Stephen Bardo always strived to be the best at anything he did. This included school and especially sports where Stephen was an All-State and honorable mention All-American basketball player in high school and led his team to the State tournament. All of his hard work and dedication paid off when he received a scholarship from the University of Illinois.

At Illinois, Stephen started all four years at point guard and helped the Fighting Illini reach the NCAA tournament each season. During his successful collegiate career, Stephen was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the year and made all conference twice. He led the "Flyin Illini" to the Final Four in 1989, one of the most memorable teams in NCAA history.

After graduating from Illinois, Stephen was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks in the 1990 NBA draft (2nd round, 41st pick overall). All had gone according to plan to this point, but this is where Stephen's professional life really began. He was devastated one night during the preseason when he was called into the coaches' office to learn he had been cut from the team. In shock, and not once had he given any thought that he would not make it straight to the NBA, Bardo regrouped and played in the CBA (Developmental league for the NBA). He soon returned to his winning ways and led his team to Game 7 of the CBA championship, only to lose in the final seconds during his rookie season.

During the off seasons of his playing career, Stephen worked with television stations and ran his own sports marketing company, preparing himself for the day the ball stopped bouncing. Once the ball stopped, he didn't miss a beat. Stephen is currently a national color analyst on college basketball for ESPN. His on-air experience includes CBS sports reporter in Chicago, color analyst for CBS' NCAA basketball tournament and voice of the Fighting Illini men's basketball team for the Illini Sports Network.

Stephen's intense, yet compassionate approach allows him to address the needs of each audience. He has spoken at large corporate functions, at school assemblies of over 1,000 students, at small professional networking functions and at many sports award events. Through his insights and experiences, Stephen can move audiences to action.

• Don't Let the Stone Stop You : Stephen's message of "Don't Let the Stone Stop You" brings a fresh approach to using adversity on your way to success. He is able to mix in past experiences from his playing days as well as current television work to illustrate everyone has their own specific path to achieve greatness. Your organization will take a piece of Stephen with them after hearing his message. The real life struggles he has overcome relate to anyone seeking to set themselves apart from the crowd. His easy going manner and personal style leave audiences feeling energized and ready for any challenge.