Brandon Lay owes some of his extreme work ethic and teamwork to playing basketball in high school. The singer-songwriter, who just made his Grand Ole Opry debut, was one of the smallest guys on the basketball court, so he had to work a little bit harder than other guys to prove himself. The same can be said for his music career.

“I was usually the smallest guy on the court, and I had to work harder than other people and I feel the same in music,” says Brandon. “[Basketball] taught me that work ethic and nobody’s going to give you anything and somebody’s always wanting what you’ve got when you do get on top. I’m fortunate [that] I had good coaches. Basketball in high school was just the best thing for me. I mean, everything stopped for those games and we had fun because we were best friends – me and my teammates. And so, losing together, winning together, just the whole small town thing, having rivals and giving it all you got. It’s just something that sticks with you

Brandon, who still loves a good pickup game on the road, is currently making his way up the country charts with his latest song, “Yada Yada Yada.”