Now coming to UNC from the great state of Kentucky, it seems I also brought along my accent. I am not even from the foothills of Kentucky, but I guess I still have that touch. Take for instance, Appalachian State beat Michigan in football. I say it like this, app-a-lation, and you would have thought that I had slipped and fell in front of everyone or something. They just laughed and laughed, and I was like, "Ok then how do you say it?" Apparently everyone east of the Appalachian Mountains pronounces it, app-a-LACH-ian, and swear that they say it "right." I guess bringing all these different backgrounds from all across America can have its harmless debates at some point. All in all, it will soon go down as great memories.

We have now started workouts, and we go Monday to Thursday. Monday and Wednesday are sprint work and pick up games; Tuesday and Thursday are individual workouts and weight training. As a high-school player, I can say that I was in the gym just about every day. Doing that when I was younger helped me transition to the physical work load college puts on you. High-school workouts cannot hold a candle to anything in college. To start out, assistant coach Andrew Calder makes the team match in whatever we do. If you fail to match, you get what we call a "6 a.m." Trust me, you don’t want anything to do with that. Basically if you slip up at all you get 6 a.m’s. For those of you wondering what in the world that is, it is when you get up and have to do an hour of study hall from 6 a.m. to 7 a.m. If you really messed up, it could involve some running as well. Preseason conditioning is very important. National championships are won during the preseason. You must maintain the mindset of, "Nobody is going to outwork me!" Here at Carolina, we take pride in our work ethic and push each other everyday to ensure we become the best we can be. Summer time is your time and your responsibility to your team to get better. This also carries into the preseason, then, as you go along, you put everyone’s skills together to create a team.

The first couple of months of college have definitely been learning experiences. I actually already have had one "6 a.m." for forgetting to turn in a syllabus to coach Calder. I have already passed two college courses, became friends with my teammates, and have not gotten lost going to class yet. College is a major change, hard at first, but the freedom is wonderful. With freedom also comes responsibility. On a daily basis I must make sure that I have done my reading, any homework, turned in anything that needs to be turned in, and be on time to everything. The beginning has been quite a ride for me. I am stoked and very excited for our team and our future. I feel that great things come to people who work hard. Always keep a positive mind frame, and make sure that you are working your very hardest.

"The will to persevere is often the difference between failure and success," American inventor David Sarnoff once said.

Until next time, keep it cool and keep ballin!

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