Kadeem is a coach’s son, and his passions for sports and mentoring young people were instilled at an early age. He played football for his father before attending Gilman School in Baltimore. In 2005 Gilman's football team was ranked the #12 team nationally by USA Today, and coaches Biff Poggi and Joe Ehrmann made empathy, love, and inclusion central tenants of the historic Gilman program. In 2007 Kadeem was voted a captain by his peers. In 2008 Kadeem attended Hotchkiss and there anchored the team that went 9-0 and won a New England Championship. Knee injuries plagued his collegiate career but taught Kadeem valuable lessons in regard to maximizing time and cherishing the day. The lessons learned through this journey have become pivotal to Kadeem’s coaching philosophy. He preached them vehemently as an assistant at Episcopal (VA), a team that went 27-9-1 over four years and won two IAC championships.