My mother and father stressed education and always made sure we had a place to study and books to read.

There were times my immaturity kept me from being all I wanted to be.

I can't say there was one thing in particular that helped prepare me for life beyond basketball except for the exposure to college and that laboratory, that allows us to learn who and what we are, and to be able to utilize that knowledge in real life.

I've always been taught that basketball is a team game and greater than the sum of its parts.

One of the reasons why I enjoy college basketball a little more is because of its team orientation as opposed to individual orientation.

Getting a well-rounded education and developing a love of learning that hopefully will continue to last my lifetime certainly helped prepare me to understand what's coming at me in this world and to adapt.

I'm concerned that young people, far too often, abdicate their responsibilities of learning and adapting and give that over to people who may not always have their best interests at heart.