McMahon followed the traditional path at the time: local kid gets scholarship and plays at local university (BYU). Roy High has retired his number.

I’ll admit I’m selfish, but I want to easily follow our local kid’s careers as they advance to the next level of play, so an in-state school would be the preferred choice.

Last week, star Layton High senior basketball player Karter Miller opted for a different route, deciding to play at Cal State Fullerton when reported local offers from Weber State and the University of Utah didn’t pan out.

My wife doesn’t often go to games with me any more (she used to go all the time in our younger years), but she couldn’t pass on the big Layton-Davis rivalry game last winter in Kaysville.

Miller lit up the Darts with an electric performance and Layton won in a road upset.

After the game, my wife and I happened to pass Layton coach Kelby Miller in the hall outside the gym, where he made some comment about my choice for a date night.

Instead of walking on by, my wife crossed the hall to Kelby Miller and the following brief conversation ensued: “Are you the coach? Is No. 1 your son? He was so good tonight. He made plays all over the court. He was so fun to watch.”

It’s worth checking Karter Miller out sometime this season, because he’s worth the price of admission and next year California isn’t quite as convenient.

In at least three other high-profile instances in the last three years, players chose the out-of-state route.

This summer, Bode Sparrow (Davis High), the state’s top football recruit for the class of 2027, chose Oklahoma over offers from local schools. I know the University of Utah was in the mix because I ran into Utah coach Morgan Scalley after a Davis basketball game (Sparrow is also on that team) during the winter.

Five-star Fremont High football player Salesi Moa committed to Utah, then switched to Michigan when Kyle Whittingham left to coach there.

Last year’s top recruit, Tradon Bessinger of Davis, pledged to Boise State in 2024, then changed to Iowa after a record-breaking senior season.

Bessinger was so good, it was easy to choose him for an interview after almost every Davis game. I once walked up to him, he prepared for the same old questions, and I told him he had had enough ink and I was going to talk to someone else.

I chose receiver and defensive back Jaxton Itaaehau instead. Interestingly enough, Itaaehau has committed to Utah.

Some will remember that Jaxson Dart started his career at Roy High, transferred to Corner Canyon, ended up at Mississippi and is now the quarterback for the New York Giants in the NFL.

Several local players have offers or currently play at Weber State, which is admirable, but the Wildcats play in the FCS, a step below where many players want to play with the big boys in the FBS.

However, one player I am excited about watching at Weber State is Robert Young, who starred at Roy High and took a circuitous route when he chose Idaho State before joining the Wildcats.

That kind of mirrors the journey of Collin Chandler from Farmington High, who chose BYU, transferred to Kentucky when Mark Pope got the job there, and is now back with the Cougars.

Another player I am anxious to see this winter is former Fremont guard Hunter Hansen, recently returned from a mission, who committed to Weber State before he left and has stuck with the Wildcats. I sat near his parents during several Silverwolves games and am sure they are thrilled for the opportunity to see their son play in-state on a regular basis.

Syracuse High had five players garner scholarships from last year’s girls state tournament team, including Maylee Anderson and Rachel McBride. They are both attending Northwest College in Powell, Wyoming, along with Clearfield standout Izzy Wyaskett.

At 5-foot 4, Wyaskett’s height might be a factor in not yet playing Division 1 basketball, and McBride may be a “tweener,” somewhere between a post player with her height but also having a backcourt player’s shooting touch.

Anderson is an outstanding player with good size, and I’m somewhat surprised she didn’t get an in-state offer.

Perhaps one of the biggest puzzles I’ve seen over the years is the case of Maggie Mendelson from Fremont, who graduated in 2022.

Mendelson was an elite volleyball player and played on several national teams that traveled the country and the world, but at 6-foot 5 was also proficient in basketball.

She had in-state offers for volleyball, but also wanted to try basketball at the college level. All local universities passed on her request, so she went to Nebraska and eventually ended up at Penn State, where she won a national championship in volleyball.

After 15 basketball games at Penn State last year, Mendelson recently signed with Pepperdine as a fifth-year senior in basketball for this season, with 37 games under her belt at the college level.

There is another potential two-sport conflict brewing this year. Davis soccer senior Kate Willard has a scholarship offer to Weber State, but has turned into a talented basketball player as well and is considering the multi-sport option. That decision may depend on how the Darts hoops season plays out. Stay tuned.

There are many other examples of local players leveling up from high school to college, and each opportunity is a good one. But in a perfect world, they would all stay home and we could watch them through the eyes of the Standard-Examiner.

Inside the Lines covers Northern Utah high school sports through the eyes of 51-year sportswriting veteran Bob Judson, who is a resident of Layton.