Since graduating in 2018 it has been a roller coaster for Tiwian Kendley, which has allowed him to grow as a player and person.
A broken foot, the coronavirus, and a lack of film could not stop Kendley from finding his footing.
Kendley, 27, from Harlem, N.Y., is now on the Wisconsin Herd where he believes he has finally figured out the game. The Wisconsin Herd is the G-League affiliate of the Milwaukee Bucks.
"It took me until competing in a full season in the G-League to realize it was this easy," Kendley said. "Just keep your mouth shut, be the best person you can be, and perform."
"It took me two years of not playing in the G-League or having my name on the ballot," explained Kendley. "It hurt. I had depression. The two years I sat out really taught me a lot about myself."
"It was then that I realized that my reputation, more than my actual abilities, was standing in the way of my career. I decided to reexamine my attitude."
Kendley only had three games worth of basketball film.
Kendley played for two overseas teams, Vellaznimi Gjakove in Kosovo and Gigantes De Jalisco in Mexico after breaking his foot. However, he had insufficient film because the season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kendley signed with the Herd on Feb. 2nd after clearing waivers with the Los Angeles Lakers G-League affiliate the South Bay Lakers. Kendley played four games for South Bay.
But before finding his way in Wisconsin, Kendley faced anxiety as he was beginning his pro career and had to figure out everything on his own during the summer of 2018.
"It was a concern because at Morgan I didn't have any plans to reach this level, even though it was a dream," said Kendley. "In reality, due to the competition and school, I didn't think it was possible."
Kendley began to realize he was on the verge of achieving his basketball dreams as former head coach Todd Bozeman and assistant coach Larry Stewart told him NBA teams were watching.
Kendley played two college seasons at Morgan State and became the fastest player to reach 1,000 points in MSU's Division I history, finishing with 1,032 points in just 44 career games. He averaged 26.1 points per game and grabbed 4.0 rebounds and had 2.1 steals per game in his senior campaign.
Kendley signed with an agent but still was not familiar with the process.
"I didn't know the agent route. I didn't know anything about the professional basketball world because I wasn't taught it," Kendley said.
The former Morgan standout had to adjust to decisions on the time of the organizations and not himself and called it "stressful." But after a while, an opportunity finally arose for Kendley. He earned a spot on the Wizards' summer league team and performed well enough to attract the interest of the organization.
After summer league, the former Bear returned home to New York. Kendley explained he "wasn't doing much of nothing" back home until he received a call saying to come to Washington D.C. for training camp.
"I get a call saying they need me in D.C. for two and half weeks for training camp, so I called my agent and asked 'what's training camp?'," Kendley said. "He told me they were bringing me back to compete for a roster spot. I didn't know what a roster spot was, because I used to think once you get on the team you're on the team."
Kendley's time as a member of the Wizards' summer league team gave him an insight into what he would face in the "professional world." Kendley went into training camp with a tenacious mentality and was able to build a rapport with several NBA veterans.
"Just do what you do best and have fun," Kendley said of his thought process during camp. "It was a dope experience being around John [Wall], Bradley [Beal], Dwight [Howard], [Kelly] Oubre, and the list goes on. I met a lot of stand-up guys who don't care about money 'til this day."
Kendley built a special relationship with the Wizards' assist leader Wall saying he is like his "big brother." Kendley was so cautious when their bond started to form he never mentioned to Wall he was his favorite point guard. Kendley explained he did not want to be seen as a "fan or groupie." When Wall learned that Kendley was his favorite player, they watched basketball film of Kendley, who mimicked Wall's style.
Kendley would go on to earn a roster spot on the Capital City Go-Go, the G-league affiliate of the Wizards. He averaged 11.7 points per game in 18 appearances and his strong performance on the court led to hopes that he would be able to make an NBA roster.
"People put so much expectation on me and thought I had so much money," said Kendley. "People thought I was a hundred million-dollar man already, and I hadn't signed a million-dollar contract yet. The pressure of such expectations made me take a step back from people and focus on myself."
Along with South Bay, Kendley also played with the Chicago Bulls G-League affiliate the Windy City Bulls.
Today, as a member of the Wisconsin Herd Kendley believes his professionalism and character have grown since his last stint with the team.
"That was the biggest adjustment for me," Kendley said. "Learning how to conduct myself on my own, my character, and being a professional. I matured and that's why I am in the position I'm in now."
"If you want to make something work, you're going to have to change your way of doing things every day if you want something big to happen for you. And that's what I had to figure out and jot down to myself."
Kendley is still the scorer he was at Morgan as evident by his 30-point outing against the Worchestire Knicks (New York Knicks G-League affiliate) in February which was like an epiphany to him.
"It was like a flashback for me being at Morgan," Kendley said. "It felt like I was just in that moment again. And ever since that moment, I told myself there's no looking back now. You did what a lot of other people couldn't do. I dropped a tear after that game because of all the adversity. It opened my heart to the game."
"After playing at an HBCU, I don't want them to think their careers are over. I'd hate for a kid to give up basketball because they think they can't better themselves. So for any future Bear or HBCU kid keep at it."
"Keep grinding no matter the gym or facility because [scouts] are watching and if I'm not the proof that it could be done then I just hope any HBCU players can find something deep within them to keep playing," Kendley said.
After Kendley's experience, he wants to pass on his message of perseverance to future Bears and HBCU athletes.