The journey of Riley Minix, hometown wunderkind from Vero Beach, Florida, son of Sean and Kathy Minix, experienced vicissitudes that have easily derailed the careers of young talented athletes who were destined for greatness.
After going undrafted in the 2024 NBA Draft, the Spurs signed Riley to an Exhibition 10 deal, then converted into a two-way contract after an impressive preseason performance.
The consensus amongst Spurs fans is Riley deserves to be a part of the rotation due to his accuracy from beyond the arc, his toughness, and tenacity which encompasses the Spurs’ on-court philosophy.
The meteoric rise of Riley Minix predates his college and professional career: many would even consider his journey to the NBA as the road less traveled due to his on-court commitment and dedication to academic success as a student-athlete attending Vero Beach High School.
Riley’s Personal Statement (Chapter 1)
Academic 4.0 leader on and off the court. Elected team captain every year. I strive to succeed in all that I do as well as help others succeed. Looking to stretch myself and develop as a strong contributor to a highly competitive program (via the 2019 Recruiting Profile).
Riley Minix was indeed selected as captain for the Vero Beach High School Freshman team en route to becoming district champions. In Riley’s sophomore season, he was also selected as captain of the Junior Varsity team where they achieved similar success as district champs in 2017. As a Junior at Vero Beach, Riley was once again selected as captain of the Varsity Team; however, the team was not able to replicate the same success as they were second place overall in the district. However, in Riley’s senior year as captain of the Varsity Team, not only did he help lead his team to another district title win, Minix averaged 17.5 ppg, 7.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 2.5 steals, and 2.2 blocks per game in the process.
Riley Minix was an accomplished AAU superstar; he was a member of the Florida Comets from 2009-2017 and also played with the Brevard Bulls (17u) in 2018. Riley was also inducted into the Florida Comets Hall Of Fame. Below is a list of accomplishments of Riley’s Hall Of Fame AAU career.
Riley was only in third grade when he began competing at the sixth-grade level of AAU basketball. Dr. Bennie Shaw helped to develop his fundamental skills at a young age, as well as his basketball IQ, and stressed the importance of good grades and character.
Riley Minix led the Florida Comets to the National Championship in Hampton, Virginia.
Led Varo Beach HS to numerous districts, state championships, & National Appearances, and Numerous MVPs & Tournament Awards.
Riley was a basketball starter all four years at Vero Beach High. Riley won MVP for the District as well as being named Player of the Year for District 19. Riley graduated from VBHS with honors and a GPA of 4.500.
Southeastern University, Sun Conference Freshman of the Year, while leading the team to their first Sun Conference Tournament Championship and regular-season championship in the same season, also being named MVP (Tournament) & First Team All-TSC. Riley has a 4.000 GPA @ Southeastern University.
Exclusive photos obtained by Spurfect via Mrs. Kathy Minix
The Sideline Story (Chapter II)
On May 18, 2019, Mrs. Kathy Minix posted a heartfelt message to her son Riley on graduation day;
“Congratulations Riley! We are so proud of you BUT the best is yet to come.” - Kathy Minix
A mother's intuition is the most heightened sense imaginable; Mrs. Minix always knew what Riley was capable of and was determined to help her son reach those heights of success.
Riley’s next chapter along his journey led him to Southeastern which is an NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics). Minix appeared in 31 games, earning 16 starts and scoring a season-high 32 points against No. 2 Morningside on 12/28 shooting. During his freshman year, Riley averaged 14.9 PPG and 7.7 RPG; he also scored 20 or more points in ten of the final 16 games, which increased his scoring average to 20.9 PPG. He also earned First-Team All-Suns conference and was named Sun Conference Freshman of the Year as displayed on his Florida Comets Hall Of Fame accolades.
Riley Minix's anticipated sophomore season with Southeastern was cut short just after 8 games due to an upper-body injury just as he was expected to take another leap in the NAIA. The Southeastern Fire were 7-1 before the injury and were 12-17 overall losing 16 of the 21 remaining games. Minix also averaged 22.6 PPG and shot 48% from the three-point line.
Riley reflected on his season-ending injury with this sentiment;
“I have learned to appreciate every minute I get to play and leave it all out there, you never know when your time is up.” - College Basketball Times
Heading into his 3rd season with Southeastern, Riley was determined to have a rejuvenated year fully recovered from his injury and he certainly didn't disappoint. He played in all 30 games and led the team in scoring and rebounds while averaging 29.5 points per game and 11.3 rebounds per game. Riley was named NAIA, National Association of Basketball Coaches All-American, CoSIDA, now known as College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-American, and Sun Conference Player of the Year.
