4 generations, 1 team: How one family has made an impact on the Coolidge High basketball program

It started on a wide piece of land on the Gila Indian Reservation. A basket outside the home. Lee Miguel Sr., spending hours in the sun, under the stars, shooting a basketball, before attending Coolidge High School, a good 30-minute drive away.

The Miguel family — four generations of basketball players — have had great fortune playing hoops at Coolidge.

Lee Sr. played in the early 1950s, graduating in '54, four years after the Bears won their first state championship. He was among the first Native Americans to travel from the reservation to play basketball at Coolidge.

Lee Jr. was on the 1976 and '77 teams that won back-to-back 3A championships, teams coached by Joe Partain, for which Coolidge's basketball tournament during the Thanksgiving week is named.

Kyle, Lee Jr.'s son, started on the 2001-02 David Glasgow-coached team that went 32-0, won a state title, and still is considered one of the greatest teams in Arizona high school basketball history. Kyle made the winning shot to beat Globe 50-47 for the title. He made first-team all-state as a senior.

Now, Glasgow is coaching Kyle's son, Adarius, a starting guard averaging 5.6 points and 2.3 rebounds. The sophomore is on Coolidge's 14-5 team that is ranked/seeded 14th in 3A this week by the Arizona Interscholastic Association.

"Kyle is far and away the best ballhandler I ever had," Glasgow said. "Adarius is a different player but has the same toughness and heart as his dad."

Adarius' sister Amaira currently plays on Coolidge's girls basketball team that is rated No. 5 by the AIA, and is 11-7 overall with Amaira, a junior, averaging four points and 6.6 rebounds and 3.7 steals.

Family connections don't stop there.

Kyle's sister, Mistydawn, who played basketball at Coolidge, is the mother of Omar Miguel, who played for the Bears' 2021-22 team that reached the 3A state championship game that wound up losing to powerhouse Chandler Valley Christian. Omar's brother, Sean, is a current freshman in the Coolidge basketball program.

On any given game night, you'll find the Miguel family in the stands watching someone in the family play.

"The Miguels are super-loyal Coolidge fans," Glasgow said. "They go to all the Coolidge games, sometimes in large groups. Here is how loyal. Mistydawn has moved to Coolidge, but Kyle, whose wife passed away, lives in the same house he grew up in with his parents and children.

"That house is two blocks down on the left from the now four-way intersection off 87 that takes you into Chandler. They still send their kids to Coolidge, even though Hamilton, Chandler, and probably 10 or more other high schools are within 10 or 15 minutes.

"They even drive Adarius down to ride the bus with us when we are playing in Phoenix in the summer, and then drive up to the games."

This family takes pride in basketball, Coolidge and winning. And the deep-rooted culture of hard work, where they got by with little means, but felt they had the world as long as they had a basketball in their hands and a game to play.

"Whether it's four hours away, three hours, we go watch to support," Lee Jr., said.

Lee grew up in the '60s and '70s on the reservation during a time when his family had no indoor plumbing, and water was hauled in. They had to use the outhouse to go to the bathroom. But that rim hanging outside was their sanctuary.

The family still resides on the reservation but now with all the amenities.

"I would say the most important thing is for them to have a good time and to release the tensions of life," Lee Jr., said. "There's an appreciation for things. I hope our kids saw that."

Adarius said he never felt he had to follow the championship tradition in his family that his father carried over.

Valley Christian is a huge obstacle to try to overcome this season, along with other top 3A teams, such as Gilbert Christian, which beat the Bears this week.

"It's all about working hard," Adarius said. "Trying to get better day by day. And try to evolve as the season goes by. Having family there as support is huge."

Kyle, who commutes to the Valley every day for work, said that his son is a different player than he was.

"He has his own style," Kyle said. "What I tell my son, 'Just keep practicing, keep shooting, stay in shape, keep working at it.' You can't get any worse. You can only get better."

The pride carries through at games with so many family members cheering on the Bears.

"It's brought down from generation to generation," Kyle said. "Everybody just loves watching it, playing it."

To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert atrichard.obert@arizonarepublic.com or 602-316-8827. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter:@azc_obert

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Miguel family's dedication to Coolidge basketball spans 4 generations