AUBURN, Ala.– Landing Mr. Basketball from the state of Kentucky in 1996 was quite a recruiting coup for Auburn.
The Tigers' coach, Cliff Ellis, had an edge, having coached Daymeon Fishback's father two decades earlier at Cumberland.
"That relationship had been there since I was very young," said Daymeon, who played at Auburn from 1996-2000. "I narrowed the schools down to Vanderbilt, Florida and Auburn. Once I came to Auburn, it was history. It was over with. I fell in love with Auburn. Fell in love with the people. And it's been great ever since."
In 1999, Fishback helped Auburn win the SEC Championship, an accomplishment the Tigers repeated last season, with Daymeon having a front-row seat in his role as an SEC Network analyst.
"I feel like I'm stealing money," Fishback said. "This is an unbelievable opportunity. Everyone in this industry is fortunate and blessed. From the coaches who coach the game, to the athletes who play the game, to the television companies, to you and I who work in the media ranks. We're blessed to have this opportunity. I actually love what I do."
Daymeon Fishback played for Auburn from 1996-2000,
helping the Tigers win the 1999 SEC Championship and serving as team captain.
After graduating from Auburn University in 2000 with an international business degree, Fishback played professional basketball in Europe before embarking on a wealth management career based in Atlanta, first at Merrill Lynch and now at Morgan Stanley.
"I was always interested in money," he said. "Once I actually started playing with guys at NBA camp, the D-League or overseas, I started to continuously hear stories about people struggling with money. That's what really led me to be passionate about saying, 'Hey, maybe I can get in there and see if I can help some of those guys not go bankrupt or be broke.'
"We've been able to help, not just have transactions with our clients, but to help transform our clients. We don't just look at managing their money. We look at helping to be a conduit for them, when they finish their career, as to what that next step will be, and that's the most challenging part for an athlete."
This summer, when Bruce Pearl invited Fishback to speak to Auburn's basketball team, Daymeon's message centered on work ethic, attitude and commitment.
"Those three critical factors allowed me to be successful, and that all started with my faith," Fishback said. "I'm a very faithful person as far as a spiritual person, and putting God first. That all led to my success. That's the similar recipe that can help you be successful on and off the floor."
Under Pearl, Auburn's program enjoyed tremendous success last season, returning to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2003.
"Bruce Pearl's been unbelievable," Fishback said. "No one can argue about the job that he did last year. Bruce Pearl always says that adversity doesn't build character, it reveals it. As he, his staff and even more importantly, as those kids were facing that adversity, they were able to win the SEC Championship in a year that was historic and had eight teams go to the NCAA Tournament. It's phenomenal."
Role model. Trusted financial counselor. Knowledgeable, enthusiastic broadcaster. Lessons learned at Auburn, Daymeon says, helped him succeed in basketball and beyond.
"When you think about Auburn there's a few words that come to mind," he said. "Humility, hard work, determination, underdog. All of those words were instilled in me, and they weren't just applicable when I was getting my education and when I was playing basketball.
"It was something that I, and other athletes and other students, everybody involved with Auburn, I think take that out with them to the world, whether that be Tim Cook or Charles Barkley, Bo Jackson. All of the greats take those words and that mindset, and it helps you be successful."
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer
