Mondays With McVeigh

In college I choked in the biggest moment of my season and carried “choke artist” around for years. Last week my coach described me in one word: closer. This piece is the full seven year story of how I rebuilt my mind. The mindfulness, the mantras, the Big Boy drill, lowering the stakes, and the shot from the middle circle in the NBL grand final.

On my 30th birthday, all I could reflect on was an old bestfriend.

For three years in college I trained in secret. No teammates, no coaches, no one. I was going to shock the world alone. It almost ended my career. This week I wrote about the life of the lone grinder, the team I slowly built and the scariest but best decision I ever made. Asking for help.

This one’s a warning story. About the Greek God Hephaestus, thrown from Olympus at birth, who spent an eternity trying to be enough. I can relate in my quest to play in the NBA. Dedicating my life to work to help me feel like I belong.

This one’s a shift for me. For years I’ve been working on myself. Books, therapy, journaling, articles. All pointed inward. The deepest sense of belonging I’ve ever felt came when I pointed outward. When I started giving instead. I break down the Lakers failure, the iso win, and what Cody said that changed how I think about every game I’ll ever play.

A beautiful Monday morning. Acai. Beth. Oaklynn on my lap. Then a Noah Kahan song moved mud inside me that has been thick for a long time. This is about leaving home at fifteen and the loop that’s been on reply since.

Above my childhood bed was a Dwayne Wade poster. I wanted to move like him, feel unstoppable like him. After my career high against PurdueI thought I’d figured it out. Then came Indiana. This is about what happens when your identity becomes attached to your performance.

My agent called. I’ve got you a deal with the Houston Rockets. I thought this moment would fix me. Instead, I abandoned everything that got me there. This is about the ancient alarm that tells you to fit in, and what it cost me.

The feeling of not being enough has followed me my whole life. When I fail, it’s because I’m not good enough. When I succeed, I feel relief before the pressure takes over. I went looking for answers. Here’s what I found, and what I’m doing about it.

When I was five, I gave my sister a scar because I couldn’t stand losing a tricycle race. Competition was built into my blood. I didn’t understand where it came from until I watched Aragorn’s journey in The Lord of the Rings. This is about the stories we inherit, and how to stop being run by them.

I was hiding in bathrooms before practice. Counting down days until I could go home. Then I found a character who showed me the way. This is the story of how Rock Lee and the Hero’s Journey helped me go from lost college athlete to playing at the Olympics.

I used to sprint onto the court at quarter time and giggle. Ten years later, I was hiding in bathrooms before training, convinced I’d never be enough. The difference wasn’t talent or circumstances. It was the story I was telling myself. Here’s how I learned to rewrite it.

I was sitting on a blue couch at 11pm, greasy controller in my hand, dreading tomorrow’s game. My situation as a pro was identical to college. The environment wasn’t creating this. I was. This is the first step I took to change everything.

In my rookie year I averaged 3 points per game. This season I averaged 22. This isn’t about talent. It’s about identity, fear management, and learning to embrace failure. Here is the exact process I used.

Ive achieved everything I dreamed of — NBL champion, Olympics, NBA. And still, most days, a voice whispers: not enough. Becoming a dad made me look closer at where it comes from. This is the most honest episode I’ve created.

This week is about treating improvement as a skill worth developing. Not just working harder, but working smarter. Building the mindset and method that turns repetition into growth.

This week is about recognizing what the pursuit is already giving you. Purpose. Identity. Daily meaning. The chase builds the life—whether you arrive or not.

Chasing a dream—regardless of outcome—builds a life worth living. The hunt creates the life.

This week is about handling pressure—not through willpower, but through deliberate training. Lower the stakes by building a life worth living. Raise your capacity through daily practice.

At 21, I thought my NBA dream was over. I dropped out, went home, and didn’t believe it was possible anymore. This episode is about the skill that kept me going anyway: long-term thinking. I share how a single idea from Mastery reframed my entire career, why belief isn’t required to keep moving forward, and how a skill I worked on for seven years finally showed up when I stopped measuring it too e...

This week, I’m talking about frustration — not the obvious kind, but the quiet, corrosive kind that shows up when effort doesn’t convert into outcomes. 2025 was a year where I chased hard, worked hard, and still fell short of the goal I set for myself. And instead of motivation, what followed was resentment, burnout, and anger. In this episode, I unpack what I got wrong: how expectations quietly t...

I scored 47 points — a career high — five days after becoming a father. This isn’t a story about a “dad game” or confidence. It’s about presence, flow, and what happens when the noise finally drops away.

From the outside, success looks clean. From the inside, it demands a rebuild. In this first episode, I share how chasing my dream nearly broke me, and what I had to change to become the kind of person who could live with success. This isn’t about motivation or basketball tips. It’s about pressure, identity, failure, and the quiet inner work that turns ambition into something sustainable.