In Riley’s final season with the Southeastern Fire, he averaged 25.4 PPG and 13.6 RPG. In the Fire’s first game of the season versus Fisher, Riley Minix scored 41 points and grabbed an impressive 12 rebounds en route to a 94-65 victory. Minix was considered an elite double-double athlete, accomplishing that feat over 80% of the season.
Riley Minix led the Southeastern Fire to a victory at the Conference Tournament Championship and qualified for the NAIA DII National Tournament; however, the tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the shortened season, the NAIA decided to grant an extra year of eligibility to student-athletes, which Riley utilized to transfer to Morehead State, an NCAA Division I school leaving Southeastern after a four-year tenure.
In his graduate season with Morehead State, Riley Minix achieved 18 double-doubles while becoming a top-ten statistical player in scoring, rebounding, blocks, steals, scoring, free throw, and field goal percentage. Minix averaged 20.9 PPG, and 9.7 RPG for Morehead State and was crowned the Ohio Valley Conference Player Of The Year, All-OVC First Team, and All-Newcomer Team. Riley is the tenth player in Morehead State University to score 600 plus points in a year.
Closer To My Dreams (The Finale)
After a decorated college career filled with accolades and achievements, the next logical step in Riley's journey career path was the NBA. Instead of declaring for the 2024 NBA Draft, Riley Minix elected to bet on himself by signing an Exhibition-10 deal with the San Antonio Spurs as an undrafted free agent on June 28, 2024. Although Riley was hampered by a shoulder injury, he was able to make his NBA Summer League debut, leading the Spurs with 16 points and 4 assists in 20 minutes over the New Orleans Pelicans 90-85. KJ Hoops
In his first official Preseason debut with the Spurs, playing in limited action of ten minutes, Riley Minix was able to score 8 points and 2 rebounds, shooting 3/4 from the field, and was 2/3 from three against the OKC Thunder. Minix's impressive play became a Topic Of Discussion amongst Spurs fans, garnering respect and admiration in the process. KJ Hoops
In Riley Minix's second preseason game against the Orlando Magic, he scored 7 points in 8 minutes, and in his final appearance against the Utah Jazz, Minix scored 8 points in 5 minutes of action. Totaling 3 preseason appearances for the San Antonio Spurs Riley averaged 7.7 PPG and shot an outstanding 70% from the field (8/12). KJ Hoops
Riley Minix not playing in the Spurs final two preseason games could suggest the team was already impressed with what he contributed on the court. However, in a league full of uncertainties, Riley Minix solidified his position on the Spurs 15-man roster as it was announced he had officially signed a two-way contract with the Spurs, beating out Brandon Boston Jr, Malachi Flynn, and Jamaree Bouyea in the process for the final spot.
There's no doubt Riley has accumulated a superlative high school and college career, which culminated in an official two-way contract with the Spurs. Although most of his time will be allotted to the Austin Spurs, you can never rule out the possibility of Riley Minix suiting up for San Antonio this season.
I was enamored by the story of this young man from Vero Beach, not because of his obvious talents and athletic abilities but Riley's dedication to academic success. For example, the Minix Family advised Riley to pick a school he would like even if he could no longer play basketball, and one night, after scoring 40 points for Southeastern, Riley was selected to clean up the bench after the game had concluded to which he happily obliged showing flashes of leadership. Full Story
The qualities of a leader are defined as someone with integrity, accountability, resilience, the ability to inspire others, self-awareness, and a willingness to empower their teammates, all while demonstrating authenticity and respect for others. As I became acquainted with the story of Riley Minix, it became abundantly clear that he exemplifies the true characteristics of a leader.
After my introductory message, I was privileged to receive a response from Mrs. Kathy Minix regarding her son Riley signing a two-way contract with the Spurs.
“It has definitely been an amazing journey and we are so proud of him (Riley) for his determination and lack of distraction from a goal he made as a very young boy and we are looking forward to a wonderful season.”
Without further ado, welcome to the Riley Minix Show.
Acknowledgment
Mrs. Minix, I want to sincerely thank you for granting
the honor of publishing sentimental photos of Riley’s accomplishments in life. Were it not for your blessings, this story might not have ever achieved its complete potential. I'm forever grateful. -K DotSPURFECT would like to show our sincerest gratitude and appreciation to Kathy Minix for the exclusive photos. Follow @KDotTOD on X/Twitter and @SpurfectBlog for all San Antonio Spurs news
EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS: The Life & Times Of Spurs' Riley Minix