blowing up in the city of Baltimore was
challenging you know as a kid you know
it was a lot of drug infested areas in
our neighborhood a lot of shooting a lot
of violence unfortunately for me at the
age of five you know I got shot
you know been outside being at the wrong
place at the wrong time you know things
can happen once you go outside the door
and for me you know I was in the wrong
place at the wrong time a fight broke
out they bust the old man
Chester's window he decided to come
outside wreak havoc he went in this shed
and grabbed his double-barrel shotgun
and just started firing into the crowd
amongst all these kids and it's like I
said unfortunately I was one of the kids
they got hit
no one felt like that no one thought
they have a life expectancies past
twenty you know and then which was very
strange you know knowing that that was
the case but that was the mindset back
then because we had a lot of guys at a
young age nine mainly because you know
they wanted that fast money they wanted
to get into that world a lot sooner and
they wonder you know possibly take care
of that family as well as want something
good to try to provide for that you know
for the household so you know people did
all sorts of things in terms of try to
make ends meet but you know that was a
again that was the neighborhood in the
atmosphere that we grew up there well
luckily that we had a game called
basketball and in sports you know sports
was really a mechanism that kept us
really at a safe kept us where it gave
us a safe haven place to really feel
comfortable football baseball basketball
arena track I was arrested
you know we had a lot of sports take
place in the neighborhood so you had
different neighborhoods you know
competing against one another and we had
all sorts of sports so that was a way of
keeping us you know off the streets
keeping our mind you know active in
other area as opposed to thinking about
you know a it's time to try to go over
and get through those quick dollars but
sports was you know it was a place where
it really kept a lot of kids safe you
know at that time I had no inkling or no
idea that you know I wondered pursue
this as a career you know I'm just a
hobby it was just something that I
wanted to do many days and many nights
going home just crying to my mom and
just tell me how cruel the kids are
better and you know I mean they were you
know and but she was always you know
always just quick to say that it had no
idea where basketball was about but she
was quick to say you know ty was time
for her at the time you know Todd Dean
don't let them you know take your joy if
you like playing basketball you go out
and play you know no longer be an expert
in life they don't know how big your
heart or know what your capabilities are
you want to play you just go out there
play and at the time I didn't know what
that meant I'm like
okay mom but you know those things
didn't register at the time you know I
just focused more or less on the kids
being so mean and cruel towards me and
because I was trying to pursue a game
that they thought it was meant for
taller player I'm saying small got a lot
of criticism from it you know a lot of
backlash a lot of name-calling you know
which could affect which confidence five
three was it you know I knew that I
wasn't gonna grow much taller I never
wish that I was all ten eleven you know
I started learning the game I start
understanding the game I was being
taught by a gentleman by Leon Howard who
was a direct that direct racial center
he took myself and Reggie Williams who
was blessed to going on play in the NBA
with as well one of the four guys come
out of high school was pushing up to
playing hi playin NBA but he and I as a
kid was just sponges the game really
changed and slowed down in my mind and I
start really believing that you know I
could play this game one day you know we
possibly go to college and wasn't
thinking about NBA time but it was
thinking about possibly going to high
school and getting a college education
from it and it give me needs to turn the
narrative of my families I just wanted
to play basketball you know whichever
way as if it'd been a division - I
probably been satisfied but knowing the
type of kid that I was and who I was and
the competitive type of person I wanted
it all you know wasn't just gonna
satisfy satisfied with what someone else
had planned for me you know I want to
create my own destiny and not start to
understand that I was in position to do
that
and you know when I became 12 and 13
years old you know words never matter
you know it came in one day out the
other you know I was on the journey I
was on my path trying to become this
basketball player that no one felt like
you had any and you know any opportunity
to do so because at the time Koecher was
still in the mindset a big guard trying
to break down those barriers you know
trying to break the mindsets of these
coaching on let them know that
you know I can be just as impacted you
know as at this size and running your
program and just being just as effective
as photographer you shot you know you
need to be sitting on the curb with feet
swinging off you know we can put you in
the draw when we traveling you know
growing up as a kid where they say
sticks and stones may hit your bone of
the world words would never hurt you
it's not true words will hurt you now
they killing folks so words are very
powerful very powerful so the thing is
about getting within yourself and
understand who you are to kind of you
know ward off those negative comments
that's coming toward you because your
heart you know it measured it pretty
much doesn't have a height to it you
know pretty much set the tone to who you
are and what you're able to accomplish
you know and the height factor was the
game of basketball so you know my heart
was big they're my so I didn't have no
no second or no no hang-ups on believing
that I belong with you know the best of
the best you know because my heart would
just you know just as big as theirs that
12th pick in hearing the Washington
Bullets
select the Tarot mother bows you know
basically is a place in my backyard
where I grew up there from Baltimore you
know the weight of the world was lifted
off his shoulders that day you know you
felt like hey you know this is what you
missed on for for so long and well it
changed our complete narrative my hair
[Applause]
you know we no longer was you know in
the lower income bracket you know I was
fortunate enough to to get my mama you
know a house you know get out the
projects and my dad and my sisters and
