Basketball : The Success Of High School Basketball

I walked off the floor with sweat dripping from my hair. So many thoughts flew through my head that I couldn’t focus on anything. My junior year of basketball felt like it ended as quickly as a blink. It was as if in seconds we went from the stars of the state tournament to the embarrassments of it. I tried to forget the disappointment of it but it still will not leave. My desire and love to win games comes from the more apparent hatred of losing them. Junior year we had a chance to win a state championship, but we lost that chance. That was when I realized that I had one chance left to win. Senior year our basketball success would only be as rewarding as we would make it. The pressure placed on ourselves was substantial, and we faced trials on the road to success. In the end, we stood alone, crowned as the champions, not letting our chance slip away.

It all began on November 3, 2015 during my first middle school basketball tournament. The grey brick walls of the gymnasium looking more like a prison than a school. The school’s “Lincoln Park Elementary School” sign had graffiti and missed a couple letters from the name. The court was terribly small, but we began by playing the superb team of Jam on It. We were blown out and I headed back up to my mom and dad in the parent filled stands. The game wasn’t even fun to play and we looked like third graders playing them. I looked up to my parents as sad as could be.

Basketball is one of the most popular which is beloved sports that is played today. Michael Jordan, who played for the Washington Wizards and the Chicago Bulls once said, “Just play, have fun, and enjoy the game” (BrainyQuote 2016). Whether playing with friends for fun or by professionals for entertainment or simply watching from home, basketball is very enjoyed all over the world. Beginning with a unique history, basketball has evolved over time from a simple idea into a professional career choice for those with the unique skill set.

Coach Steve Rocker is one of the most successful high school basketball coaches in Kentucky’s history. Coach Rocker was very successful in previous years. Strangely, this year was very different for him. For the first time in his professional life, he is falling short of his expectations, the community expectations, and the team’s expectations. His team lost a lot of games, but most importantly the boys had no motivation or desire to bring the team out of the rut they found themselves. His players have lost their will to win, their love for their teammates, and their passion to play. Coach Rocker’s motivational methods that have always worked before and resulted in success are now failing, and he doesn’t know why. He argues that his players have become selfish and bored with winning because they have been so successful in previous years. “And there’s no question that my guys have lost their drive to win because they’ve won so much in the past. Now all they want is individual ‘wins’…which just doesn’t cut it on a team” (Gongwer, 2010, p. 17).

“According anywhere from Australia to the United States and everywhere in between the game of basketball is played.” (Faurschou, “History of basketball”). The game is played anywhere where you can get a ball and something to throw the ball through. “G.L Pierce patented basketball on June 25, 1929.” (Bellis, “Basketball-James Naismith”). Basketball became an official Olympic sport in the 1936 game.

“It tarnishes what we’re trying to do as coaches; it tarnishes the idea that kids are here to get an education.” Tad Boyle, Colorado men’s basketball head coach from USAtoday.com. With AAU tournaments and Prep Schools getting them ready for the next level, there is much young basketball talent that is considered “NBA ready” within their first year of college. College basketball players should be required to stay in college for at least three years. With all the hype surrounding them to become young superstars, some athletes and members of NBA front offices don’t realize how important two or three more years of college could be to them. The NCAA has a rule like this set on college football players, so the rule for basketball shouldn’t be any different. These extra three years could give these players more time to develop their skills, physique, and get an education,

         The NBA has seen many different players come and go throughout its 50 years of existence. In the last 15 years, there has been a boom of underclassmen leaving college early to enter the NBA draft. The last NBA draft in June, the top ten picks alone were underclassmen(Sports Illustrated, 264). Many more underclassmen are entering the NBA this year. The typical college career for the basketball players is playing until your junior year, then going pro. The NBA and the NCAA must do something in order to keep these young players in college.

