Myah Selland’s No. 44 jersey will forever be a part of Sanborn Central high school’s gym. The school held a special ceremony on Tuesday night before Sanborn Central/Woonsocket’s girls basketball game against Bridgewater-Emery to honor one of the best girls’ basketball players in state history.
Fans, young and old, came out to celebrate Selland’s career.
“It was really really special. It was kind of an overwhelming night. It was really cool to be back at Sanborn Central, back to where my career really started, and see a lot of really familiar faces. To catch up with people who there at the start of my career, which was really fun,” said Selland. “Just to get a recognition and an honor like that, it means a lot. I’m very humbled by something like that, so it was a fun night to be back where it all started.”
This summer, Selland lost one of her most passionate supporters – her grandpa – who she said would have loved Tuesday night’s ceremony.
“I had a lot of family come back last night and the thing that made me a little emotional last night was I got to play with my cousin and my sister for a few years there, so the three of us back together and reminiscing on the times when we got to be on the same team together. That was always special for grandpa, he loved having all of us on the same team.
Selland’s storied career in high school tallied 2,219-points, 964 rebounds, and 532 assists. She’s still 18th all-time on the girls’ basketball scoring chart. As a senior, she was the Spirit of Su recipient as well for girls Class B basketball.
“Coming out last night and getting to see a lot of familiar faces. Those faces were in the crowd cheering me on and our team on back when I was playing there. I told the crowd last night too, I felt really lucky to grow up in a community that supported girls’ basketball, women’s basketball,” she exclaimed. “The state of South Dakota does such a great job supporting women’s basketball, but I felt so lucky to grow up in a community like that where I got dream really big dreams, and those dreams were supported and encouraged.”
After high school, Selland went on to South Dakota State University where she would also join the 2,000-point club. As a Jackrabbit, she was also a two-time Summit League Player of the Year, the WNIT All-Tournament MVP (2022), and a two-time Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year finalist – just to name a few of the accolades. She mentioned how South Dakota’s love for basketball carried over from high school to college as well.
“Some of the crowds I played at in high school were bigger than some of the away opponents in college, which I think really speaks volumes to the support of basketball within the state. That support is shown in the success of our teams,” Selland said. “We have two really great division one programs and then our division two and NAIA programs and great – they compete nationally. We get to grow up with that kind of support and that kind of empowers us to where we’re at. It’s special and I feel lucky to have been a part of it.”
After college, Selland played two years of professional basketball in Spain and Australia, but now she’s back home working towards a master’s degree in leadership and management of non-profits. She’s also one of the founders of the organization ‘Her Turn.’
“Her Turn is a non-profit that Tori Nelson (SDSU teammate) and I co-founded about three years ago now. We provide scholarships to young female athletes in the Brookings community to attend the SDSU sporting camps. Those are the overnight camps. We work with basketball, volleyball, soccer, and softball, so it’s just an opportunity to get more girls involved,” Selland explained. “Sports can be expensive, it’s time consuming, it can be hard on families to have those opportunities, so we provide scholarships for girls to attend those camps, be on campus, work directly with some division one athletes, and support their sporting dreams.”
Selland and Nelson are hosting a Day of Giving for Her Turn on February 5th, which is also National Girls and Women in Sports day.
With as storied as Selland’s career has been, Tuesday’s jersey retirement is a reminder of where it all began for her. She started off as a small town kid from Letcher, South Dakota, who followed her dreams.
“I’m incredibly grateful to where I came from, the programs that I’ve been able to be a part of, and it was just fun to reflect on my career,” she exclaimed. “Kind of a fun, full-circle moment.”