my brothers and we was able to you know
live a better life you know and where it
wasn't as challenging as it was was when
you know when they was growing up so so
that was something that I was pretty
much I was truly proud of that I was
able to do that for our family and and
they've been very supportive you know
all heavy step away so I was so thankful
that I was in a position there to do
that if you're five foot three know as a
kid you know you're not as strong you
know as you are as an adult so when I
was a kid you know those things was very
hurtful and then you know that was very
deterrent at the time but it didn't
distract I think I was born this way you
know with the idea to take on those type
of challenges the face looks out there
the things that have me happen to me in
my life allowed me to reflect allowed me
to you know to resonate Who I am you
know specially when I got shot you know
those things became so clear in terms of
hey I almost wasn't here you know so
while I have to worry about what someone
else said that could hurt me and
deteriorate me from becoming who I want
to be so you know that changed my
mindset you know I remember early on
when I used to go down on the court with
my basketball that in all the words and
hearing other you know the criticism
about me being short but after I got
shot
I remember going back down there and
hearing those same criticism about
myself but they didn't have the same
impact
you know when they wanted out other as I
alluded to earlier so I think that has
something to do with it you know I had a
lot to do with my mindset in terms of
you know what I thought and what
believe
Oh adversely always to pay you know you
have to go through those things in order
to see the light at the end of the
tunnel you know I don't think anything
is gonna just be like this throughout
your life you know you have to go
through that difficult overcome
obstacles you know because it's a
testament of your character or who you
are and how you able to deal with
certain things in order to get yourself
back on that playing field
brake fluid echoes was able to take
place and still strive and be the best I
can be and you know going forward
hopefully I can even carry some kid to
be the best they could be you know as a
kid you know that's what I had to go
through you know that's what I did but
keeping that positive message in my hand
knowing that I can and knowing that you
know no matter what anybody else thought
I believed and that's what I want every
kid to understand how to feel good about
themselves when you look at that mirror
and you go get that reflection back not
like yourself love yourself I was small
I was different from all the other
players you know it felt like I had to
adjust to them but really they had to
adjust to me because they'd never seen a
guy my size playing against them once
they got the ball not at half-court
but in 94 feet soon as they take it out
and make them work to get across half
court so all those little things that I
had to do that I did you know allowed me
to be you know still impactful and
change the game in that regards to where
now my height is not being discussed so
much
you look at whatever your weakness is
you got to try to turn it to his drift
and not look at let them know that this
is a weakness and the way I had it is in
the way I look did it was that you know
guys see you smaller they feel like I
could push you up I knew that God's one
comfortable playing with that back
towards the basket having that
understanding having a hierarchy of the
game allowed me also to be at the it be
very impactful so where guys couldn't
feel like they was taking advantage of
me I don't care how small how big you
are that skill set don't match up with
you leading and how you leading you know
everybody's gonna be second-guessing you
calling you out I got I gave the respect
that the guys because they knew and they
felt like I was a true leader you know I
was leading us in the right direction I
was extension of the coke keep playing
keep playing but why you playing
learn all the nuances all the
information that comes with the game of
basketball
don't settle for what someone think that
you should be doing understand what that
position is because if you're undersides
to God all right and you're undersides
point guard or your small guard and you
still have the ability to play the game
it's just a matter of how can I'll be
impactful on that team what I need to do
to be a pack for not stand out as a
liability and I continue to be an asset
in your life you can't escape anything
that goes along with life you know we
are not immune to problems drama or
trauma a tragedy you know we all here as
human beings so you know when you're
going through some sort of difficulties
you know first find out whatever that
difficult it may be you know for me I
like to pray I like to give it to the
man upstairs and get strength from them
within your power in terms of how to
start slowly you know get yourself out
of that situation but for one you know
you give it to the man you know you do
all within your power and
and you believe you'd be optimistic
about you know being negative about the
situation stand in that place it never
helps you know it's nothing wrong with
understanding that place feeling bad
about it looking at it for what it is
don't stay there you got to get back on
that other side and start looking at the
result the resolution of how can I get
back to feeling good and feeling
prosperous again so where I'm not
dealing with this obstacle you know
anything is possible positive thinking
is also translated over you know we
always no matter what the situation with
the situation is we don't try to look
for the outcome the better of that
situation we can't find a resolution to
get out of it you know we don't keep on
searching the container try to find a
resolution to get out of because that's
what you do you know that's how you get
to the bottom of that's how you get to
the facts in the answer don't give them
that platform don't give them the
ammunition that's their opinion don't
mean that it's true about who you are so
that's one the raising that's one I want
to start this reach my Teachman because
I want to make sure that every kid
believes in himself going forward
through our life we all human beings you
know so that's one of the main message I
would love to get out to any everybody
that's out there everything happened for
a reason no regrets all the negative
things that happened I'm thankful for it
because I learned hopefully I learned
from those situations
you