“Six years after my accident, I was able to lace up some red Nike shoes and walk onto the court at the Palestra in Philadelphia and be a Division I student-athlete,” he said. “What I learned from that journey and in life, most of the times when you accomplish great things, you have to build your own pool. You have to be willing to pay for it. You have to be willing to dedicate yourself. Sometimes it’s lonely. Sometimes it’s complicated. But it’s great.”