It started with my dad on the sideline. He was the best coach I ever had, and the person I learned the most from. Someone I could watch, learn from, and eventually hope to become.

I started coaching at nineteen, with him right beside me. It didn’t last long, but it was enough to show me that coaching was something I wanted to keep doing.

A few years later, the opportunity came back home. A freshman coaching position opened at my alma mater, and my former soccer coach, now leading the basketball program, took a chance on a 22-year-old with limited experience and a lot of love for the game.

The first season was rough. One win, a lot of mistakes, and even more lessons. Quitting never really crossed my mind. The offseason became a classroom, and by the second season, things started to change. The wins mattered, but watching players improve, commit to each other, and start believing in themselves mattered more.

That’s what I love about sports. It’s the emotion, the work, and the relationships built along the way. Trust takes time. A team is a group of people choosing to get better together.

That’s what keeps pulling me back to coaching. Having an impact on young men during an important part of their lives. Being someone they can learn from, talk to, and lean on while they figure out who they want to become.

For me, coaching has never just been about basketball. It’s about what the game leaves behind.