Some people thrive in it. Others shrink from the pressures. Many wake up in the morning and they look at every part of their day as being involved in it. Brian Gregory was born with the passion to excel in it. He nurtured it at a young age and it drives him everyday of his life. Gregory cannot go to sleep at night without knowing that his competitive spirit is alive and well. Competition is what he is all about.

Growing up in a northwest suburb of Chicago, Brian was the third son of Jerry and Mary Lu Gregory. He was four and five years younger that his two brothers, but that certainly never kept him from trying to keep up. As in many families with multiple children, the younger ones follow in the footsteps of their older siblings and Gregory was no different.

Although basketball was his first love, he wasn’t afraid to mix it up with his brothers in whatever was the sport of the season. It didn’t matter if it was on the basketball court, the football field or the wrestling mat, he was willing to give it a go.

“Both of my brothers excelled in sports outside of basketball. As a young kid, you play all the sports even if it isn’t organized. We grew up in a typical neighborhood where we played baseball in the summer, football in the fall and basketball in the winter. At an early age, I was thrown into situations of being the youngest guy because my brothers were older than me. The idea of competition was always the biggest thing for me no matter what the sport, the thought of competing and going hard. My one brother was a wrestler and the other a soccer player and I remember watching them and knowing that they always played the hardest of anybody out there. That really had an impact on me,” related Gregory.

The Gregory family was one of always working to be better. Jerry began as an elementary school gym teacher and eventually moved his way up to being a middle school principal. Mary Lu stayed at home and raised the family when they were young, but as the children got older, she returned to school and got her nursing certificate. Not satisfied with that accomplishment, she continued her schooling until she received a certificate in counseling.

“She was always there for us boys, but she always tried to better herself as well. I learned my work ethic and doing whatever needed to be done to get the job completed from my parents. They were great parents and I think the world of them for the job that they did with us three boys.”

As a child, there are only so many places that one can compete, with the classroom and the field of play being to most accessible. Although a good student, Gregory never really pushed himself in the classroom, he found the field of play far more rewarding and during his early years pushed himself hard in every sport he tried.

“Sports were an important part of my life from an early age and it has stayed that way to this day. Whatever the season was, the sport of that season was important. We all played it together. My dad never really pushed us but we all knew the importance and benefits of playing sports.”

Jerry was keenly involved in his sons’ activities. He was a man that was a good manager of people not only at work but also in the home. Many business leaders feel that being a good manager is making all of the important decisions, but that was not Jerry’s way. He was a developer of people, pure and simple, “My dad was very influential in a lot of people’s lives. He had great leadership skills and was a great manager of people. He would put people into a position where they could be successful, feel good about themselves and do a great job.”

The elder Gregory knew that sports could be very important in his son’s lives, yet he was not one to overemphasize their true value.

“My parents were at all of the games we played. My dad was a hard worker and had a lot of commitments, but he would always figure out a way to get to the game. He never really pushed us. It was never, ‘you have to do this or you have to do that.’ He would always be there if I needed someone to rebound or to play catch. My parents were very supportive. You could tell they took pride in their son’s playing.”

It was during Brian’s senior year in high school that he learned a valuable lesson from his dad and the importance of perseverance.

“My parent’s weren’t the kind that would ever critique you after a game. After one big loss, I remember my dad telling me, ‘You are given things that you can handle, you are never given too much. We are given the strength to face and overcome the challenges that confront us. Somehow, someway this disappointment is going to make you stronger and something good down the line is going to happen.’ Three weeks later, we made a run in the state tournament and made it to the Elite Eight. You knew that they were pulling for you, yet you knew that you were their son first, not just an athlete.

“The biggest influences in my life have been my parents. They knew that I had some talent in basketball, but they really didn’t want me to get too wrapped up in the sport. They didn’t want me to be disappointed if it didn’t lead me to the things that I wanted it to. There was certainly the chance that I would not be able to make a living from this sport. Their enthusiasm was curbed by the love for their son. This encouraged me and drove me at the same time.”

Although destined to earn a handsome living coaching basketball, at 15, it is tough to know just what is best and where your life will take you. Jerry Gregory had played college baseball and dearly loved the sport. Afraid that Brian’s physical limitations (at 5’9″ the tallest of the Gregory men) might curtail a long-term basketball career, he always stressed not putting all of your eggs in one basket. As a result, Brian gave up time on the court to try his hand at the National Pastime.

“The problem with baseball is that as I got older, it really struck me that as a second baseman I would get two ground balls, bat three times and freeze out in the Chicago springtime. It wasn’t hard for me to think about being in a nice warm gym working on my game. The summers just began taking up so much basketball that baseball had to take a back seat. I really enjoyed baseball, but I just couldn’t give it enough time to be as skilled as I wanted to be.”

With his mind fully centered on basketball, his skills continued to improve. Gregory was in a unique situation in that he had played basketball with the same neighborhood kids since he was in the first grade. They continued to play together through high school and jelled as they matured and was the core of the group that made it to the Elite Eight. Yet, Brian was the best and made All State as a senior. With his increasing skills, the colleges began to notice.

“One of the things that drove me was that I wanted to put my parent’s into a situation where they didn’t have to worry about paying for my schooling. That was a big motivating factor for me. I was a typical point guard that would hustle and give it everything I had. I was recruited by Northern Illinois, the Naval Academy and some Division II schools. By February of my senior year, I knew I was going to the Academy.”

He would soon enter a new phase in his existence. Although he didn’t know it at the time, Brian Gregory was about to change his life.