NBA-Personal Narrative

“Come on guys,” I yelled. I heard the screech of the referee’s whistle. Rushing to the bench, I heard the referee call out “Timeout, Heat.” Everything was on the line and our team’s championship hopes, being foremost on our team’s minds, was all coach could scream about. “I’m not going to tell you how to play basketball,” he yelled out. “That’s your job. I’m just going to say that right now, to us, this is a championship game. If we win this, we move on to the championship. If not, at least let us fall valiantly.” That got the whole team riled up as we rushed back onto the court. The crowd, encouraging as always, yelled out their approval on the fact that we were giving it our all. With just sixteen seconds left in the game and our team down by four, something special had to happen or we were done for the season.

One of the greatest lessons I have learned as a high school athlete has been how to overcome adversity and to be resilient after failure. As with any sport, particularly basketball, many valuable character traits and qualities are obtained such as: an incredible work ethic, a competitive nature, and the ability to be an effective leader. If I had not been a basketball player, I would be lacking some of the important characteristics that make me a well rounded and whole person.

Basketball was a new experience to me a few years ago, but i never realized I was going to love it. When I was younger, I’ve always wanted to play the sport of basketball, and I got my opportunity to play when I was in fifth grade at Monte Vista Elementary.

Basketball has been a huge part of my life since I was really small. I’ve loved the sport since I was introduced to it at the age of four. It has had the best outcome out of all the sports i’ve ever played. When I’m playing basketball i’m in a totally different world. I feel

When I play basketball I not only play for myself but for my team,my family, the community, my school, and for everyone who doubts me. When I think about those things as I play I feel more in charge of what I do and how my outcome will turn out. I don’t want to be just a girl on the team, I want to the the girl on the team that everyone has to watch. It’s fun to get noticed and know that people admire the way you play but that only happens when you go hard and show the commitment you have toward the

I’ve played basketball for 7 years now and I enjoy every aspect of the game. Basketball has become so important to me that I consider it to be something that has significantly help to shape who I am today.

Stephen Curry, point guard for the Golden State Warriors, said about basketball, “What I tell people is to be the best version of yourself in anything that you do. You don’t need to live someone else’s story. It doesn’t matter where you come from – what you have, or don’t have, what you lack, what you have too much of – but all you need to have is faith in God, an undying passion for what you do, or what you choose to do in this life, and a relentless drive and the will to do whatever it takes to be successful in whatever you put your mind to.” Growing up I have always played basketball. It is like a haven for me considering whatever I am feeling, whether it is angry, somber, excited, etc. I can always play and depend on basketball. It makes me feel exceptional.

I began playing Basketball freshmen year as a way to release my emotions and forget the thoughts that gave me stress or made me overthink. My coaches gave me the nickname of “Mean Darline” because of how tough and aggressive I would get when being on defense. Little did they know that I wasn’t good at that position because I loved Basketball but because it maintained me calm and allowed me to express myself in a socially approved activity. When the season was finished and I retired from Basketball after my sophomore year I went back to going to the gym three to four times a week. Gym workouts or any physical activity is great to rechannel one’s unacceptable impulses without others criticizing us for our actions.

Basketball is not just a sport, to me it is a lifestyle; there is something about shooting the orange sphere through the net and hearing that “swoosh” sound that can force any problem to instantly go away. Nothing can compare to the satisfaction that is felt when stepping onto the court or feeling the padded outer-layer of the ball clash with the tips of my fingers after bouncing up from the ground. The court is a second home to me. I have been playing basketball since I was eight years old. It seemed to come as second nature. Once I reached middle school, I competed for a spot on the seventh grade girls basketball team and earned myself a spot. Those girls meant everything to me. I can recall practices when we got off task and goofed around for a bit, but we always got back to work.

My basketball career was one to remember, I had a lot of coaches I liked and a handful I didn’t like. But one coach in particular, stuck with me because of one terrible game I had. I remember the day like it was yesterday, we were playing West aka the rich snobs of Billings. I didn’t play much in the first half but when I did play, it wasn’t up to his standards I guess. After making a great read on the defence I ended up turning the ball over. Imagine this, I had the ball at the top of the key, the defence in a 2-3 zone, I had a teammate on each side of me, spread out to perfection, and one man in front of me at the free throw line. I passfaked to my right and the defence jumped at it trying to steal the pass as this was happening, I tried to make a no look pass to the guy at the free throw line

Basketball has always affected my life ever since I was a kid. I could still remember when my father played basketball for his intercity team way before when I didn't even know what basketball was. Watching him as I grow up just made me want to be like him or to be better than him as every father's dream for their son to be. But I had to learn everything the hard way.

The sport of basketball is the sport I go to when I need to clear my mind. After a long stressful day of school, I go to my neighborhood court and I shoot basket after basket. I try to find time every day to play basketball. I want to make myself better. Whether it’s working on my ball handling skills, or just working on my three point jump shot, I practice all of my weaknesses. I have improved so much over the years it’s pretty hard to explain. Basketball has been there when I first moved to Kansas. I came to a new school and I had to find new friends. When those two things didn’t go so well, basketball was there when I needed it most. It got me through the first year of going to school in Kansas. I even found a team I could play with and

Basketball my 6th grade year was rough. It was my very first year ever playing sports. Since I went to a small elementary school everyone made the team and I was the only 6th grade student that joined I was so nervous the first practice my hands were shaking way faster than I could run. The rest of the girls were eighth graders that had a ball thrown at them the second the exited the womb; let me just tell you that season sucked.

Have you ever been forced to do something that you really don’t want to do? It could seem like agony at first, but in the end it will usually always turn out OK. Well, at least it did for me. It all started on a chilly, winter morning in third grade when my mother’s heartfelt words and tears, changed who I am today for the better.

I was just swinging my bat, over and over again, with no thoughts in my head. The methodical movement of my bat and the sound of the breeze it makes, was calming to me. My mind was blank as I was just going through my on deck routine. But like always, a few thoughts slipped in. You are going to strike out again, for the third time, my mind told me, You are going to let the whole team down, and lose the game. The championship game. I battled the little devil me on my left shoulder, who was feeding my brain these awful thoughts, by repeating an encouraging phrase. You got this Ashley, you got this Ashley. Feeling better about stepping up to the plate, I look up, only to feel my entire body fill with dread. The catcher was just standing up a little