Shoes clacking on hardwood sound exactly the same years later. The feeling of excitement, getting to be close to the people, the stories in action – those things have not ebbed.
But “Name” and “Outlet” on my credentials have changed, going from a sports media certificate student at the University of Georgia visiting then-Phillips Arena on a field trip to Hawks beat reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. I met my current editor on that trip years ago, back when he covered the team.
The renamed State Farm Arena has become my stomping grounds, and now it’s up to me to bring readers and listeners news on all things Atlanta Hawks. I take that responsibility seriously, and genuinely love what I do. I knew I would from the moment I started working for The Red & Black, the student newspaper at UGA. I always loved writing, and I found a way to write about my community through sports.
My dad played college football, and I think my love of sports started there. College football Saturdays bonded us, but as I grew up it became a passion all my own. I love writing and talking about the game, but more than that I love telling stories about people, about human connection and emotion – things that bond us more than chatting about a zone defense or spread offense ever could.
Often, my work extends far past the sidelines of sports, from the Hawks transforming their arena into the state’s largest polling place to how COVID-19 upended the 2020 NBA season.
Whether I’m working on a story, formulating questions for guests on our newly launched podcast the “Hawks Report” or attending games, home or away, I work to bring our audience real, fact-based journalism, the kind of work I can do only because of folks subscribing to the AJC and supporting us in that venture.
We couldn’t do any of this without your help. I’m eternally grateful to every person who has ever opened a newspaper or clicked on a link and read one of my stories or any one of the AJC’s endeavors, and I’m eager to keep bringing you the information you need on a daily basis.
Please support the work of your journalists. Start a subscription today. If you’re already a subscriber, thank you. With your support, we can keep you informed with real, fact-based news. It’s worth knowing what’s really going on.
