Can Having your First Job as a Teenager Really Change your Life?

It too years in the making, but finally we were able to bring our female basketball players back to the United States. The season was played in the summer. The summertime schedule immediately opens the doors for a new type of basketball fan. WNBA games are warmer; there are no stuffy men straight from their business meetings filling up the Madison Square Garden seats. No high profile attendees awaiting their picture on the big screen above center court. Above all the tickets are much less than a regular season New York Knicks game. The low-ticket prices brought in rowdier more enthusiastic fans. There were families sitting courtside instead of the usual businessmen and their impressionable clients - and of course Spike Lee. The fans were there because they loved basketball, not because they wanted to see Alan Houston or some other player paid millions to run up and down the court. There was a more genuine glow about the fans. A glow that only the people in nosebleed seats have at the New York Knick games. There were fathers with their daughters both wearing

In high school, I was involved in volleyball, basketball, and softball. Throughout my whole venture, I had this one coach who followed me through every sport. Her name was Coach Lolly Arevalo. She was five feet tall, dark skinned, big green eyes, and a little muscular body, she had a masculine voice that terrified all the athletes every time she scolded us. “Do not stop till I blow this whistle,” those words motivated each and every one of us not to stop. The very first game I had my freshmen year in volleyball was a big, extraordinary moment in my life. When we walked into the gym that night to warm up before the other team arrived, butterflies began to flourish in my stomach as the excitement began to kick in. The bleachers were filled with people wearing red and white shirts, friends holding fan signs with your name, and family members who wanted to see you play the game you love. The excitement I was developing become even more known when the other team arrived. The girls looked as though they wanted to smash your face

In the collegiate world of sports, basketball has become an increasingly recognized sport among African Americans, predominantly males. The hope of any young basketball player is that one day a scout will come and recruit them into stardom The question that presents itself as a problem to the lucky few who are chosen to go professional, is whether or not an education is more important than a million dollar shoe deal, “The NCAA's (1998) annual six-year study reported that only 33% of Black male basketball players graduated, (Chronicle of Higher Education, 1999). Individually, basketball reported the lowest graduation rate in all divisions,” (Robinson, 2004:1). Basketball players have become so idolized in the eyes of young

On April 24, 1996, women’s basketball announced “We Got Next” as the NBA Board of Governors approved the concept of a Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) to begin in June 1997. Since that day in 1996 there have been many firsts for the WNBA: Val Ackerman -- the first president of the WNBA; Sheryl Swoopes -- the first player signed to the WNBA; Cynthia Cooper -- the league’s first Most Valuable Player; the Houston Comets -- the first WNBA Champions; Lisa Leslie -- the first WNBA player to capture all three MVP awards (regular season, All-Star and Championship) in one season.

The courage that Summitt held within herself was unthinkable. She never once gave up on anyone. Women’s college basketball used to be nothing. When she first arrived at the University of Tennessee the program was nothing more

My original dream job was to be a “WNBA” player. But through the years it seem to get boring. Basketball to me was a COMPLICATED and PRECOCIOUS sport. I use to love the way you had to be AGGRESSIVE against the other teams. When we lost games I sometimes got ANGRY, because basketball meant so much to me. Sometimes i would even get SENTIMENTAL after winning or losing a game. I grew up understanding that basketball is not a RELIABLE sport and I will always be CURIOUS about how things would’ve turned out.

It is important for the athletic directors and other authoritative figures in men’s basketball to strive for a common goal and establish a better sense balance among those in the basketball environment by changing the contradicting expectations and policies of the NCAA. Some say basketball players have been taken advantage of for far too long and ask “how much longer are universities willing to wait [the] before students see them as a threat and an aid to the issue rather than a source of education and athletic support”? Neglecting the issue has only postponed its significance to emerge as more relevant. By helping address this issue with urgency will allow the players to feel acknowledged and help create a solution for everyone’s benefit to the issue at

In life, you encounter many situations and people that aid in molding you into the person you are meant to be. When these instances in time occur, we may not realize it, but looking back they made a huge impact on our lives. For the past four years, I have been a member of the Navarro Runnin’ Lady Panthers Basketball Team, and while the sport itself taught me many lessons and skills I can use to be successful, there was one coach that managed to do the same.

