"I was born and raised in Somerset, New Jersey to a low income family. I helped to support my parents by hunting in the fields around our house for rabbits. I took the rabbits I caught to a Native American neighbor who skinned and bagged them for me so I could sell them on the street corner.

My 6’11” height took me out of the poverty and dismal future that most of the young people I knew were facing. With the help of teachers and coaches, I was able to receive a basketball scholarship to the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.

I then transferred to Coppin College my junior year and, during that year, was recruited to be part of a team that competed in Harlem’s Rucker Playground Tournament. 

The Washington Bullets drafted me at the end of my junior year and I became part of the NBA championship team that defeated the Seattle SuperSonics in 1978. 

I was good at basketball but I wasn’t prepared for the many challenges life hands you. Bad choices along the way left me homeless.  I decided, once I was back on my feet, to provide a way to help inner city kids to excel.

The Change of Pace Foundation allows me to interact with these kids by sharing my stories and teaching them life skills while playing basketball.