CalHOPE Courage Award Winners (Dec. 12)

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Two California college student-athletes – Gretta Kirkby, a senior on the Chico State women's volleyball team, and Mike Asante, a senior on the men's basketball squad at Academy of Art University - have been selected as the December recipients of the CalHOPE Courage Award. The two inspirational student-athletes will be honored in an on-court ceremony at the Golden 1 Center during the Jan. 4 Sacramento Kings vs. Atlanta Hawks NBA game. 

The monthly award honors student-athletes at California colleges and universities who have overcome the stress, anxiety, and mental trauma associated with personal hardships and adversity. It is presented by the College Sports Communicators (formerly CoSIDA), in association with The Associated Press; CalHOPE, a crisis counseling and support resource for communities impacted by public health emergencies, operated by the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS); and the Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Mental Well-Being.

At the end of the school year, two of the student-athletes recognized during this year will be selected as annual CalHOPE Courage Award winners, and a $5,000 donation will be made in each of their names toward mental health services at their schools. Stories of all honorees are available at CalHOPECourageAward.com and via social media on Twitter and Instagram at @CalHOPE_Courage.
 
"CalHOPE is honored to recognize student-athletes throughout the state who, despite setbacks, have overcome life's challenges to continue to perform their best as both scholars and athletes," said Dr. Jim Kooler, Behavioral Health Special Consultant for DHCS. "CalHOPE's purpose is to build community resiliency and help people recover through free outreach, crisis counseling, and support services. We hope that by sharing these stories that student-athletes have experienced, we will all be inspired."

Following a successful high school basketball career, Asante was shocked to not earn a NCAA Division I offer. Undeterred he spent two years at a pair of junior colleges in Texas - Kilgore College and Howard College - to improve his game. Despite having his sophomore season shortened to just 11 games, due to injury, Mike had impressed the coaches at the Academy of Art University and transferred to the NCAA Division II school for the 2020-21 season.

Just minutes into his first game with ART U, on Jan. 22, 2021, he slipped on a fastbreak layup, tearing his patella tendon of his left knee on the takeoff and then landed awkwardly, breaking his left arm. In fact, according to his doctors, the injury was millimeters away from an artery that could have caused him to lose complete functionality in the arm. In the blink of an eye, Mike went from living his dream to a daunting future of two months of bedrest and a grueling 11-month recovery process to heal both his knee and arm with no guarantee that he would be able to return to form.

"My year of rehabilitation was truly a journey of self-reflection that tested my faith, self-confidence and love of basketball," Asante said. "Learning to walk again and develop functionality in my arm was the lowest point of my life and the first time I questioned my basketball future. Now, every time I get on the court, I consider it a gift and am driven to perform my best."   

Remarkably he was back on the court on Dec. 11, 2021, and quickly regained his form. He earned a rotation spot, averaging 10.8 points and 6.6 rebounds in 25-minutes a game. In March, he helped lead ART U to its first PacWest Conference tournament title, a 20-12 record and a berth in the NCAA Division II Tournament. In the conference tourney, Mike was at his best, averaging 13 points and 10 rebounds in the three games to earn tournament MVP honors. 

This season he has helped lead ART U to a 6-3 record, averaging 10.7 points and 5.6 rebounds. Set to graduate with his bachelor's degree in Communications & Media Technologies this month, Mike will begin a master's program next semester. He hopes to pursue a professional basketball career after college or work in the field of social media.

Asante is the second Urban Knight to be recognized by the CalHOPE Courage Award program after women's basketball/track & field student-athlete Alisha Wilson was honored last season.

About CalHOPE
CalHOPE is a multi-level campaign to connect people with vital mental health and wellness resources and information to help them find their way during difficult times. CalHOPE offers critical behavioral health crisis counseling programs and uses a public health approach that is focused on strength-based strategies of building resiliency and connecting people to the supports they need. CalHOPE partners with the California Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Mental Well-Being to promote the CalHOPE Courage Award. CalHOPE resources may be accessed by calling the program's warm line at (833) 317-HOPE (4673) or by visiting www.calhope.org.
 
About College Sports Communicators
College Sports Communicators is a 3,600-plus member national organization, comprised of the athletic communications, media relations, digital, and creative professionals throughout all levels of collegiate athletics in the United States and Canada. Founded in 1957, the organization is the second oldest management association in intercollegiate athletics. The organization's signature program is the Academic All-America program, honoring thousands of outstanding scholar-athletes annually. To learn more, visit collegesportscommunicators.com.
 
About The Associated Press (AP)
The AP is the essential global news network, delivering fast, unbiased news from every corner of the world to all media platforms and formats. Founded in 1846, The AP today is the most trusted source of independent news and information. On any given day, more than half the world's population sees news from The AP. For more information, visit www.ap.org.