I’ll never forget the day I was playing Nintendo at my friend’s house when his dad yelled from the other room, “Hurry!  The new Michael Jordan commercial is on!”  Watching him fly through the air for the first time was the most inspiring thing I’d ever seen.  After the commercial ended, we immediately ran outside to shoot hoops and I insisted on being Air Jordan.  This was the moment I fell in love with basketball.

Fast-foward 30 years and I’m still in love with the game.  My passion has evolved to studying off-court training that impacts the mind, body and spirit to maximize performance.  As you’ll see, there is more than one reason why I continue to learn…

I’M STILL A PLAYER

I was lucky enough to play basketball at Gonzaga University and professionally in Germany for 2 years.  I still love playing hoops and get together every Sunday with my friends to lace up the shoes (even on Mother’s Day, which took some negotiating with my wife).  A big part of my love for learning basketball nutrition and strength training is so I can apply it to my personal game.  I’m definitely still a PLAYER at heart.

I’M A FULL-TIME COACH

My coaching career began shortly after my senior year ended at GU.  I tore my Achilles tendon and was forced to take a year off of basketball.  When I learned that I could make a living training athletes in strength and conditioning, I thought I’d died and gone to heaven.  It felt like I was cheating the system by getting paid to do what I love.  

I currently work as the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for Gonzaga University and also train local high school players.  My full-time job is to COACH athletes on how to eat healthy, move efficiently, and lead well.

I LOVE BEING A PARENT

My newest career started 6 years ago when my son Carter Blue was born.  I had already thought I knew what love was because I’m married to the best person in the world, Rhiannon Nilson.  She’s still my number one, but having children has been a game-changer for me.  We have since added Ella Grey and Memphis Black to our family, which has made me the luckiest person in the world.  

Now that Carter has been getting into basketball, I wanted to pass along everything I’ve learned as a player and coach.  On the other hand, I never want basketball to come in between our relationship as father and son.  To my kids, I always want to be a PARENT first.  

PLAYER. COACH. PARENT

So this blog is going to document my journey as basketball parent, player and coach.  I’m going to write about the drills and techniques that are helping my college and high school athletes.  I’ll share the things I’m still working on to improve my game on Sundays.  And from time to time, I’ll let you into my family life and show how I adapt these concepts to make them fun for my kids.  

Thanks for joining me on this journey.  I’d love to hear your comments and I’ll do my best to incorporate your feedback into future posts.  See you soon.