On October 21, 2023—two days before turning 16—I hit my first Eastbay at 5’10”. I’d been working toward that dunk for four years.
How It Started
I started dunking at 11 on low rims with a mini ball. Mostly just messing around. No plan, no program. I filmed every session, tried different dunks, and figured things out by watching the clips.
That’s how I built my timing and feel.
First 10ft Dunk
In 2021, I was 13 and around 5’8” when I got my first clean dunk on a 10-foot rim. That was the first time it felt like all this might actually lead somewhere.
After that, I stayed consistent—low-rim sessions, new tricks, always adjusting my approach and technique.
Injury in 2022
In January 2022, I bruised a bone in my knee. The doctor thought it might be a small fracture. I was on crutches for a little over a month and thought I was going to lose all my progress.
But when I came back in February, I was jumping higher than before. I hit my first two-hand dunk on 10 feet within days.
Dunk Camp
In June 2022, I went to Dunk Camp in Utah. I was the youngest there. Guys like Jordan Kilganon, Steven Celi, and Isaiah Rivera were there—people I’d been watching on YouTube for years.
Being around other athletes who took dunking seriously changed how I thought about it. It wasn’t just something I did alone anymore.
That experience stuck with me.
A year later, after Dunk Camp 2023, I started the Minnesota Dunk Squad—a way to train with others locally who were on the same path.
Chasing the Eastbay
In 2023, everything was about that dunk.
I hit my first windmills, reverses, and even 360s. But the Eastbay just wasn’t there yet.
One of the closest times was a session at the National Sports Center with Hunter Castona. I almost had it multiple times. But every time, something small would go wrong.
October 21st, 2023
I’d been prepping for this session for a while. It was two days before my 16th birthday.
It was a group session—me, Hunter Castona, Gideon Scheeler, and Jason Robinson. The energy was different that day. Hunter landed an Underboth—his best dunk yet—and I was jumping better than I had all year.
After seeing him hit that, I started going for the Eastbay.
On my fourth attempt, I made it.
Henaan from @cast.grfx was filming and caught the whole thing. That video’s still my favorite. It doesn’t show the four years leading up to it, but I remember all of it when I watch it.
I landed my first reverse windmill, then a double-up, and finally a double-up windmill—all in that same session.
It was by far the best session I’d had at the time, and everyone else hit some of their best dunks too.
What This Journey Taught Me
Getting the Eastbay taught me more than just how to jump. It taught me:
- Consistency matters. I attempted it thousands of times before finally landing one.
- Creativity is key. Most breakthroughs came from testing things out on my own.
- The right people accelerate progress. Connecting with Hunter, Gideon, Jason, and everyone at Dunk Camp made a huge difference.
- Setbacks can help you improve. The knee injury forced me to slow down, listen to my body, and come back smarter.
Since Then
I’ve made the Eastbay consistent. Variations too—Off the Backboard, Double-Up, Handoff, etc.
Still lifting. Still trying new stuff. Still filming everything.If you want to follow along, I post regular updates and sessions on my YouTube Channel.
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