good. He comes to school and does well. He does what he needs to do just like he does in varsity,” Dee said.
As for personal quirks, Milan said he would eat one meal before every game if he could.
“Pasta and meat sauce is my favorite,” Milan said.