Clearwater, Fla. -- Every eighth period, hours before practice starts, you’ll find Daniel MacGregor in the gym working on his game.

“I just like to work harder than anyone else and put the work in and it’s obviously showing in the games.”

It certainly is. After averaging a little more than seven points per game his freshman year, the Calvary Christian sophomore is putting up 20 points, eight rebounds, and five assists a game this season.

“The thing I like about him is that he’s a junkyard dog,” said Calvary Christian boys basketball coach Keb Burley. “He just gets after it. He’s a winner, he does everything. Great on defense, he’s our leading rebound at 5 foot 11, he shoots the 3 well, attacks the rim well. He’s a complete player, he’s really special.”

Daniel developed his junkyard dog mentality at an early age. He had too. His childhood was rough. His parents were in and out of jail, he got in trouble and he struggled in school.

“I had to be the man of the house, my dad was always gone, he was always doing bad things,” said MacGregor. “My mom wasn’t so well and they were always arguing and doing bad stuff.”

But Daniel’s life would change for the better once he met Tony Wilson.

“We run a rec league at the North Greenwood Aquatic and Rec Center and there’s this referee who kept telling me about this kid and he was just like Tony, you gotta get this kid, you gotta get him in your AAU program. Once I saw him play I was like hold on, come here a second. You’ve never trained, you’ve never done like two ball drills or in and out drills? He’s like no sir.”

Daniel joined Tony’s AAU program Team Under Pressure and began spending a lot of time with not only tony, but his family as well.

“WE got really close with Daniel taking him to and from practices,” said Tony’s wife Jennifer Wilson. “My kids got really close with him. Paxton was like a big brother to him, practice with him, help him with homework and we just fell in love with him.”

The Wilson’s love for Daniel became so strong that one Christmas, they decided to surprise him with a gift.

“My son had asked him what he wanted for Christmas and he just said I wish I had a family like yours,” said Jennifer Wilson.

So on christmas day, the Wilson’s granted Daniel his Christmas wish by officially adopting him.

“He opens it and starts reading it and you can almost see it on his face, he’s like wait, hold on, you’re actually doing this. Like I actually have somewhere to live, like a permanent family home,” said Tony Wilson.

“I felt loved,” said MacGregor. “I mean I felt loved when I was with my parents but not as much because they had addictions and stuff like that so I felt like I was being loved again.”

Family isn’t defined by blood or a last name. It’s defined by love.

I love them a lot, like a lot,” said MacGregor. “They changed my life completely as a man and as a basketball player.”

“He says we’re a blessing to him but he’s more of a blessing to us then he even realizes,” said Jennifer Wilson.