Q:: Three things I can't live without...
A:: Basketball. My mom. Cheeseburgers.
Q:: Why I chose Stony Brook...
A:: I chose Stony Brook for two reasons. The main reason was the coaching staff. Their personalities are great and exactly what I was looking for to be my college coaches. Coach Pikiell and Coach Jefferson made me want to come to Stony Brook and be a Seawolf. I also liked the academic part of Stony Brook. The academic advisor met with me and my mom on my recruiting trip and we liked that there was help available if I should need it.
Q:: Favorite class and why...
A:: I liked my math class last semester. The class was called Mathematical Thinking and we did a lot of math that is used in everyday issues like the shortest path for the postal service so they don’t have to retrace their steps or where bridges should be built to make it easiest for the people in that city. Math is a subject with a definite answer, unlike some of my other classes where you aren’t sure if the answer is correct when you are done.
Q:: One thing I have learned at Stony Brook that I will carry with me for the rest of my life is...
A:: “It pays to be a winner.”
Q:: Other than playing in the NBA, my dream job is...
A:: My dream job would be a coach. I’d also like to be a guidance counselor and help students.
Q:: Other than my parents, the person who has had the most influence on me is and why...
A:: The two people that have been very influential on my life are my first basketball coach and my cousin. They were both student-athletes and I learned a lot from them. My first basketball coach taught me what I needed to be successful and get to college to play basketball. I owe a lot to him.
Q:: The best thing about being a Stony Brook Seawolf is...
A:: The best thing about being a Stony Brook Seawolf is the bond that I formed with my teammates. They’re a good group of guys and we get along well. We spend so much time together that we’d kill each other if we didn’t get along like we do, so I’m glad that this group of guys has bonded the way we have.
Q:: Most memorable moment as an athlete...
A:: I have two memorable moments as an athlete. The first is when I won my first High School championship. That memory will stay with me forever. The most memorable moment as a college student-athlete was our first game of the season at Colgate. That was my first win in college and I won’t forget that either.
Q:: What I did this week as a student...
A:: Last week I wasn’t busy in the classroom because we traveled so much. We had to miss class Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday because we had two away games in a row. My academic advisor had us in study hall on Monday and Thursday so we could catch up on what we missed and get ahead on our reading. She knew we had a lot of away midweek games so we limited the amount of classes we take in the middle of the week. I have a lot of classes on Mondays because we never miss a Monday for games. I wrote a paper for my Writing class and read two chapters for my Everyday Science class.
Q:: What I did this week as an athlete...
A:: Last week we practiced on Tuesday morning and then left campus for Binghamton. We lost that game in the last 0.06 seconds so the bus ride back felt longer than it really is. We got back to campus at 3:00am on Thursday and I had to get up for class by 8:00am. We practiced and lifted on Thursday, and then Friday we practiced in the morning again and then left for UMBC. We played well as a team on Saturday and won that game. We have 8 days between games so Coach gave us Sunday off.
Q:: Based upon my experiences growing up, my advice for young kids about school and athletics is...
A:: My advice for young kids about school and athletics is you need to stay focused. There are a lot of obstacles that can get in your way and if you aren’t focused on what you want to do and the goals you’ve set for yourself, you won’t succeed. This is especially true in college ? there are a lot of distractions here. But if you learned to stay focused while you were growing up, then the obstacles won’t get in your way when you get to college.
Q:: Why I am looking forward to the America East Men’s Basketball Championship at Agganis Arena in Boston on March 2-4...
A::I am looking forward to the America East Championships at Agganis Arena because as a freshman, I would love to play in that atmosphere, win the whole tournament, and make it to the NCAA tournament all in my freshman year. I haven’t experienced it before, so to go all the way in my first year would be awesome.