Mikayla Blakes timed her jump perfectly, grabbed the rebound just in front of the rim, and tipped the ball in with 0.8 seconds left. Shortly after, she was celebrating Vanderbilt University's first win since 2019 over rival University of Tennessee.
Then something interesting happened.
“After the handshake line, I thought, 'Who is this bald head on the court?' I swear I've seen this reaction before,” she said of the enthusiastic crowd that crowded the courtroom. He talked about Vanderbilt fans. “I was like, 'Who is this?'” I know him. ”
“Then I walked up and I was like, 'Wow.' My dad just went to court. Where is he from?”
Monroe Blakes, a former player at Division II St. Michael's College in Vermont and a Hall of Fame member, is typically more reserved. The Blakes are a modest family, and the idea of her father breaking through security and breaking into the courtroom infuriates Mikayla. But Monroe couldn't help himself Sunday when his daughter, a phenom freshman for the Commodores, hit the winning hit in the biggest moment of her college career.
Mikayla's older brother, Stanford guard Jalen Blakes, was similarly emotional Saturday when he drove all the way across the Dean E. Smith Center court and hit the winning stepback jumper from the left side. I couldn't hold it back. Against North Carolina with 0.9 seconds left.
Two kids, two buzzer beaters in two days, and one overjoyed father on hand to watch them in person.
“The word I keep using is ‘amazing.’ I’m blessed.’ I don’t know if that’s right,” Monroe-Blakes said. “I started playing basketball when I was 13 years old, so I've been playing for over 40 years. …But these two have taken me to new heights and new memories that I hadn't experienced in the previous 40 years. He gave it to me.
“What is the probability that brother and sister will act in succession?”
Proud father's face🥹
Mikayla Blakes and her brother Jalen Blakes both hit their winning shots within 24 hours of each other.#anchordown https://t.co/jJZZnnXulp pic.twitter.com/mCSB9OxHe1
— Vanderbilt WBB (@VandyWBB) January 19, 2025
Mikayla lifts the back door one step and applies the brakes.#anchordown pic.twitter.com/uCXnEgAiXw
— Vanderbilt WBB (@VandyWBB) January 19, 2025
Jalen spent three years at Duke and transferred to Stanford as a graduate student during his final season of eligibility, but he was used to playing in the Dean Dome. He went 2-1 in three games against Duke in Chapel Hill and was dreaming of his own big moment at one of the most storied venues in sports.
The night before Stanford took the court, Jalen spent some time thinking about former Blue Devils guard Austin Rivers. His iconic game-winning shot against UNC in 2012 remains in Duke legend. He also recalled Wendell Moore's game-winning putback at the Smith Center in 2020, giving Duke the victory over the Tar Heels in overtime.
“It's something I dreamed of,” Jalen said. “And it was special to be there in that moment.”
With Stanford trailing 71-70 with seven seconds left, Jalen inbounded the ball under the Cardinal basket. He quickly retrieved the ball and raced down the left sideline.
“We had a really good defender in Seth Trimble, and I thought, 'Okay, he's going to cut me off,'” Jaylen said. “And as soon as he cut me, I could feel his momentum going backwards, so I decided to take a step back and take a shot.
“It was unbelievable. It was an unbelievable moment. The thing to remember when taking a shot is that you're not the only one taking that shot. We're here to support you on that journey. Everyone gave it to me.”
Monroe felt as if he was watching the play unfold in slow motion from the stands. It took him a second to realize what he had just seen.
“That ball went in. That ball went in,” he recalled thinking. “That’s the winner of the game.”
In Nashville, Mikayla had just returned from practice and was watching the game on her phone before heading to Memorial Gymnasium to watch Vanderbilt's men's team play Tennessee State later that afternoon. . She missed shots in real time because the stream kept freezing. But when the texts and calls started pouring in, she assumed Stanford had won and decided to run to the locker room for better service and rewind the feed.
“I was really excited to see him hit the shot,” said Mikayla, a former five-star prospect. Mikayla leads the nation as a freshman with 20.2 points per game. “I started FaceTiming my dad, and then I started calling my brother, because by that time he was already in the locker room. So I just got excited and started calling and texting my brother's phone. I used to send them.”
Jaylen and Mikayla Blakes. (Vanderbilt Athletics)
The next day, Monroe flew to Nashville for Mikayla's game, joined by his wife Nikkia. The Blake family, who live in New Jersey, has vowed to do everything they can to make sure at least one of their children attends all of their children's games. This is no easy feat considering Jalen and Mikayla play on opposite sides of the country.
When Vanderbilt lost a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter and it became clear the game was going to be decided, one of Blakes' friends said the quiet part out loud.
“It was funny. The guy I was with said, 'What would you do if Mikayla hit the winning hit?'” Monroe said. “I thought, 'No, I don't think that's ever going to happen again.' There's no way that's going to happen.”
Jalen returned to campus in California and watched the entire game from Stanford's training room while undergoing treatment. He, too, was skeptical that his family would be so lucky in one weekend.
“I was thinking, 'There's no way we can both hit the winning hit in a row,' and it came down to the last play,” he said. “I saw I missed a layup and she chased it and made a layup. And when I realized she made a layup, I ran around the training room and said, 'Oh my god. Oh my god!’ That was special.”
Shortly after Monroe stormed the courtroom to celebrate, Jalen FaceTimed his parents, urging them to join in the fun. Mikayla later learned from her mother that tears came to her father's eyes at that moment. By the time Mikayla returned to the locker room, she had six missed calls from Jaylen.
“I answered the phone for the seventh time,” she said.
“I'm so lucky to have her as my sister,” Jaylen added. “I'm lucky to be her big brother.”
Monroe finally responded to about 100 text messages she received this week as Mikayla continued to ride the high of what she joked might be the best moment of her life.
Pulling up rebounds for the kids in the yard and helping Nikkia separate the kids during competitive one-on-one matches were moments the Blakes will never forget. .
“One of the things I like about my kids is that they're very competitive,” Monroe said. “They're competing with each other, but they love each other so much that it makes each other better. It was just an amazing dynamic and their love and support for each other.
“They talk all the time and give each other tips. After the game, when he hit the winning run, she called him and he called her. That's what I That's why I'm so proud. They just put in a lot of effort and I'm just happy for them in that moment.”
(Top photo: Grant Halverson / Getty Images; Andrew Nelles / USA Today Network via Imagn Images)