Marty Blake and other NBA scouts said, ?No high school player belongs in the NBA? (Unknown 1). They don?t have the body type or mental strength to withstand night-in, night out beatings by bigger and faster people than them. Getting your education should be your first and most important priority in life. Scholarships and other academic money will help you learn things that you will never learn in your life. College ends up tapping into your outside sports life and lets you learn there are greater things and achievements than just sports. A more mature and literate person tends to be of better use to

In sociology, there are 3 paradigms. There is the conflict theory perspective, the symbolic-interaction perspective and the structural-functionalist perspective. From a conflict paradigm point of view, the essay would focus on gender and how the assumption that girls lack the same level of strength and stamina as men. The WNBA (Women National Basketball League) doesn’t get the same amount of respect as the males do in the NBA (National Basketball League). Another issue could be that the NBA players have a higher annual salary than an average teacher. A structural-functionalist approach could be focused on how it creates jobs (the NBA) and academically too. Basketball could also be focused on how

One of the top reasons that high school players choose to skip college is because they can make a lot of money instead of getting an education in school. High school players need to think about what they could get out of college before making a decision to go to the NBA. For example, Tim Duncan, who has been one of the most dominant players in the NBA in the last five years, went to college for all four years and then went to the NBA. Duncan attended Wake Forest University where he earned a degree in Psychology, and had a successful college basketball career. In the NBA, Duncan has been a two-time MVP, has two NBA championships, and has been named to the first-team all NBA five of the six years he has been in the league (Duncan Player Profile).

A plethora of reasons exist as to why a certain sport might signal importance to a state, but in Indiana, the sport happens to standout on a whole different level. Current Southeast Dubois Superintendent, Rick Allen, commented on why Indiana high school basketball remains superior saying, “One reason Indiana high school basketball is such a standout of a sport in Indiana is because of the community support behind the team” (Allen 2). The era of basketball between 1911-present remains crucial today not only for the big schools’ gyms in Indiana, but also for small towns gyms such as Huntingburg, Loogootee, Tell City, Ferdinand, and numerous others.

Ever since Kevin Garnett, a teenager who by-passed college, was drafted as the fifth overall pick in the 1995 National Basketball Association (NBA) draft, more and more high school teenagers have been making the jump straight to the pros. Since the league draft of 1995, 17 first round picks have been high school players. This means that about 7 percent of first round draft picks in the NBA have been high school teens skipping out on their college education to make the jump to the NBA (Chylinski).

Furthermore, There have been many busts in the NBA that have spent 1 year in college and went straight to the NBA. Greg Oden is a great example. Greg Oden was drafted november 1 overall in 2007 a bust in the NBA which means that he did not even come close to exceeding his expectations and rushed into the draft without the right preparation. Greg Oden was one of the biggest busts in NBA history only averaging 8 points per game in 3 NBA Seasons being on the sidelines for 3 seasons. It was all downhill for him. These players like Greg Oden thought they would be good enough for the NBA declaring after 1 year of College, Injuries and lack of skill progression have put them on the sidelines, the bench, and out of a

The bang of the head, the crack of the bone, the tear of a muscle, are all things that high school athletes put themselves at risks for. Every time a high school athlete steps foot on a field, rink, or court they put themself in a risky situation. Although the risk may be there, athletes achieve many valuable lessons throughout high school sports. The valuable lessons promote self-confidence, socialization and team spirit, as well as decreases stress. While playing sports, athletes are at excessive risks of being injured. Although high school athletes have a risk of being injured, the benefits of high school sports programs outweighs the physical risk because of its benefits to teenagers mental health, benefits to teenagers physical health,

Within Hollywood’s movies depiction of drug addiction, many have failed to represent all true aspects that come along with such lifestyles. The movie, The Basketball Diaries, is based off a novel Jim Carroll wrote from his own diary entries. As a teenager growing up in the sixties, Carroll reveals his progression of drug abuse which eventually leads him addicted to heroin.Heroin is a white powder derived from morphine found in opium. It is commonly prescribed as a painkiller, but is also a popular street drug.The director casted Leonardo DiCaprio as Jimmy, and concentrates on creating the character as a stereotypical drug abuser. DiCaprio’s most captivating scene is when he is going through heroin