In a word; exceptional. How else to describe Miah Ostrowski ’07? Few would be surprised that he would go on to play collegiately in two sports, doing so at the University of Hawai‘i in both football and basketball.
Fewer would be surprised that he was selected as captain for both teams, the only UH player ever to be so honored. Ostrowski was exceptional as a leader, a trait matched by his natural athleticism and poise. While state titles eluded him, individual honors did not. He was twice first-team all-state in both basketball and football. As a senior, the wide receiver was named the Offensive Player of the Year in football after 81 catches for 1,317 yards and nine touchdowns. Just 5-foot-9 and 175 pounds, Ostrowski always played bigger than his listed roster numbers.
“It’s effortless for him,” Leilehua coach Nolan Tokuda said in a 2006 interview. “Everybody knew that he was the first target and, still, we had a hard time slowing him down,” Saint Louis coach Delbert Tengan added.
Credit can be given to his late father Damian “Kui” Ostrowski, who unexpectedly passed away midway through his son’s college senior basketball season in 2011. Kui was the 1985 ILH Player of the Year in boys basketball, helping lead Maryknoll to its first state championship in that sport.
Miah began going to adult league games to watch his father play starting in fifth grade and, soon, he was bringing along his best friend Spencer McLachlin ’07. The two preteens then began playing alongside Kui in the adult leagues.
“It’s one thing to watch someone play, it’s another to play with them and learn,” McLachlin said. “His dad was such a big role model for him. I’ve played with some great players, but Miah is one of the best athletes of all time. We have played together since third grade. The stuff he would do on the basketball court and football field, no one else could do.”
Ostrowski played briefly for the Hawaii Swish, a short-lived UBA franchise. He has formed Ostrowski Orthopedic Solutions as part of his involvement with Exactech, a Florida-based medical products company, where he is a sales representative.