ARLEY, Ala. — In this interview, I talked to former basketball and baseball player at Meek High School, Ephram Milne. He had some amazing memories in his years at Meek both on and off the playing field.
“My favorite basketball memories were winning area and getting on the All-Area team; also, going to Wallace to play in the Sweet 16. The environment and community in Arley is just completely amazing. They all came out to all the games no matter what the sport was, and they didn’t even have to have a kid playing. It’s a small town with a strong backbone and I’m blessed to say that I graduated from Meek High School,” he said.
He added,
“While most of my memories at Meek revolved around sports, we had a teammate’s parents take the whole team to watch the Alabama-LSU basketball game at Alabama during the season.”
Ephram feels lucky to have played for a great Head Basketball Coach Bryan Woods and soaked up so much from him during his playing days at Meek.
“Bryan Woods is one of the realest people you will ever meet. He held us accountable, and he helped lead by example. If he was at practice, he expected us to be there. He went out of his way to get us speakers and made sure we were prepared for whatever life threw at us. It wasn’t just about winning games, his goal was to make us better men,” he said.
Ephram learned a lot during his time at Meek and feels very blessed to have been a Tiger during his high school career.
“I learned a lot at Meek. Meek allowed me to be myself. They didn’t care what my last name was or how much money I had. Meek is a small community with a big heart. Everyone knows everyone and was welcoming with open arms. Meek taught me that with grit and hard work, anything is possible. We had some tough times in basketball, but with the help of my coaches and teammates, they taught me how to lead. During my time at Meek, being taught and being held accountable is one thing I will forever be thankful for.”
He added,
“What makes Meek special is how the community is. They are amazing; the teachers and coaches play huge roles for every single student that goes to that school. The kids at the school are also a huge bonus. It was never a dull moment at Meek; they will always keep us on our toes.”
Ephram will not only miss being a Tiger next season, but he will also miss being a leader to the younger players on the team.
“I will miss my coaches, the community, sports, and most importantly, my teammates. In every sport that I played, me and my teammates were like brothers. We hung out and we basically did everything together,” he said. “Being a leader to the younger players played a huge role in my senior year. I started out the year going well and staying on the right track to getting comfortable and losing it, but coach Woods talked me through it, and I got on the right track. I appreciate everything coach Woods has done for me. I hope that I helped lead the younger players half as much as he led me.”
Ephram gave some advice to the students that will be starting high school in a few days.
“Enjoy it, get your schoolwork done and most importantly, just have fun. Go support your school no matter if it’s sports-related or the county math tournament. A good crowd and knowing you have supporters is beneficial in every step of life,” he said. “Don’t just concentrate on your small friend circle. Go make friends with the new kid and ask that person to eat lunch together. Just make the best out of everything and live in the moment. It’s not a bad thing to have some goals, but don’t let them limit you on how you’re going to take on this school year.”
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