My Story
This journey began because somebody had a vision for me that I didn’t have for myself.
That wise person told me, “It will be a disservice if you do not share your talents with others.”
I never planned to create basketball videos of myself, but I love helping others and I love this game.
So here we are.
Basketball is one of the most important parts of my life. I can’t imagine living without it, but it does not define who I am.
Growing up, I was a multi-sport athlete and loved the thrill of competition. This experience gave me countless opportunities and experiences to elevate my athleticism and my personality.
Basketball took me across the country playing against the best. It blessed me with some of the most incredible people who I cannot imagine my life without.
It showed me success and taught me how to overcome adversity. It instilled discipline, passion, persistence, character, confidence, teamwork and so much more.
Due to my hard work and support from others, I accomplished great things.
I became Iowa’s all-time leader in scoring, assists and three-pointers, along with many other accolades.
When people see my accomplishments they only see my name. But I see a never-ending list of people attached to my success.
What my high school teammates and I experienced is what I call RARE. We were a team that went through so much together on and off the basketball court.
I credit a lot of that to my dad. He started coaching the group I was with when we were very young. We stuck together and accomplished things that many young athletes dream of doing.
But it wasn’t always easy.
I encountered people who doubted my abilities. Even though they did not say things directly to me, I knew what they were thinking. So I learned to believe in myself.
I may not be large in stature, but in my heart I knew I was capable of anything I set my mind to.
Heart over Height. It’s as simple as that.
After high school, I took my talents to Missouri State University.
My college years were some of the worst, yet some of the best years of my life.
If you told me at the end of my freshman year that I would stay and have the success that I did, I would have called you crazy. I was absolutely miserable.
Not only was I incredibly homesick, I doubted my college decision. I’d lost my self-confidence and I was falling out of love with the game that brought me so much joy. I started to resent anything related to basketball.
I was not myself. I even began thinking about transferring to a new school.
Before making a decision that would change my life, I reached out for help.
Night after night I called my parents sobbing, asking for answers. They are always my number one supporters and I knew they would support and stand by me whatever I decided to do.
Deep down, I knew leaving was not the answer. So I faced my fears and had tough conversations with my coaches, advisors and teammates. They all wanted to help me.
That is one of the reasons I stayed. I surrounded myself with great people who wanted to see me succeed.
Getting back on the right track did not happen overnight. But I learned a lot about myself in the process. I was naive, stubborn, and weak. This was a rebuilding phase to reestablish my self-confidence and ambition.
I started waking up every day with the mentality to “Win the Day!” I live by this quote because we as individuals each have a choice EVERY SINGLE DAY to better ourselves in any facet of life.
Instead of making excuses and putting the blame on others, I found the strength to convince myself that I could and would overcome hard things.
I trusted the process and I found a way.
That’s when everything changed.
After that, our team won countless Missouri Valley Conference championships. We made back-to-back Sweet Sixteen appearances. We created priceless memories that I would not trade for the world.
I had the opportunity to stay for a fifth year, but I was ready to move on. I felt that I had given my all to the game and had nothing else to prove. The final game I played gave me the clarity to finally accept that my time as a basketball player had come to an end.
But that is all in the past.
Today I am perceptive, resilient, and strong.
I am happy with who I am and who I have become.
And yet, I want more.
Even though my playing career has come to an end, I have always known that basketball will continue to be a part of my life in some way, shape or form.
I spent the last few summers giving private and group lessons. And I traveled to different schools across the state of Iowa hosting various camps.
I am passionate about what I do.
My hope is that these videos will inspire and expose others to practices that can be applied on and off the basketball court.
They contain the systems and skills that I consistently use to elevate my game — and my life — to the next level.
They can do the same for you.