Hi Teammates!

The other day I did a Get To Know Me round of questions on my Instagram page. One of the questions I asked got me thinking. I asked the question “how many games did I play at the University of Arizona before getting kicked off the team?” The answer was 11 but that is not what got my head clicking. It was the “What if” question in my head that I have occasionally asked myself since I was an 18 year old impatient (still am), immature (hope I have passed that phase), and knuckleheaded (not that anymore) kid. Here is a brief recap for those of you that do not know. I went to Arizona as a freshman and because I was unsatisfied by not playing so much. If you are an athlete in any sport, you understand how frustration from your sport usually affects the rest of your life in a negative way. I started partying waaaaaay too much, not going to class, and was incredibly close to flunking out of school. I got kicked off the team, looked into transferring (eventually to Dixie Jr. College), and finished out my freshman year while finally concentrating on my grades so I could transfer.

Here is where the “What if…” comes into play. I was TOTALLY in the wrong back then. My behavior was immature and I own up to that…but…of course from time to time, I wonder what would have happened if I had stayed my whole collegiate career at the U of A. When I look at all the guys on that team that later played in the NBA, my stomach cramps up. Would I have been one of those guys? How would my life have been had I stayed? I think that is a normal human trait to wonder about certain things, however, I regret NOTHING. Could I have been less immature? Yes. Could I have taken the challenge from Coach Olson better? Hell yeah! At the same time though, it was meant for me to be unceremoniously kicked out of the McKale Center before practice that Monday afternoon and never return. I ended up having a great life after I walked off that immaculate court in my socks after telling a Hall of Fame coach that he could give them to the equipment manager (that’s another story haha). Could my life have been better? Who knows, and who cares!

I have made many bad judgments or poor decisions…more than I can count, and I will probably make a few more during my time above ground. I am not the person that has regrets about decisions in my life though. To me, there is a huge difference between regretting something and the “what if”. Everyone is different, but from my experiences, having regrets from your past is disrespectful to the experiences or life you have now. I went on to play for two fantastic coaches in college (Dave Rose and Bill Evans), played and coached in Europe, started my family, met most of my closest friends, and have a pretty cool life (in my opinion). Some may disagree about having regrets, but for me, having only one “what if” for the 48 years I have been on this earth is pretty admirable.

Thank you for taking the time to read my words!

Sean