I was born March 5, 1990 in Fort Wayne, Indiana and spent my early childhood in West Lafayette, near the campus of Purdue University. My family lived in an old farm house on the land that my grandfather worked.

It was in West Lafayette that I first learned to play basketball. My grandfather put up a basket at his house and my dad taught us drills in the driveway. Both of my parents played college ball and taught me everything when I was young. My father, Perky, played at Tennessee Tech and my mom, Leslie, played at Purdue. We tried a lot of sports growing up and other after school activities, but basketball was my love.

I spent a lot of time with my grandfather during those early years. He was a WWII Navy veteran, a retired Agriculture professor and a full-time farmer. We helped with various chores around the farm. He instilled in me a deep appreciation and respect for hard and smart work; on a farm, you don’t punch a clock — you work until the task is complete.