After graduating from Northwestern University in June of 1996, I was honored with the chance to do something that most players only dream of--I was invited to participate in the Chicago Bulls' rookie camp. Unfortunately, I never made their roster, but the experience is one out of which I learned many, many things. It was my first foray into the realm of professional basketball and it gave me a whole new love for the game. After the Bulls' camp, I found myself playing in Istanbul, Turkey until an ill-timed cartilage tear in my knee during my third game brought me back to the states after only a month's time. From there I played for the Magic City Snowbears (Minot, ND) of the International Basketball Association for the paltry sum of $100/week. Essentially, I was paying to play. Ironically enough, despite my chicken-feed salary, I was cut for "salary-cap reasons" after only a month. Bummer, eh? From there, I moved to Houston to live with my agent for what turned out to be five months, playing twice a day with the likes of Moses Malone, Rodney McCray, Sam Cassell, Robert Horry and a slew of other players, not the least of which was Shaquille O'Neal himself. After my sortie vs. Shaq, I was invited to attend the Houston Rockets' rookie camp. I don't have a story prepared for my time with the Chicago Bulls, but if you click on the Houston Rockets logo to the left, you can read about my experiences with that team.

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