By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Being a student-athlete is hard enough. There's a time commitment and the delicate balancing act between academics and athletics.

But when you have guys like Kajon Mack, he sometimes makes it look easy.

After all, he transferred to Tennessee Tech already with a degree in hand – earning his bachelor's degree in management from Tulane.

Now, with one master's degree already completed and three classes away from earning a second, Mack is showing that it can be done.

Mack is no stranger to a fast pace, growing up in Los Angeles, specifically the South Central area of the city.

"Growing up in LA was fun," Mack said. "It's beautiful, obviously. Everyone has their own things that they go through in their own city and neighborhood, but it made me the person I am today."

As a high school student, he was a three-sport athlete at Juniper Serra High, competing in basketball, football and track and field. In three seasons, he averaged 16 points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals a game, earning All-Marine League, All-City and All-State honors as a junior and senior.

Big city life was normal for Mack, but after earning a scholarship to Tulane, he would have to learn to adjust to New Orleans.

"It was different," Mack said. "It was a little difficult because I was 17. I was young and far from home. I only had one parent, so my dad was a little paranoid. But it all worked out."

Mack spent four years at Tulane. As a freshman, he averaged 2.7 points and 1.2 rebounds as he played in 29 games and made seven starts. The next season, Mack ended up with a medical redshirt. In the 2014-15 campaign, Mack averaged 3.3 points and 2.3 assists. His junior campaign was bookended with injuries as he missed the first 10 games of the season with a preseason knee injury, played in four games (at North Carolina, at Mississippi State, Southern Mississippi and at Houston) before another injury ended his year.

But just after that season ended, and Mack earned his diploma, the opportunity arose for a change of scenery – and Tech head coach Steve Payne gave Mack that chance.

"It was just another opportunity to play," Mack said. "Being injured twice, I needed a fresh start. Coach Payne believed in me, so now I'm here."

There's no question that Cookeville was a little bit of a change of pace.

"LA is fast-paced, New Orleans is fast-paced," Mack laughed. "Cookeville is a little slow, but I like it."

And the thing he likes the most?

"The people," he said. "Everyone's so friendly. They're polite and they speak to you. Even if they don't know you, they'll come up and say hello. In LA, you're not getting that. Even if you're not even from here, they make you feel welcome."

Tulane, out of the American Athletic Conference, may seem like a larger conference on paper, but Mack doesn't discount the games in the OVC, as some of the contests he's played in rival those played at his previous school.

"Conference play is conference play no matter where you're at," he said. "It's going to be hard and every game is difficult. It doesn't matter if you're the top team or the lowest team, every game is going to be a battle."

But adapting from being an undergraduate student to the postgrad world – just how much difficult is it?

"It's about even-keel," Mack said. "You feel a little more relaxed now going into graduate school, knowing that you have your bachelor's degree. That's the hard part, now you can focus on getting another one.

"I achieved my masters this past December, so this semester I'm taking three more classes towards another one, which would count toward a doctorate if I wanted it to."

Still, there's one skill that Mack has had to learn over all others.

"It's all about time management," Mack said. "I have a big ol' calendar in my room that has every single assignment that I have, every little workout that I do. I have practice and I have meetings. I just have to have really good time management."

The move to Cookeville did Mack some good as he averaged 11.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.3 steals per game as he started all 32 games. He led the Golden Eagles in scoring four times, in rebounds 10 times, in assists 12 times and steals 14 times.

And as the 2017-18 season draws into the home stretch, there's no doubt there's some high hopes.

"Man, I'm so excited," Mack said. "I really love this team. I really don't even know how to say it, but I know I can smile and say I love this team. We want to be number one. We want to win the regular-season championship. That's the first goal. If we check that off, then we go on to the tournament."

But as the year starts to wind down, there's still the sobering thought that he's going to have to focus on his future.

"That's where I have to make a decision," Mack said. "I hope I'm blessed with the ability to go play overseas, but I know with my education, I have a possibility to really start working in my career field in a hospital."

And he's had some time to reflect on that, as well as his own experiences. That gives him one piece of advice to pass on to his teammates.

"Don't pass on any opportunities, because each one means something," Mack said. "I didn't think classes meant anything when I was younger, but look at me now. I have a masters. Just don't skip out on any opportunity. Make the most of everything."

As Mack reflects on his short, but fruitful career at Tech, he can't help but smile. Even in such a short time, there have been so many memories.

"A lot of the practices have been very memorable, but beating Belmont, beating Jacksonville State at JSU – and in overtime – that was great," he said. "I really liked Assembly Hall at Indiana. Dayton was nice, too, and so was Michigan State."

With the future still ahead of him – whether it's a career or lacing up the sneakers again for a professional go-round – it's going to be a transition.

Not that he isn't used to those by now.

But there's still sacrifices to make. And there's one thing he's going to miss the most.

"The family environment, without a doubt," Mack said. "I know when you get to the professional level, it's really not the same. I may not be in anything else like this again. That's why you've got to cherish every moment."

Photos by Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information