My Story: Part 2

After Graduating from Northern Arizona University (NAU) I had no clue of what was next. I began to receive mail about pro tryouts, combines and I was a overwhelmed. I did not know what my next move was but I heard a lot of “advice” to include hiring an agent. So I went out and hired the first agent I could find. He was very connected in the Middle East however, at that time (2004) that was not the place I wanted to be. So I moved to Los Angeles hoping that someone would see my game in a bigger market. I worked very hard to get myself to place where I was capable of playing pro ball. Every morning and evening was spent training and preparing for my opportunity. After a successful tryout, I finally I got a chance to play in…. Ensenada, Mexico. (That experience was a whole different story).

With a pro stint on my resume, I was anxious to hire a new agent and go play in a stronger league in another country. So I began to turn up the training even more, and in a few short weeks I was slated for a tryout in Germany. Before I got that chance, I suffered a devastating knee injury. After suffering a ruptured patellar tendon I was not convinced that my short pro basketball career was coming to a close. I would not accept that outcome. I worked as hard as I ever have to rehab my knee. It was excruciating pain but I managed through it and was back on the court in 8 months. Only to find out that the damage from the rehab had set me back and I was in need of a second surgery. I was starting to learn very quickly that basketball was costing me more money than it was making me. With several medical bills to pay, I had to evaluate my life and rethink the next step. That step was taking a coaching job in Rangely, Colorado.

I started as the assistant coach of both the men’s and women’s basketball team at Colorado Northwestern Community College (CNCC). By the end of the first year, administration noticed something in me and I was offered the opportunity to serve as men’s head basketball coach. When I took over the program, many colleagues and former coaches told me this was “the worst job in the country”. I was told to “get out of there” several times in my 10 years by coaches I knew and respected. I didn’t take their advice because I was confident that I could make a positive impact as I had already met and overcome difficult challenges. CNCC is a school that competes in one of the best NJCAA conferences in the country however; CNCC is not nearly funded like the other community colleges within this conference. In fact, the institution had debates on dropping athletics almost annually. Despite all of the warnings, I was determined to turn the “bad job” into a good job. Over the years, I fought battles with administration over athletics funds and lack of comparable scholarships. Despite not having the same resources as our conference foes, we managed to remain competitive and even beat nationally ranked opponents on several different occasions. I have had players leave my program and go pro, and I have placed over 30 student-athletes at 4 year institutions. I did this by recruiting and coaching the kind of students-athletes that fit my program: HARD-NOSED, TOUGH, HUNGRY, COMPETITIVE, AND COACHABLE. If coached the right way, student-athletes will go above and beyond for you as they have for me, because they were grateful for the opportunity, took advantage of coaching and exceeded their expectations.