In high school, for the first two years I had one focus in life: Basketball. All summer before Freshman and Sophomore year I spent every day lifting, training, watching film, reading books about basketball, etc. I had one goal, to play basketball in college. I knew that I was probably a combination of too short and not talented enough to play for a Division I school, but I was perfectly happy to try to play Division III basketball and then pursue a career in coaching. In February of my Sophomore season, something happened that changed the course of my life. I herniated a disc in my back because of overuse. After sitting out for a few weeks until the initial pain subsided, I attempted to comeback for the rest of the season. By the time the season ended and I went to physical therapy, I was told that I had developed a muscle imbalance in my back that was not going to get better unless I stopped playing and committed to a long course of physical therapy. Because of my refusal to listen to my body and slow down when I should have, I made the problem worse and ended up missing a full season. By the time I was healthy enough to play again, my chances of playing in college were gone and I wasn't even able …show more content…
I became a student-assistant for the Freshman team and manager for the Varsity team. But more importantly, I committed myself to spending more quality time with my friends, with my family, and doing community service. Through this, I strengthened relationships with my best friends Jack and Conor, formed a new relationship with my girlfriend Mia, and became more involved in the lives of my little brother and sister. Additionally, I was able to spend my senior year serving as an Executive Chairman for my school's charity event Game Night, which raised over $35,000 for the Virginia chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis