This is my first season as an assistant basketball coach for Northwood University's men's team. It was a team I played on for three years. 

I moved to Midland in 2015. When I was recruited to Northwood, they invited me for a visit during Auto Show weekend, which was a huge deal. Coming from Dayton, Ohio, it was a whole different world.

Dayton is tough—inner city life—and I was used to that. But up here, there was this togetherness, a community vibe. It was exciting, but I didn't know how to fit in. I remember telling my mom during my first week, "I can't do this. I want to come home." And she laid it out for me: "If you come back, you're getting a full-time job and paying bills. Or, you can stay, play basketball, and get your education paid for.”

That hit hard. I knew I didn't want to throw away the opportunity. But leaving home was tough. I had always been sheltered. I didn't want to leave home but knew staying wouldn't open the doors that were needed. I played travel basketball and met different people, and they'd always tell me, "You've got to get out of Dayton, man."

Dayton was rough—high crime, close friends getting into trouble—and I realized it wasn't the place for me. I was always on the basketball courts, not in the streets, but seeing everything around me made me know it was time to leap. Midland was different.

The downtown here was tiny compared to Dayton's, but I could tell this was where I could make a name for myself. The community had each other's backs, whether you were winning or losing. When I was coaching at Jefferson Middle School, people were behind us no matter what the scoreboard said. There's no better feeling than having that support.

Growing up in Dayton with a single mom and four brothers was tough. I'm the oldest boy, so I saw my mom handle everything independently. That gave me perspective. I saw her iron her clothes daily, ensure we all got to school on time, and provide for us even when it seemed impossible. We didn't have much, but we never went without. She made it happen, and that taught me resilience.

I started playing basketball in my freshman year of high school. Before that, I was doing gymnastics. Well, neighborhood gymnastics, not the organized kind. We'd compete in backflips and do wild stuff like flipping off structures, garages, and homes. It helped me develop coordination, which translated to basketball later. I wasn't good at basketball in middle school, and when I wanted to try out in eighth grade, the gym teacher told me not to bother because they already had enough kids. That crushed me, but it also lit a fire.

In high school, things changed. One day, I was in gym class, just messing around, and I dunked for the first time. That got everyone's attention. I went from being the kid who didn't even try out for basketball to dunking as a freshman. I gave it a shot when tryouts came around, and the coach took notice.

By my sophomore year, I was on varsity, hanging with seniors. I flourished during my high school years. I garnered schoolwide and citywide acclaim, and many accolades came with that. Attention from colleges went with that, as well. 

After high school, I didn't leave right away. I stayed local and played at the junior college level. My mom had just had my little sister, and I wanted to be there for her. I was already stepping into a father-figure role for my siblings since my dad wasn't around. I attended Sinclair Community College, and that's where Northwood found me.

They came to a practice, liked what they saw, and invited me for a visit.
I played three years at Northwood, redshirting my first year. But after my basketball career ended, life took another turn. My son was born, and I had to choose between playing overseas or staying home to watch him grow up. I decided to stay. People told me I could go and play and that my son would be fine, but having grown up without a father figure, I wasn't willing to do that to him. Germany could wait. My son couldn't.

I eventually got my degree from Northwood in Business Administration during the pandemic in 2020. After that, I started working at Home to Stay, which was incredibly rewarding. Helping people in need and hearing their gratitude gave me a new sense of purpose. That's when I decided to get into education, working at Handy Middle School. Those kids were everything to me, and I realized coaching was my calling. I wasn't giving up basketball at all, I was giving back through it. I've coached at various stops, most recently for Bay City Western. 

I work remotely for the Department of Justice in addition to coaching, and I've settled in Midland with my kids. I love this community, and I've seen it grow more diverse, which was a big concern for me initially, especially for my kids. But now, my daughter sees kids who look like her, which means everything to me. I have four kids, two boys and two girls, and they're my world. I'm excited to see Midland continue to come together and become a place where everyone feels like they belong, no matter their background.