The hardwood at Banterra is where some of you may have heard my name. Others may not know me at all. This note, however, is still to you because you go to school here, serve in the restaurants, greet patients at the doctors’ offices, check out customers at the grocery store, etc. And no matter your job, you seem to share a pride in this community. I felt that pride during my first visit, and as I’ve worn Southern Illinois across my chest the past five years, it was all of you who gave me my purpose. It was also all of you who kept me from driving away (a couple times) after packing up my car with all my belongings- yep…stuff gets tough for all of us sometimes…but again, thanks to you- I stayed.

Being a blip in the history of this basketball program is something I could not have imagined would mean as much as it does. It gave me the strength to overcome every workout and endure every challenge set forth against me. This university has shaped me to be so much more than just a kid who plays basketball. I used to believe that was my only identity, but I soon realized that was not my most important role here. I wanted to be the best teammate, friend, brother, person and student I could be. This place gave me that chance to grow, and I hope long after I leave some of those words may be how I am remembered.

It truly has been quite the journey. I moved into my dorm room for summer training one month after learning this school existed. I was 18. I’m leaving five years later at 23, and it was “the school” for me. For many, it may seem odd for someone to come all the way from Arizona just to throw a ball around for a few years in a small town, but it’s who I met along the way that made it worth it. There is no other place quite like it. I have always described it as a place that grows on you. It is somewhere that the longer you stay the more attached to it you feel. Those who don’t know won’t appreciate it, and those who know never need to say a word.

Before I end, I have to send a special thank you to my coaches for taking a chance on a scrawny kid from AZ and giving me the opportunity to experience this special college life I have lived. And to EVERY teammate…man, that’s another letter…I’ll just say you know I love you. They know it’s because of them, and the way this town brought me in, that I am no longer just a kid from Scottsdale, Arizona. I am also a guy from Carbondale, Illinois who does understand what it means to be a Saluki. It is the greatest decision I have ever made. So, now and forever…Go Dawgs!

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