Justise Winslow reflects on 14-month whirlwind

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Think of what you have done in the last 14 months.

One 19-year-old from Houston went from sitting behind a high school desk to slam dunking a spot in the NBA. Oh, and he won the NCAA Basketball Championship somewhere in between.

"It's crazy to think 14 months ago I was eating at a little high school cafeteria. It's been a whirlwind, but it's definitely been fun," said Justise Winslow.

Winslow is the baby of five children.

"If my mom or my siblings don't want to get up and get the remote they'll call me from downstairs and I have to come get it. Instill some discipline or something in me. I guess I can be thankful for it," Winslow joked.

Winslow was first put in the spotlight as the starting forward all four years at Houston's St. John's High School

"For me it was a special place in my heart where I really grew as a person," Winslow said.

When the scholarships poured in, he chose to continue his basketball career at Duke University with legendary head coach Mike Krzyzewski.

"I think it was a part of his humor that made us click. We joke a lot. He just does a great job of being a mentor," Winslow said of the coach. "He's always coming up to me, making fun of me, making fun of my hair."

That hairstyle?

"The Duke Stating Five is what we call this," he said, because all five of Duke's starters sported a similar look.

Winslow helped Duke earn a number one seed in the NCAA Tournament. Their road to the championship brought him back to Houston to play in the South Regional at NRG Stadium in front of his friends and family. The Blue Devils would go on to win their fifth national title.

"You know, it's what you dream about growing up," he said reflecting on winning the championship.

But Winslow also dreamed of the NBA. After his freshman year at Duke, he decided to forego his final three years of collegiate eligibility and declared for the NBA draft.

"The day of the draft, not even getting drafted, but just that day, leading up to that moment, I knew that my life was about to change," Winslow said.

With the 10th pick in the NBA Draft, the Miami Heat called his name.

"I was so happy. I remember standing up making sure my suit looked good. I couldn't stop smiling," Winslow said.

Now, he is Miami bound, leaving his hometown of Houston behind.

"It's where I spent 18 years of my life. It's where I grew into the man I am today, and so everything from Whataburger to the Rockets, Texans and Astros, to the humidity. Houston is home," Winslow said.

View photos of Justise Winslow's 14-month whirlwind