When I was growing up, my dad was a big Michael Jordan fan. He went to all six parades in Chicago when the Bulls won their NBA titles.
As my biggest supporter, my dad always wanted to see the best in me, so one day he walked up to me and asked, “Do you think you could beat Michael Jordan one-on-one?”
Like any rational person, I laughed and said no, but I’ll never forget his response.
“Don’t ever think that anybody is better than you. You can beat him if you put your mind to it!”
From that day forward, any time he’d ask me that same question, I’d always respond with yes.
And I believed it, too.
From a young age, my dad, along with my two older brothers, instilled in me confidence and belief that no one was better than me—not even the GOAT in MJ.
As I got older, I realized that’s the mindset you need to excel at the highest level of basketball. I’ve never been the tallest guy, so having a mindset that I could beat anyone I stepped on the court with was instrumental in the success I was able to have in my career.
Having recently received word that I’ll be inducted into the 2024 SMU Hall of Fame, I can’t help but think about that question my dad asked me when I was younger and how it shaped me into the player and man I am today.
But this Hall of Fame induction is not about me.
I wouldn’t be in this position without the best teammates, coaches, and managers I’ve ever had on those SMU teams, who are Hall of Famers in every sense of the word in my book.
I started my playing career at Illinois State, so when Coach Jankovich got hired as an assistant at SMU, he took me with him. That meant I got to play under the legendary Hall of Fame coach, Larry Brown.
I also joined the team just as SMU was entering the American Athletic Conference, which required Moody Coliseum to be renovated and on par with the other arenas in what was a crazy competitive basketball conference.
Back then, the rules mandated that I had to sit out a year after transferring, which got under my skin a bit at times. I was 20 years old, I just wanted to play some basketball, you know what I mean?
But looking back on it now, I’m grateful for that period of time because I got to sit back and learn from one of the best minds in the game in Coach Brown.
It helped me understand the game on a completely new level.
That time also taught me to put academics at the forefront, because that’s not an area SMU takes lightly. If you have a late game or come back home from a flight, you’re expected to be at eight o’clock class along with everyone else.
The standards are different here, which is something I really grew to appreciate. It wasn’t without its challenges, but the support I had was second to none.
From the tutors, assistants, teachers, etc., I’ll never forget all those people that helped me through those times academically.
Based on my experience, there’s not another campus in the country that invests and prioritizes your development as a person like SMU does.
It’s funny, people often associate athletes with a certain game or play they made, which for me, was undoubtedly the NIT game against Cal in 2014.
People always bring up that three-pointer I made to send us to the semifinals.
And don’t get me wrong, it was a special moment.
But my time at SMU was so much more than one play or one game.
It was the energy of the first game at the newly-renovated Moody Coliseum with that sellout crowd and upsetting UConn that night.
It was the memories we made in the locker room and the bond we created as brothers—the team meals, the road trips.
Those are the moments I’ll cherish forever.
When I graduated, I had so much fun playing at SMU, I wasn’t ready to call it quits yet.
My dream had always been to play professional basketball, and when Coach Brown looked me in the eye and told me I had a chance, I put my head down and got to work to make that dream come true.
Playing internationally was a completely new world, but I got to experience new countries, cultures, and languages that wouldn’t have been possible without basketball.
I had a contract in hand to play in Germany this year, and I had every intention of signing it before my oldest son, Landon, made me take a step back and evaluate my priorities in life.
I have three kids, and they’ve adapted so well to all these different countries we’ve lived in and the language barriers and all of that. But they love coming back home to the U.S. more than anything.
I was telling Landon how I planned to continue my playing career in Germany this year and he paused and looked at me and said, “Daddy, are there going to be English speaking kids over there?”
That brought tears to my eyes.
My family is sacrificing so much for my career, and that moment made me realize that I’ve fulfilled every dream I ever had on the court.
It was time for me to switch roles and be a present father and husband to my amazing family.
I’m now teaching high school kinesiology and coaching basketball, and I’ve gotta tell you, it’s the best decision I’ve ever made. My wife teaches honors English at the same high school, so not only do I get to see her more often, I’m home every night with my family where I belong.
I definitely wouldn’t consider myself your ordinary teacher. First and foremost, I try to teach my students life lessons, morals, and everything I’ve learned throughout my life that’s made me a better person.
If my students walk out of my classroom on the last day as better people, that’s far more important to me than a letter grade.
Truthfully, that’s where this teaching and coaching gig comes full circle for me because my job every single day is to encourage students to believe in themselves.
My Hall of Fame induction isn’t possible without countless people who believed in me. Had it not been for the love and support from my family, teammates, Coach Brown, Coach Jankovich, and the entire SMU university and community, I never would’ve been able to live out my dreams.
That’s why I keep saying that I’m humbled and grateful beyond belief for this induction because it’s about so much more than me.
When I get on that stage in September for the ceremony, if I could, I’d have every one of my teammates with me because they’re the reason I’m up there.
I know I’ll never be able to fully repay every person who’s believed in me, but what I can do is continue to mold young minds and instill the belief in themselves that they can accomplish anything in this life if they put their minds to it.
That message has a power that can truly change people’s lives forever, just like it changed mine.
The inductees will be recognized at the annual Hall of Fame Banquet and Induction Ceremony on Friday, September 20 in Armstrong Fieldhouse on the SMU Campus. For additional information or for tickets to the SMU Athletics Hall of Fame Banquet, click here.