DETROIT (4/14/2020) -- A man on a mission and looking to take down any challenge was Nick Minnerath '13 when he was at Detroit Mercy and now, he is taking that same approach overseas, where he just finished his eighth season of professional basketball.

In high school, he had played just one full season, battling injuries and grades and after high school, he went through almost two years of minimum wage jobs and doing drugs. 

"I was working jobs I couldn't stand (in construction, at convenience stores and driving a taxi), and I knew I didn't want to do that for the rest of my life," he told the Detroit News in an article in 2013. "One day I woke up, not even 20 years old, and thought my life was over. I knew I had to get clean. Regardless of anything else, getting clean was the priority."

He had a chance to show his skills for Jackson Community College in Michigan in an open gym and earned a spot on the team, becoming a Third Team Junior College All-American. From there, he earned a scholarship with the Titans and was in the red, white and blue for three years, but during the Titans 2011-12 Horizon League Championship season, he played just five games early on until a knee injury ended his campaign. 

As a senior, he came back strong and healthy, and was selected First Team All-Horizon League after finishing second on the team and fifth in the HL in scoring with 14.6 points per game, while topping the team with 5.9 rebounds, helping the squad earn a bid to the NIT. 

His professional career has seen him suit up in the United States with the  Sacramento Kings and Brooklyn Nets in the NBA Summer League, signing and playing in the preseason with the Cleveland Cavaliers and then with the Cavaliers'NBA Development League team in the Canton Charge. The bulk of his career has seen him overseas playing in China, France, Puerto Rico, Russia, Spain and now South Korea, where he was enjoying a great season until the Covid-19 Pandemic.

"Our league had just a few weeks left when they decided to take a break," said Minnerath. "After a couple of weeks, the league announced that it had canceled the season."

Dealing with the pandemic with his wife and child with him was just another thing for him to think about and overcome, something he has done his whole life, overcome a challenge. 

"It was in Korea before it got here and I just never would have thought it would have been like this here," said Minnerath. " It is something that has really hit everyone and we all have to deal with it. My wife and son were already with me in South Korea and they left in early February. My wife just got her citizenship and needed to get home, but I was going to send them home anyway with the outbreak just starting here. It was better because I thought I would be able to relax a little more with them back at home and I just had to worry about myself."

"Towards the end before they left, they came to the games and they had to wear masks and it just got to the point where it wasn't even worth coming to the games and eventually they just ended all fans from attending and we were playing in empty stadiums before they put a stop to the season."

Playing overseas has its benefits and challenges. In his eight seasons, he has played in several different countries, mostly on one-year contracts because that is the way most overseas leagues are structured.

"It is a blessing to see other parts of the world and to see how people live," said Minnerath. "Once you have a family, it gets harder, but you are just grinding it out and making the best of it and enjoying the experience. It is like moving your house every year," said Minnerath. "Just picking up your stuff and trying to find a new place to live, new places to eat and workout. Your family is back home and you don't really get a chance to see them often, but that is why I like the Asian leagues over Europe, the season is a lot shorter."

One of the benefits is being able to see parts of the world that he might not have ever had the chance to see. 

"I never really traveled outside of America and Canada until playing overseas so it has been a blessing," said Minnerath. "Maybe I would have eventually visited France or Spain, but probably places like Russia and China, I never would have gone so great to experience that. Some places are just so different than the lifestyle that we live in America and to be able to see that is an experience in itself."

Minnerath knows that he has got to this point with hard work, dedication and a work ethic that can't be matched. That has led him from at one time driving a cab as a teenager to being able to be a husband, father, and a professional basketball player. 

"Being consistent. You have to put in the time and work to get to this level. It doesn't matter about what team or league your in, you just have to bring that same player that you are every day. I don't really adapt to the way they play, I just play hard and do what I have been doing to get to this point. Don't try to do it all, do what has made you successful and has got you to this point," Minnerath said. 

For Minnerath, he remembers his alma mater, the chance to play Division I and he will never forget how great it was being a Titan and the friends and teammates he had. 

"I love Detroit Mercy," said Minnerath. "It is definitely the beginning for me after junior college, just being able to play DI. I love the small campus and Calihan Hall is one of my favorite places to play in. I played with a good group of guys, good teams and it was a perfect situation for me.."

It wasn't just the teammates and his friends, but his life-long friend that he also met in former women's tennis player Valeryia Kulikovskaya as the couple is married and has a son in 18-month old in Miles Harlan Minnerath. 

"It seems like a blur sometimes that we met at Detroit Mercy because I was so busy with basketball and she was busy with tennis and with school and sports," said Minnerath. "It is a total 180 when you become a father, it is something you are not ready for until it happens. It is a complete change when you realize the responsibilities you have once you have a kid, but I have been blessed with a healthy son and family."

Minnerath is back home now in Florida and just looking to wait out the pandemic and get ready for wherever his next journey brings him. He is still in shape and looking to continue his career as long as he can. 

"As long as possible. There is no time frame for me. I have had teammates play until 40 or 41. That longevity is something you hope for, you want to get as many contracts as possible out of your body. I just want to stay healthy and keep a top level of fitness," added Minnerath.