Damien Argrett, a 2005 graduate of Pfeiffer University, was inducted into its Sports Hall of Fame in 2016, having excelled as a center on the Falcon basketball teams coached by fellow Hall of Famer Dave Davis. Argrett also played professionally for several teams in Europe over five years, achieving all-star and League MVP honors along the way.

Remarkably, Argrett played only one year of high school basketball before joining Pfeiffer’s program. This was during his senior year at South Rowan High School in China Grove, N.C., where he had settled when he was a middle schooler after living in the South Bronx of New York City.

He had tried out for the basketball team his freshman year in high school but was cut. His prospects on the court changed dramatically just before his senior year in high school when he grew by a foot and decided to give organized basketball another try. After putting in a great senior season at South Rowan, he became what Salisbury Post sports writer Mike London described as “a devastating player at 6-foot-8 for the Pfeiffer Falcons, shooting 62 percent for his career when they were among the country’s top D-II programs.”

These and other details of Argrett’s improbable rise to hoops stardom highlight an autobiography he has written called Against The Clock: A Story of Faith, Fatherhood, Basketball, and the Relentless Pursuit of Purpose.

Argrett founded and serves as a coach at BOBW Basketball Services in Mooresville, N.C., which offers everything from 1-on-1 lessons on basketball fundamentals to clinics, summer camps, and leagues. He said that he wrote Against The Clock at the urging of friends.

“I’ve always been told that my story is very unique, especially from a basketball standpoint,” he said. “I mean, how many people play one year of high school basketball and have accomplished what I have in the game?”

Or, to put it another way, Argrett is hoping that Against The Clock “will inspire anybody who has a dream. I think the biggest takeaway is that you can start literally anytime.”

There are other reasons Argrett wrote Against The Clock. He wants the book to illuminate “what it means to grow up, take responsibility, and stay committed to the work even when no one is watching. It’s about understanding that success doesn’t come overnight, and that consistency, character, and preparation matter long before the spotlight ever arrives.”

Argrett’s time at Pfeiffer, where he majored in Pre-Law, illustrates what this means. Initially, he wasn’t getting the playing time he thought he deserved.

“I wasn’t just sulking and stuff because of that,” Argrett said. “I was blaming the coach too.”

In time, Argrett took a hard look in the mirror. He came to realize that he was going home every week, instead of staying on campus to work on his game and hang with his teammates. He wasn’t putting in extra work after practice or in the off season.

He adopted a training regime in which he worked on his game for another hour after each practice. After taking a break, he’d lift weights and watch film.

“I did that consistently throughout my entire basketball career,” Argrett said. “That was the separator, the work that wasn’t seen. That’s pretty much what Pfeiffer taught me, and that’s what I hope this book teaches people.”

Argrett says he would not be the man he’s become today were it not for Pfeiffer. He came to love not only his teammates, who became something of a second family, but also his coaches and and even the staffers who insisted on (and made) breakfast when they learned he hadn’t yet eaten.

“It’s such a family environment,” he said. “Going to that institution, you get everything you need. I’m just incredibly blessed to be an alumnus of Pfeiffer, and I’m definitely forever indebted to the school.”