“I would embrace it, embrace the culture, embrace the relationships you’re making.” Those were the words of wisdom from Judge alum Michael Bapis as he reflected on his time in high school. From the beach at Judge to big city New York, Bapis is certainly one of Judge’s most successful and prestigious alumni – and he had great stories to tell from his time at Judge. 

The former class president at St. Ambrose said he, “was always going to go to Judge,” as he had many friends going here. Michael was a three-sport athlete, excelling in baseball and golf, and playing basketball under legendary Judge coach, Jim Yerkovich.

When asked about playing for Coach Yerk he said, “I look back on the people who influenced my life, and he was definitely one of them.”

Bapis reflected on his conversations with Yerkovich in his underclassmen years, when he told him how he saw potential but needed to see the work get put in. Bapis described Yerkovich as “not taking any crap, but he was fair” showing how loved and respected he was by players like Bapis throughout his 44-year career. 

Bapis recalled some of his most memorable moments, like playing in the infamous Judge gym, “It was so loud that the road teams used to have to go to half court or to the foul line to hear their coach. And just coming out of the locker room there. That was a fun deal.” Students at Judge can vouch for Bapis as the Judge gym has the same reputation it did back then of being the loudest in Utah. 

“You look back and you realize how many good people there were, friends you had in the cafeteria, at the lockers, just people in the hallways, and you know all that,” he said. Bapis emphasized the tight knit and close community of Judge, talking about all the friends and people from Judge that he is still in contact with today. 

Bapis, who is now a private advisor and managing director at Rockefeller Capital Management In New York, said that Judge prepared him greatly for his future career. “The whole discipline that came around with it, and the people who really cared – the principal to the deans to the priests. It was just something that was kind of a small family.”

He also said how the small things like the uniform, the sports, and teachers helped him stay disciplined and on track to achieve great things.

Bapis overall said he loved his time at Judge. Looking back, he advised today’s Judge students not to take this time for granted.

“How cool it was, how much fun we had,” he said. “You look back, you meet a lot of people over your life, but the people in high school that you meet, for some reason, you just remember all of them.”