I’ve got one semester at Duke behind me now, and I feel like I’ve adjusted pretty well.

A big factor in that was living at the Australian Institute of Sport for two years before I came here. I was used to living away from home, obviously not in a different country, but that was a big stepping stone to becoming well-adjusted here.

My teammates and coaches played an integral role in helping me adjust to life at Duke. Those are the people I spend most of my time with; I’m in classes with most of the guys, I’m in practice with them every day, preparing for games. I’ve developed strong relationships with the coaches, as well.

If I ever start to feel homesick or anything like that, my coaches and teammates are always there to pick me up a bit. In saying that, I’ve never really felt that way or had time to miss home because I’m enjoying everything here so much.

It’s no accident that Duke Basketball is called “The Brotherhood.” Everybody here has great character and all of the guys were welcoming to me when I arrived on campus after missing both summer sessions.

I got off to a late start but there was never a time when I didn’t feel part of what was going on. Every one of the guys made me feel part of the team straight away and took time to make sure I was comfortable with everything.

There’s definitely a family feel in this program. Everyone looks out for one another, where it’s player-to-player, coach-to-player, among the coaching staff or with any of our other staff around campus. It’s just a big family, and the impact the program has on everyone who’s been through it shows in how much guys want to give back to Duke.

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