Imaging being on a court with NBA caliber players in a top notch NBA facility. For one Piedmont College student, this became a reality. Piedmont College hosted its annual P.R.I.D.E (Piedmont Research Innovation and Discovery Exhibition) on Wednesday, March 17th. During the event, Piedmont students presented well-crafted posters and gave speeches on a multitude of research projects, experiences or experiments that they have been apart of . P.R.I.D.E day has grown out of Piedmont’s commitment to highly valuable practices such as undergraduate research and inquiry, leadership and community engagement, as well as global learning.  One of these presentations included Piedmont men’s basketball player Mikey Joseph. Who addressed a room full of faculty, staff, teammates and coaches on his life changing experience of interning for the Charlotte Hornets NBA franchise during the summer of 2018.

During his presentation Joseph discussed all facets of his internship, starting from his first day on the job where the entire coaching staff and his hiring manager were fired. After facing that challenge he took the audience through some of the responsibilities that he had during the course of the internship. The list included: working on court with players and coaches, practicing with the team, attending team meetings, video editing, working with potential draft candidates and being present on NBA Draft Day. “I never knew how big of a deal Draft day was for these teams, it’s almost like a holiday for them.”

Joseph’s freshman teammate Justin Quick was one of the many in attendance for the presentation. “Mikey did a great job of explaining how the internship helped him and how it is going to affect his future. It was really cool to be there for my teammate and listen to his experience.” Joseph went into detail about all the benefits that came from his time with the Hornets including the on court experience he received as well as learning about the business aspect of the NBA and professional sports. He also gained experience in film/video editing as well as navigating an unfamiliar area. Joseph, a Gwinnett native, stayed at local Queens University for the duration of his internship.  “At first it was hard to be on my own in an unfamiliar place but as it went on I became more comfortable and it was really fun.”

Joseph concluded his presentation by  stating how this opportunity was a “dream come true”, he gained so much experience and was in the presence of His Airness, Michael Jordan, at one point. The internship helped him build many relationships and this was evident to all who were in attendance, including Piedmont Men’s Basketball Assistant Coach Jake Brooks, who spoke on Joseph’s presentation. “I thought Mikey did a great job presenting the experiences he had this past summer with the Charlotte Hornets. The relationships he built there will serve him well going forward and the experience he gained there is invaluable for a guy his age.”

Joseph hopes his presentation inspired those on his team who now see what it is like to have such an opportunity and how it can have such a positive impact on one’s athletic and business career. “It’s  a great experience and I would recommend it to anyone who has a love for sports.” Joseph encapsulated the essence of what P.R.I.D.E day is about, enriching others through the sharing of your experiences and hard work.