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Bond with late brother provides heartbreak, inspiration for Orris

Related Topics: Basketball

DeKALB – An adjustable toy basketball hoop stood in the unfinished basement of the Orris house.

The two brothers – Michael, around 5-years-old at the time, and Billy, around 10 – would play on that hoop for hours. Now a junior guard for Northern Illinois, Michael's first basketball memory comes from those battles in the basement – eventually, it was carpeted, providing more padding for the inevitable falls.

"I remember him bullying me a lot," Michael laughs now. "We would never stop playing. I remember him bullying me and pushing me around."

However, those one-on-one battles are now only a memory.