Malcolm Canada

This is a copy and paste of a free article Mark Murphy posted today.

*Interviewing senior point guard Malcolm Canada this afternoon he talked about his story of growing up in a tough situation in Austin, Tex., something he had not told many people about previously. He said Coach Tony Barbee's staff knew the story that he was homeless for a while as a 12-year-old, but that the new staff just knows a little bit about it.

Canada said his mother and father were heavily into illegal drugs and were living in a "drug house" in Austin when it was raided by police. He said that his mother, who was addicted to crack cocaine, wasn't there to be arrested, but his father, who died when Malcolm was still 12 years old, was arrested. His aunt said told him that either he or his brother could live with them. Malcolm said that he told her to take his brother, Bryan, because he was just two years old at the time and he would stay with a friend.

He said the situation was traumatic, especially seeing a shotgun pointed in his face during the raid of the drug house.

When he got to the friend's apartment the family wasn't there and he ended up sleeping for two weeks on a car seat set up underneath the apartment stairwell. During the days he would panhandle to get enough money to eat and at times would eat food he found in dumpsters. He said that he didn't change clothes the whole time.

His situation didn't get some stability until a basketball coach he knew checked on him and Malcolm told him what happened although at first he was too embarrassed to admit what was going on. The coach, Kevin Robertson, told Malcolm that he could stay with him temporarily until they could get him put in a better situation. However, days turned into weeks, weeks into months and finally they worked it out so the coach could become his guardian. "I thank him and I am blessed," said Malcolm.

Now on schedule to earn his degree at Auburn, he said it is a big deal to him to have a nice dorm to live in and have plenty of food to eat as well as be in a place where he doesn't have to worry about the things he has being stolen.

The senior said that his ambition after he graduates is to be able to get a job coaching high school or youth basketball and be a positive influence for at-risk youth. He also mentioned another goal is to become financially able to own a piece of land where he can build a house of his own where he feels safe.