Success Stories

I am ranked in the top 100 of all time great Canadian Basketball players. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought it would have lead me this far, especially coming from a small city in a country noted for producing great hockey players.

My professional basketball career has been a journey and honour in more than 25 years I have been involved in the sport. I played in leagues overseas and in America and in the post-season, I train young athletes who are trying to pursue a career in sports. I do this for both basketball and football. It is my hope that I can help these young athletes reach their full potential.

I have achieved a lot of my personal goals, but being the competitor that I am, it just doesn’t feel like I’ve done enough. Basketball isn’t an individual sport, so I really can’t take all of the kudos, but I’ve played for some pretty successful teams. I helped to lead the Durham College to their first Provincial and National championships. I was invited to play in NBA summer leagues where I was ranked as being the fourth most productive player, and I was asked to try out for the Orlando Magic, and worked out for the Toronto Raptors. I also represented Jamaica in Panama, attempting to qualify for the Olympics. Through this game, I have been able to travel and appreciate much of the world.

I’ll never forget my first year playing in the NBA summer league in California. It was my first major basketball trip right after being cut from the Canadian National team. I’ll never forget the feeling of seeing NBA players that I had admired and watched on tv, and having the opportunity to compete against them day in and day out. I felt I had to prove myself the minute O got off the plane. Players were constantly asking, “Where are you from?”, “Doesn’t it snow all year round in Canada?”, “You sure you’re not from the states?” I’ll also never forget having my friends call me every night, telling me they saw my stats on NBA.com and meeting almost every coach in the NBA. During my last game, I also had the opportunity to play against Bruce Bowen (member of the San Antonio Spurs and all-time NBA defensive great) who came up to me after and said, “Man, you can ball! Keep laying cause you’re gonna make it!.” This is all thanks to an NBA legend Rudy LaRusso who took me under his wing and gave me a chance to play. RIP…

Without WSM, I don’t know where I’d be! That sounds like an infomercial, but it’s true. I’ve been a repeat offender – according to Dr. Lee – but without him and the staff of smiling faces, I don’t think I would have made it this far. I remember when I injured my knee playing in the ABA in North Carolina. I came home very scared because I was told that if things weren’t progressing by the time I got back after Christmas break they might have to operate. So I saw Dr. Lee and he diagnosed the problem. He recommended intense therapy and massage, and after painful weeks, I went back to become my team’s top player across the stat sheet, all thanks to everyone at WSM.

I would just like to add to athletes… I will never forget the time I was told I was going to get my first start in the NBA summer league. The place was packed. I had invited some friends to come down to watch and I completely choked, missing lay-up after lay-up and two breakaway slam-dunk opportunities. It was just not the showing I had hoped for after having the team honour me with a starting position. I truly thought it was the end of my starting position and maybe a possibility of seeing less playing time. I stood in the centre of the court after the final buzzer with the stadium filled and my coach/friend Rudy LaRusso came up to me and gave me a big hug and said, “If you didn’t have nights like these, you wouldn’t be human.” What I am trying to say is we all have expectations of ourselves, and will fall short at times. Just know that we are blessed with people who have and will continue to support and help you through those moments, which should be another driving force to help you bounce back on track to continue your athletic journey.