
At Mount St. Michael Academy
Playing high school was a totally different experience than playing junior high ball. In
junior high, I was simply an outstanding player that would drop 20pts and 10 rebounds
every game. When it came to making a decision onto where I wanted to play HS ball,
I choose between Xavier HS, Mount St. Michael, and Cardinal Hayes. Oh, of course
I chose Mount and went on to have a 4 year career there, but, it should of been better.
My freshmen year was up and down. I started all 30 games, and average 13pts and 6rebs.
I was pretty much trying to adjust playing at this type of level, and I think I did alright. I started
to feel that I have a bright future ahead of me, then all the sudden, it went down hill after that
season. My sophomore season, I was going to be bumped up to play varsity, but then I fell
apart academically and end up not playing the first half of the season and played the rest of
the season at JV. Then my junior and senior season was full of frustrations, Coach felt
"I wasn't good enough" to play at that level which really hurt but never brought down my
confidence, He also said, I "can't shoot farther than 12 feet". I could not believe this! In
my senior yr, where played a scrimmage and I dropped 20pts shooting 3-4 from 3pt range
and he said "I was chucking", I only took 9 shots!! So yea, I wanted to leave mount and
prove him wrong. He was on my top 3 doubters to be proven wrong list. Yea, I had a few.
After mount, I played AAU ball for this team in Pa. during the summer, There was this one
tournament I couldn't wait to play (Nike Gym Rat tourney) because a bunch of schools, D1,
D2, D3, and JUCOs was there, and Corning CC was really interested in me play for them.
I started at shooting guard, and the first moments of the game, I chasing this other shooter
on the other team, and all the sudden, I heard and felt something explode around my ankle
area on my left leg. I thought my shoe broke, but it was far worst then that, I was on the floor
rolling in pain as my Achilles area was just swollen and red and blue. I told myself this can't
be happening, not now! I knew what had happened, I knew what injury I endured, I was just
sitting there on the bench trying to cheer for my teammates but it was so hard, I wanted to
display my skills to the scouts but I can't do that in crutches, moments later, I started crying
(Yea I know cheesy) feeling that my career was done, over, its a wrap, I'll never play again!
What a career I had, all on a decline. So I had surgery exactly two weeks later totally repairing
my Achilles tendon which was completely ruptured.
The Longest Year
I decided during high school to go Monroe College for no specific reason. Still being hurt from
the Achilles injury, I was wearing a remove air boot that protected my foot. As I was going to
Monroe College, I was getting more frustrated because I'm not used to going to school without
playing ball. During the month of September, I wanted to play for riverside church with Ernie
Lorch, I was telling him my situation and he let me stay around on the team until was able to play.
But, I couldn't keep going and seeing these guys practice because it was killing me and also
by the time I would be able to play, I wouldn't be 100% and the season would almost be over
so there was no sense in staying on the team. So I went through the year at Monroe, not liking
it at all, wanted to transfer. So then in the middle of 2001, like April or so, I went to the JUCO
exposure games at Medger Evers College. I did OK, but it was hard to impress when you got
players thinking about themselves and wanting to do And1 moves. So then afterwards, when
it was all over, I met up with Rockland CC coach Rob Kurzinsky, and we talked. Later on, like
several months later, I was being recruited by Rockland CC and Dutchess CC. Then I got a
phone call from New York City Tech saying that they are interested in me because they saw
me at the JUCO games. So I went down there and impress a little, and they wanted me too!
I'm thinking, finally, things are starting to look good.
At Rockland CC
I played a lil pickup ball with some of the guys at RCC and I really like the campus, and as I
was going back home, I told myself this is where I would like to play, but I knew what I was
getting into, no dorms, morning practices, waking up at 3am every morning, damn, I must be
crazy, this college is upstate too, that's like an hour ride back and forth plus taking the trains
to get back home. It was hard physically and mentally, there was one point when we started
out having 14-16 straight days of practices twice a day, morning and evening, hitting
the weights! There was days I wanted to quit, but I told myself to suck it up. I ended up being
a role player who is another 3pt shooter. We ended up making records, like, the first time in
10 years that RCC made the region XV playoffs, we finished the season with a 11-4 record
as we was #3 behind Sullivan and Nassau. I had some moments this season like scoring
9pts in one half against Westchester CC, coming off the bench against Union CC scoring
5pts in the second half to complete a comeback and winning the game, also against Oakland
CC I had 5 assists in one half , there was several more.
My second year was better than my first, I was the best shooter on the team, and that only meant
one thing, teams was gunning to shut me down. The first half of the season I shot 35% from 3pt
range which was top 10 in the region. I was able to hit some clutch 3's in tight ball games like
against Kingsboro, Baltimore CCC and BMCC, I started to feel good about myself and feeling
that the hard work in the past was all worth it. But reality struck on the second half of the season. I
dropped from 35% to 24% in 3's and I was getting less playing time, I always thought it wasn't
really my fault, but as I think on it, it was. I should of took time and took some shots when I was free.
Should of been more committed. I learned my lesson and it wouldn't happen at the next
college I chose to go to.
After the season was over and we lost in the first round of the playoffs, it was that time again, and
to see were to go next. Polytechnic University was the first school I was in contact with and they
was very interested, other schools was CCNY, Hunter College, Clarkson University, Rochester
Institute of Technology and Plattsburgh St. University. I played at the Region XV All-Star game
and I did really well, but, no other colleges didn't contact me or the rest of the guys. So I visited
Hunter College and Polytechnic. After a month and two weeks later, I choose to play for Poly.
Will's Advice to others...
The words "Don't give up" and "hard work pays off" have to be one of the more underrated
quotes out there. But its so true, I thought after my injury I was dead in the water, my career
was done, my calf muscle had grown considerable weak, but I "didn't give up" although
people I knew was telling me to, even several people in my family had doubted me. But look
at me now, playing college ball, something I always wanted to do, and having a chance to
possibly play in a pro league, now that's a dream come true.