He grew up in LaSalle, Quebec, where he learned to play basketball and polish his game at Ouellette Park, a basketball court that was a hotbed for basketball talent coming out of, not only the city of LaSalle but of Montréal as well. He was a basketball star while attending high school at Argyle Academy, in Verdun, Quebec. After high school, he went on to star, and become an All-Canadian basketball stand out at John Abbott College in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, on Montréal's West Island. At John Abbott College, he was also the team captain and team MVP. He was heavily recruited by all the major universities in Québec, including some Division II NCAA colleges in the United States. He opted to attend Bishop's University, in Lennoxville, Quebec, where again he achieved All-Canadian honours and won a National CIAU (now CIS) Championship, as well as team MVP, and was team captain. His brother Adrian played football at the University of Waterloo, in Waterloo, Ontario.