Born and raised in Burnsville, Minnesota and playing for Bloomington Jefferson High School, Cole grew up alongside the franchise he now calls home. Aldrich became a household name around these parts, striving to reach his goal of being an NBA professional.
Picked 11th in the 2010 NBA Draft, Aldrich found himself back where it all started just six years later: Minneapolis.
Alongside Karl-Anthony Towns, and to some extent, center-turned-power forward Gorgui Dieng, Aldrich was to be third-choice center ahead of Jordan Hill. Yet, it was not the homecoming he would have dreampt of.