Jon DeGroff, CLU®, CLTC®

I genuinely feel sad that current 20 something's missed the era of $500 rent, $3 happy hour, 5 bags of groceries for under $100, multiple job offers immediately after applying, and going out to party without social media apps at your fingertips. IT WAS A TIME.

Share videos of lines or your airport wait times below in comments. Just flew Panama City Beach to Nashville with zero issues. But curious how many of you are having major travel waits across the country because of TSA issues.

sure do

📸 from Tucker County vs. St. Joseph

19 years ago, a high school basketball coach put his team manager into a game for the final four minutes. The kid had never played a single minute of competitive basketball in his life. He scored 20 points. Jason McElwain was diagnosed with severe autism at age two. He didn’t speak until he was five. He couldn’t chew solid food until he was six. He wore a nappy for most of his early childhood. As a baby, he was rigid, wouldn’t make eye contact, and hid in corners away from other children. He tried out for his school basketball team every year and got cut every time. Too small. Too slight. Barely 5’6 and about 54 kilograms. But he loved the game so much that his mum called the school and asked if there was any way he could be involved. The coach created a team manager role for him. For three years, McElwain showed up to every practice and every game. He wore a shirt and tie on match days. He ran drills, handed out water, kept stats, and cheered every basket like he’d scored it himself. On 15 February 2006, the last home game of his final school year, the coach let him suit up in a proper jersey and sit on the bench. With four minutes left and a comfortable lead, the coach sent him in. His first shot missed. His second missed. Then something shifted. He hit a three-pointer. Then another. Then another. His teammates stopped shooting entirely and just kept passing him the ball. He hit six three-pointers and a two-pointer. 20 points in four minutes. The highest scorer in the game. When the final buzzer went, the entire crowd rushed the court and lifted him onto their shoulders. His mum tapped the coach on the shoulder, in tears. “This is the nicest gift you could have ever given my son.” McElwain won the ESPY Award for Best Moment in Sports that year, beating out some of the biggest names in professional sport. He’s 36 now. He works at a local supermarket, coaches basketball, has run 17 marathons including five Boston Marathons, and travels the country speaking about never giving up. When asked about that night, his coach still gets emotional. “For him to come in and seize the moment like he did was certainly more than I ever expected. I was an emotional wreck.”

I’m super thankful for this opportunity and I’m very excited for what’s to come. Thank you to all my coaches, family, friends, physical therapists, and everyone else who has supported me throughout this journey because I couldn’t have done it without you.

ESPN…no one is asking for this aerial camera view you keep using in the ACC Tournament. Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.

Who was your favorite MLB pitcher when you were 10??? I’ll Start…. Jim Abbot