My passion for strength and conditioning was born the day I realized I wasn’t the strongest player on the court anymore. That moment came on my first day at Montclair State University, where I had committed to play basketball in the highly competitive New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC). To keep up at that level, I knew I had to level up in the weight room.

Before college, I had little to no exposure to strength training. That quickly changed thanks to my first strength coaches, Nick Magnum and Courtney Roselle—two incredible mentors who not only introduced me to the fundamentals of training but also recognized my natural enthusiasm for it. They helped shape my perspective and planted the seeds for what would become a career.

By my junior year, due to scheduling conflicts with our coaching staff, I was entrusted with leading our team’s off-season lifts twice a week. That responsibility confirmed what I had started to suspect—I wanted to become a strength coach.

Soon after, Montclair State brought on Jhovanny Olivares as the school’s first full-time strength and conditioning coach. I was honored to become MSU’s first-ever strength and conditioning intern, gaining hands-on experience in programming, leading warm-ups, and maintaining a safe and motivating environment in the weight room.

Joining the Next Play family is the next exciting chapter in my journey. Seeing athletes smile, grow, and enjoy the process in the weight room is still one of the most rewarding parts of what I do—and I’m just getting started.