Q:: Three things I can't live without...
A:: My Family. Basketball. Food.
Q:: Why I chose University of Vermont...
A:: I was really impressed, right off the bat, with the community support for athletics here at UVM. When I came here for my recruiting visit, every seat in the gym as filled with cheering fans to watch the game. People who didn’t even know me were talking to me and wanted to know if I was coming the next year. I was impressed with the basketball program and the recent success that it has been having. Also, all my high school teachers and other friends kept telling what a good school it was academically.
Q:: Favorite class and why...
A:: My favorite class is calculus because I am a big math fan and my professor was great with the students. My professor was so enthusiastic about calculus and this made the entire class get excited about the class as well.
Q:: One thing I have learned at Vermont that I will carry with me for the rest of my life is...
A:: I have learned that hard work pays off. Take basketball as an example...In preseason we were up at 6:00 in the morning to do running, strength, and conditioning. We had individual workouts with the coaches in addition to our team practice. We ran what seemed liked hundreds of drills that were really hard. But...look at where it got us. As one of our assistant coaches told us...it wasn’t luck that got us here, it was hard work.
Q:: Other than playing in the NBA, my dream job is...
A:: I would love to coach the kids in the area where I grew so I could give something back to community. My dad helps organize a community basketball league for 4 to 7 year olds where they help teach the area youth the basics of basketball. This is how I got my start in basketball...an adult volunteering their time for me. I would like to do the same.
Q:: Other than my parents, the person who has had the most influence on me is and why...
A:: My two older brothers had a great influence on me. Both had very successful basketball careers. One of my brother was an All-American...the other was All Conference. Both of them received college scholarships. I respect their work ethic. They put in a lot of extra hours practicing at home before and after their practices. They were both told that they were too small to play basketball and they were determined to show that they weren’t. I really admire them because this made them work even harder to prove people wrong. They never gave up.
Q:: The best thing about being a Vermont Catamount is...
A:: The best thing is the family atmosphere that is here at UVM. From my teammates, to the students, to my professors, to the fans...they all are really nice to each other and treat one another as family. Our team is especially fun. There are no cliques within the team. There is very good chemistry. We are all the best of friends.
Q:: Most memorable moment as an athlete...
A:: I will always remember beating nationally ranked Boston University earlier this year. We then came back to UVM and everybody was congratulating us. It made me feel like what we had done was very much appreciated by the community.
Q:: What I did this week as a student...
A:: We have had several games this week so I have had to spend a lot of time making up missed work. I had to make up a missed test in my History of Psychology class. I had a bunch of Italian homework to get caught-up on. I had to study for a quiz that I ended up making an 87 on. I had to go to do some extra credit work in my tennis class. Overall it was a very busy week for me.
Q:: What I did this week as an athlete...
A:: We had two games this week so we had practices on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. We watched game films on Monday and Wednesday. We had strength and conditioning to go to on Monday and Friday. Physically, it was a very exhausting week.
Q:: Based upon my experiences growing up, my advice for young kids about school and athletics is...
A:: My advise for young kids would be to work very hard at all the things that you do and don’t let any obstacles get in your way. Be persistent and work to overcome those obstacles. Everything happens for a reason and at the time you may not believe it, but if you continue to work hard, you will be successful.
Q:: Why I am looking forward to the America East Men’s Basketball Championship at Agganis Arena in Boston on March 2-4...
A::We won our game last night so we go into the America East Tournament ranked #1 in the conference. That means everybody knows we are the team to beat so we have to play our best in every game. That will be a challenge I am looking forward to. If we can win the tournament, we get to go to the Big Dance!