Laryn Murray, Freshman, inspired by her father, has been playing basketball for the majority of her life, and looking at her current basketball resume, it seems like that time spent toward shooting hoops has paid off.

When college athletes go to college, they should not worry about the money or the fame, but rather just play for the love of the game. Lindsey Wilson a former basketball player states, “Think of when you were a little kid, playing in your backyard, shooting hoops with an older sibling, Saturday morning games at the local community center, playing with your neighbors until the sun went down. You played because you loved basketball.” Lindsey Wilson also states, “This summer play with passion, and everything else will fall into place. In the words of JFK, "Ask not what (basketball) can do for you, but what you can do for (basketball).

The hardest part of having a passion is sticking to it even during hardships. Julia Silverman has been gifted at basketball since she was six years old, but it was not always easy. Since she plays on two teams, she is always busy with practice. Hardworking and dedicated, she practices ten hours a week at Pine Crest and three hours a week at Boca Hoops. Michael Jordan, a famous athlete inspired her to play basketball because of his talent. Acquiring very advanced skills for her age, Silverman is put onto higher levels at Boca hoops. She also made the A team at Pine Crest every year in middle school. This girl definitely knows what pressure feels like and can handle herself on the court. Two years ago, Silverman’s team was in the championship

Entering the fourth quarter 27th seeded Somers trailed 19th seeded Bloomfield by 18 points in the CIASC Class S girl’s basketball quarterfinal. Somers junior guard Emily Plagenza, who already hit a game winning buzzer beater to upset 6th seeded Old Lyme in the first round followed by a 20 point game in a second round win, was not going down without a fight. Plagenza put Somers on her back scoring 16 fourth quarter points to bring her team within one possession of advancing to the semi-finals. Somers wound up losing that game 64-61 but it is the toughness and determination that Plagenza displayed that would lead her into a career in sport.

Cambridge mass the city of chance, opportunity, diversity and most importantly basketball. Growing up as child in Cambridge all you hear is stories about basketball and the great tradition, reputation we have built to become the model of a winning basketball, program over decades that seamlessly trout out great teams contending for the right to be named state champions every year. This tradition is passed on to each generation of kids in Cambridge very young because most likely my father your father once wore the falcon jersey over his chest or if we go way back in the 90’s those teams wore the warriors across his chest. I played for the falcons and graduated in 2015 after having finished my high school basketball career on a memorable run to the Boston garden. Playing in the semi finals against catholic memorial to be one of four teams to punch in our ticket to the big dance and represent as eastern mass champions in the DCU center for the state championship. Looking back at this photo brings me back to 2011 when I was still just 16 years old just dreaming about wearing the Cambridge jersey but I wasn’t doing so well with life. I was constantly getting into trouble with the law, not respecting authority, not focusing on my education and not taking my basketball career seriously everything was a joke to me I didn’t believe I’d make it this far in life there wasn’t much motivation to either, basketball was my only hope. It’s hard to believe the kid in this photo

I shadowed a pulmonologist. For an entire month, I ceased to exist as anything but a silent observer. There, I observed and projected myself into the doctor’s shoes, and felt at home. I saw him piece information together, seek out subtle clues that other physicians had missed, and construct a picture that later would save a woman’s life. I had always loved solving puzzles as a child; it came to me naturally. Life had merely escalated the circumstances from building three -dimensional Star Wars battle ships to saving lives. The satisfaction I got from seeing the completed spaceship as a child was only a glimpse of the epitome of fulfillment I would later feel when I saw the grateful woman thank the doctor I shadowed

As an avid soccer player, I dream of mirroring Abby Wambach’s character. Abby’s drive motivated her, teammates, and opponents to play well. She refused to lose, literally putting her body on the line for her team. Abby’s respect for the game is equally admirable. Moments after a heartbreaking 2011 World Cup loss, Abby respectfully put her quest to win aside and congratulated the Japanese team. To Abby, “It’s not about the actual failure; it’s about how you respond to it.” Despite numerous accolades, Abby also remains humble, crediting her goals to great passes from teammates and personally raising the bar with each achievement. Abby’s drive, respect, and humbleness reflect the person I dream of becoming, and the Syracuse University