April 10, 2013.
The gym was full. Not for a game—but for a moment.
Cameras lined the baseline. Reporters in pressed suits. Local news. National networks. Even international scouts peered from the bleachers.
Michael Schmidt stood at a table in the center of the court. Five college hats sat in front of him. Duke. Kansas. Kentucky. UCLA. Howard.
The silence was heavy.
His mom sat in the front row. Calm. Proud. Still.
Michael looked across the gym.
He spotted Marcus and Jamal in the back, holding up a handwritten sign: "DO IT YOUR WAY."
He smiled.
The moderator leaned into the mic.
"Michael, the world's been waiting. Where are you going to play your college basketball?"
Michael didn't reach immediately. He looked into the camera.
"For a long time, people told me I needed a platform. That I needed tradition. That I needed a brand to carry me."
He paused.
"But I'm not here to be carried. I am the platform."
He reached down. Picked up the Howard University cap.
Put it on.
The gym exploded.
Cameras flashed. Reporters rushed forward. Social media blew up in real-time.
ESPN cut in with immediate analysis.
"Michael Schmidt just made the boldest move since LeBron's 'Decision.' A generational talent going to an HBCU—it's unprecedented."
One analyst laughed in disbelief. "I've covered hoops for 25 years and never seen anything like this. He just changed the game before even playing a college minute."
But Michael wasn't sticking around.
He walked out the side door with his mom. Into the night air.
She said nothing at first. Then:
"Why Howard?"
Michael glanced up at the stars.
"Because I want to build something. Not inherit it."
She smiled. "Then go build it, Michael."
[System Notification: New Phase Initiated – Collegiate Era: Howard University][Next Unlock Requirement: Achieve National Recognition in NCAA][Template Progress: 70.12%]
Michael exhaled slowly.
The hard part wasn't proving he belonged anymore.
It was proving the system never defined him in the first place.
And he was just getting started.