Q: You closed out your Crusader career winning back-to-back Patriot League championships. What did that feel like for you to conclude your senior season with a championship?
A: It’s funny, the championships were great and the culmination of lots of hard work. I loved beating Navy my junior and senior year in the Patriot League finals! However, when I think back on my time at HC, I don’t actually think much about the championships. I think about all the memories with my teammates and coaches. I remember so many laughs during all our time on campus — in Kimball, the Hart Center, studying in the library and taking classes together. I remember our road trips and team meals and the late night conversations. I remember volunteering in the Worcester community with underprivileged children and the incredible people at the Mercy Center. Basketball was a dominant part of my life at the time, but my experience was so great because of the people who came into my life because of it.
Q: You hold the program record for most points scored in a game (38). You set it back on November 14, 1997 at Connecticut — if you remember that game, can you talk about that and your performance?
A: I do remember this game very well. Back in May of that year, I had a coaches meeting up in the Hart Center and they asked me if I wanted to see the new schedule for the following season. I looked at it and saw UConn listed as our first game and quickly realized we had 5+ months to prepare for it. I knew if we prepared to play UConn, by default we would be prepared for all the other teams on the schedule. That summer, I never worked harder and I knew my teammates were doing the same. I would work out in the Hart Center every morning between 6-7 a.m. on basketball skill development, then I would head to work until 4:00, head back to the Hart Center for strength and conditioning training with Coach Oliver and some of my teammates, along with most of the football team. We would work out hard for two hours and then I would head to a college summer league and play every night. I repeated this all summer and had UConn on the brain the entire time…especially when I was exhausted and it was so hot out during our workouts on the turf fields. My teammates pushed each other all fall and into the season, and I knew we were ready for the UConn game. For me as an athlete, the preparation was what gave me confidence. On the night of the game, I realized quickly that we (Holy Cross) probably didn’t even cross UConn’s mind before that night. I’m sure they were looking right past us at their bigger opponents. The UConn player guarding me didn’t even realize I was left handed and she kept forcing me left. Although we didn’t win, it was a close game and I remember the UConn fans giving us a standing ovation at the end. I never forgot the lesson about the importance of preparation, or underestimating your opponents. We went on to have a successful season that year.
