MERCER, Mo. – Mizzou Women's Basketball junior guard Sierra Michaelis takes a lot of pride in everything she does. She is also very proud of where she comes from. Recently, she took the initiative to brighten up the look of the downtown square in her native Mercer, Missouri.

"I noticed our town square was needing some TLC, so I came back for a day and started at 11 a.m. and worked until 5 p.m. that evening," Michaelis said. "We painted an old gazebo and the fences around it. We also weeded and stained five flower pots."

Michaelis, the second-leading scorer for the Tigers last season, is a Missourian through and through, and never forgets her roots and work ethic that was established in the north central region of the state. She is also one of nine current in-state players on the Mizzou roster.

"In my small community, money is hard to come by," Michaelis noted. "We work for what we have and we are thankful to those who make sacrifices to contribute to our successes. Therefore, it is my time that I start doing my part to give back to a town that has given me so much, made me who I am and believed in me from the beginning."

During her prep career at North Mercer High School, Michaelis became the all-time leading scorer in Missouri history and was a 4-time first-team all-state selection. Since joining the Mizzou program for the 2013-14 season, she consistently has received many supporters from her hometown in the stands at Mizzou Arena. As a sophomore last year, she averaged 10.4 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.0 steal per game.

"From a very young age, I was taught to put 100 percent of my focus into playing to my full potential," Michaelis explained. "Throughout my high school career, the love and support I had from my community was overwhelming at times."

Michaelis described that she had a goal to play collegiately at a young age, and the support system she had in Mercer allowed that aspiration to become a reality.

"I knew I wanted to play Division I basketball, therefore it was a family decision to do whatever it took to get me there," Michaelis expressed. "I do it for my faith, my family as well as my community, because through thick and thin, none of them have failed me."

Those family traits and beliefs have made Michaelis an integral part of two communities – both Mercer and Columbia – as well as a tremendous representative of the state of Missouri.

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