When thinking about a Purdue superfan, you probably wouldn’t imagine them growing up cheering for the rival. But that’s exactly how my story began! Raised in Westfield, Indiana, I grew up in a divided household; my dad went to Purdue, but my mom was a huge IU fan and liked sports more. I caught my mom’s infectious love for the cream and crimson, which bled into my college decision.
Ending up at Purdue was never something on my college search bingo card, but as I mulled over where to spend the next four years, the decision included much more than academics. Throughout high school, I served as the Westfield High School basketball manager. My job was unique; while I wasn’t on the court playing, I still was close to the action and became part of a tight-knit brotherhood that extended well beyond the court. As my time as Westfield’s manager ended, I had made up my mind: I’d set my sights towards Bloomington, where I’d hoped to become a student manager for men’s basketball. The plan made sense to me – but it didn’t to my good friend Braden Smith.
As star point guard for Westfield, Braden had recently committed to play for Purdue and had a proposition for me. “Why don’t you come to Purdue and manage for us instead?” A few months later, I was in West Lafayette touring the Daniels School of Business and seriously considering a change of plans. I loved the atmosphere, where everyone was kind and invited me into a tight-knit community. I was especially drawn to the new Business Analytics and Information Management program, which impressed me because of my passion for sports analysis. By the end of my senior year, I visited Purdue three more times and applied to the BAIM program at the Daniels School of Business
By the time I was admitted to Purdue, the decision was an afterthought. I was a Boilermaker! I eagerly awaited my arrival on campus and regularly reached out to Purdue’s Director of Basketball Operations, asking about how I could start the journey to managing the men’s team. I applied for the job as soon as applications went live, but I didn’t envision the difficulty of waiting. Interviews wouldn’t happen until later in the fall, and once I arrived at Purdue, I started to have second thoughts. What if I wanted a more traditional college experience? Did I really want to sacrifice this much time for basketball?
