High School Basketball
Basketball: my sport, my art, my passion, my self-expression, and my escape. It has taught me to possess the winning attitude, maintain the vigor for success and the ambition to strive towards lofty goals. It has shown me the importance in becoming an effective leader who is able to work in sync as one with my teammates and to fully commit in a system with personal accountabilities. As a freshman entering high school, I could not wait to begin my basketball career and forge the most memorable 4 years of my life.
Throughout my 13 years of friendship with basketball, the undoubtedly most rewarding experience was in my second year of high school basketball as a junior. As I entered the realm of high school basketball, I played a year ahead at the junior level and by the time I was playing with my own age bracket, I was nominated to be the team captain. Equipped with my assumed impressions of this newfound title, I approached the season with a delusional mindset about the responsibilities and hardships that lay in wait. If I have ever learned anything about responsibility and dedication in my life, it was because of this incredible opportunity placed in front of me that I had to seize.
I still vividly remember the aftermath of the first defeat of the season; my proud self was put to shame and I began to question capabilities of both myself and the teammates around me. I recall my coach incessantly emphasizing a statement I never understood: “Trust in the system and the system will take care of you”. Basketball is a team sport for a reason; success doesn’t magically emerge without reason and the players involved don’t naturally work with one another in a harmonic manner. Each and every player on the team has to be thirsty for results rather than just the starters, and each player has to contribute a fair share in order for the system to thrive. It all began from the amount of people attending practice, the attitude and effort given at practice and the amount of trust we had for one another.
I knew personally I didn’t want these goals and successes for the season to be in a world of utopia; I wanted it to be reality. It was a challenge for my brothers and me on and off the court to chase a successful season and it had to begin with a single man’s determination to ignite the fire. I sought to become that individual.
Moving forward, upon euphoric reflection; I am truly going to miss the memories and experiences I have encountered with basketball. The early morning practices, excruciating drills and ferocious battles have all taught me that it’s easy to dream but harder to live it. Basketball may not be a part of my itinerary in the immediate future but I am ready to approach university with the same enthusiasm and determination that I bring to the sport.