OK - so I wasn’t actually "featured" on ESPN, but my email has been blowing up for the last hour or so because I was just on ESPN for the second time in less than a year.

Now the backstory. I grew up about 45 minutes from the University of Illinois. A friend of mine named Thad Matta is the head men’s basketball coach at The Ohio State University (yes, "THE" Ohio State University. I know this is the correct name from reading countless numbers of resumes over the past 14+ years).

Now tonight, ESPN was televising the Ohio State vs Illinois basketball game. Whenever these two teams play one another they talk about Thad growing up near the University of Illinois and how now he’s returning to kick their butts all over the place.

By the way, Illinois made a bad hire a few years back when they hired their current coach and made a huge mistake by not pursuing the hometown boy who just so happens to be one of the best recruiters and coaches in the nation.

Anyway, our high school basketball team was quite the small time dynasty back in high school - the 80’s if you’re wondering - and we finished 3rd in the state our senior year.

We played our state tournament at the University of Illinois Assembly Hall where they still play today. Afterwards we had our final team picture taken on the empty Assembly Hall floor. Players, coaches, managers, cheerleaders. We were all there. But I was the one standing directly to Thad’s right.

Whenever they talk about Thad’s hometown roots they show different pictures from our yearbook - one of them being that team picture I mentioned earlier. They always zoom in on Thad and can’t seem to crop it enough to get my face out of the picture.

Maybe I should ask ESPN if I can promote my blog or sales recruiting firm next time!