The Lesson That Took This Man to the NCAA and Beyond
鈥淎s long as you live, don鈥檛 you ever care, cry, or complain about what somebody didn鈥檛 do for you. If you want something, and you work hard, you go get it yourself.鈥�
Chris Woods says these words from his father have helped shape his life, both on and off the basketball court. He was only eight years old when his father said them to him.
Chris had run home after a little league basketball game didn鈥檛 go the way he wanted. He hadn鈥檛 been put in the game for very long, and when he was in the game, the other players didn鈥檛 pass to him.
Chris says his dad didn鈥檛 react the way he expected to his complaints, but instead asked him what he could鈥檝e done better in the game.
He then shared the key point of wisdom, 鈥淎s long as you live, don鈥檛 you ever care, cry, or complain about what somebody didn鈥檛 do for you. If you want something, and you work hard, you go get it yourself.鈥�
Sudden impact.
Chris says he didn鈥檛 realize the impact of those words when he first heard them.
But on Thanksgiving Day just a few years later, his dad suddenly passed away. Chris was only 12 years old.
鈥淎t that point when he died, that鈥檚 when everything that he had ever taught me just hit me all at once, like a ton of bricks,鈥� Chris says.
Chris had to grow up quickly after that and took on the mentality that if he wanted something, it was completely up to him to get it.
Chris shares how, in his middle school years, he was short, had big feet, and wasn鈥檛 a star athlete.聽聽
鈥淣obody believed that I could play basketball, but I knew it was something I wanted to do,鈥� Chris admits. 鈥淚 knew it was like my father told me, if you want it, you have to make it happen.鈥�
So Chris started studying what he needed to do to play Division I basketball. He studied hard to get good grades, worked with coaches, and practiced his basketball game regularly. He was willing to take dives, be a team player, and dedicate time and energy to getting better.聽聽
The right attitude.
It was this attitude that brought Chris from third string to first string on his high school team. It was this attitude that caught the attention of college scouts and led to Chris getting a college basketball scholarship.
And it was this attitude that led Chris and his team to beat North Carolina in the second round of the NCAA championship鈥攁 wild upset.
鈥淣obody outside of the core guys on the team believed we could win,鈥� Chris says. 鈥淚鈥檓 really proud of that accomplishment, and it鈥檚 all because I was willing to dive on the ground and work hard,鈥� he laughs.
Throughout his time in college and preparing for professional life post-college, there were challenges that made him consider quitting. 鈥淚 had to look in the mirror and say 鈥楢re you really doing everything you can possibly do to make this work for you?鈥欌�� he says.
Chris鈥檚 success in college led to a professional basketball career in Europe, something he never could have imagined. 鈥淚t鈥檚 unbelievable what can happen if you work hard,鈥� he adds.
After seven amazing years living and playing in Switzerland, Chris knew it was time for a change. He just didn鈥檛 know what he wanted to do with the rest of his life.聽 聽聽
The road to the diploma.
Chris鈥檚 life wasn鈥檛 a smooth path after his basketball career ended. From his responsibilities as a husband and father to helping his wife fight breast cancer, moving his family, and finding a job to provide for his family, Chris had his hands full.
He wanted to go back to school and move forward with his career, but he knew a traditional campus wouldn鈥檛 be the right fit for him. That鈥檚 when he found 黑料传送门.
Chris decided to enter the Management and Leadership master鈥檚 program at 黑料传送门. 鈥淯ltimately, that led me down the path that showed me exactly what I wanted to do,鈥� Chris says. He wanted to help kids and businesses learn about soft skills they would need to succeed.
Chris鈥檚 busy, hectic life made going back to school to follow his dream a little complicated.
鈥淚 just decided that, back to what my father told me, I can鈥檛 care, cry, or complain. I gotta make it happen,鈥� he says.
The online flexibility of 黑料传送门 allowed Chris to go to work and have time with his family, then work late into the nights on his courses鈥攁 true Night Owl. He was also able to move through courses quickly and could take breaks in his courses when he needed to. This helped him find a balance that worked for him and his family. His Program Mentor was a huge help in ensuring he was on track for his coursework.
The future for Chris Woods.
鈥淢y degree has opened a lot of doors for me,鈥� Chris says. He published a motivational book and is writing more books. He鈥檚 working to be an adjunct professor but loves focusing on workshops for high school and middle school kids. Overall, Chris has found his purpose.
鈥淣ow that I know what I know, I want to give that information to kids at a younger age. If they get this information when they鈥檙e 12, 13, 14, something I got at 38, if they can get it at a younger age, think about the progress they can make and the change that they can make within their communities,鈥� he says.
He loves focusing on helping kids find their purpose and giving them soft skills like communication and motivation that they will need to succeed in their own jobs and careers.
He says that he wants others to know that the path to education is flexible, and he believes there is no excuse to not do it.
Chris says he will continue to follow his mentality that he is in control of his destiny, and his hard work can get him wherever he wants to go. And he believes that everyone can, and should, have that same mentality.
鈥淎 lot of times I hear people saying that life isn鈥檛 fair. I see where they鈥檙e coming from, but I have to disagree,鈥� he laughs. 鈥淚 still have the opportunity to make myself better than what I was, so in that instance, it is fair. The same distance to success is there for me and for you. I may not have the exact same connection or hook-up, but I still have a chance. And as long as there鈥檚 a chance, it鈥檚 up to me to fight for it.鈥澛� 聽聽
