Story & Images

By Michael Kinney

Keegan Bass enjoys coming home. Along with getting to spend time with his family, the former multi-sport athlete at Mustang gets to hang out with the current and next generation of Bronco standouts.

While on Christmas vacation from the United States Air Force Academy, Bass took time to go through practice with the Mustang boys’ basketball team. Wearing his sleek Air Force football t-shirt, Bass had been looking forward to this time of reconnecting with some of his old coaches and teammates.

 Since graduating in 2023, Bass has been at the Air Force Academy as a member of the Falcons football team. While he was getting to live out his dream of playing Division I sports at a distinguished institution, the road has not always gone as planned. 

“It’s definitely a lot different from high school,” Bass described. “In high school, it is kind of like carefree, you know what I mean? You’re with your buddies. But college is a real grind. You have to be focused at all points. Mess up one play, that might be your spot right there. So, your intensity and focus level have to be up a lot. I expected it, especially going to a service academy. I knew I was going to have to change a lot of how I thought or how I acted.”

During his time at the academy, Bass said he had to do some “growing up.” Despite feeling he was ready for the rigors of academy life, he quickly found out he wasn’t as prepared as he assumed, especially when it came to schoolwork.

“In high school, I was a 4.0 student. In high school, you just do your work and study a little bit, you’ll be fine,” Bass said. “But up there I thought it was going to be the same thing, and I came in and got my first test back and it was a 50. I was like, ‘Oh God, I got to really lock in.’ I got to hunker down on school because it’s always been a big aspect for me, especially because my mom held me and my sister to that standard. So getting up there was really an eye-opener.”

The work was only one facet of college life Bass had to come to grips with. Like most students who go away for college, he misses his family and not being there for the big events in their lives.

Throw in the daily trials and tribulations that come with being at a military academy, it can cause many to reconsider their decision. Several young men and women who thought they were prepared found themselves taking the “midnight train” home when things got tough.

Even Bass, who also had to deal with lingering injuries from high school that kept him off the field, had similar thoughts. But just as fast as they popped into his head, he remembered who he was and what he’s been through.

“One thing about me is I always had struggles growing up and stuff like that. It’s made me who I am today,” Bass said. “So just sticking this through and going through it, it’s just going to make me who I am. There are definitely days where you’re like, man, I don’t want to do this. It’s too much. But then you got to think about the bigger picture and what life will really look like after you graduate, and that’s really what I’m looking forward to.”

Because Bass has stuck it out through the difficult times, he has a clearer vision of the path that lies ahead of him. Now that he is fully recovered from collarbone surgery, he is expecting to get some playing time next season as a sophomore wide-out and looks forward to helping the Falcons on the field in the coming years.

“It’s made me a better person and it’s helped me in all aspects,” Bass said. “It makes me see the world in a different view. I mean, not everything’s just given and all sunshine and rainbows. It really gets down to the nitty gritty and you have got to be respectful for the things that you have.”

When Bass is back home and finds himself in the gym with kids who look up to him, he wants to make sure and pass on the things he has learned and been through.  That includes letting them know not to take their time in high school for granted.

“I tell them a lot to enjoy these times. Enjoy them a lot,” Bass said. “There’ll never be anything else like this in life, especially where I’m at. You’re doing something from 6 AM to 10:30 at night. Doing homework or military stuff or basketball or football, anything. I just tell them, enjoy these times and how you have it.”

Instagram: mkinneymedia

X (Twitter): MKinneyMedia

Youtube: Michael Kinney Media

Photos (SmugMug): Michael Kinney