Personal Narrative: My Jump Ball Game

“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.

The day was October 8th, 2014. I hardly played. One school day, my 5th teacher, Ms. Smit said, “flyers for the basketball team on the table” ordinarily I took one. Kids from 4th, 5th, and 6th grade came to try out for the team. After tryouts, a paper next to the nurse's office was hung up. The paper sheet named those who had made the team. Surprisingly, I made the team, most likely from my height. I felt like I shouldn’t have made the team. At the time, I barely started to play basketball. I went to the practices at school and tried to make myself a little bit better, since a tournament was about to begin in a few weeks.

Basketball, with a long history in the United States, is a great sport on several levels, played in high school, college, and even professionally. For years, basketball has intrigued thousands of people, including myself, to see sportsmanship, strategy, and endurance at its best and its most interesting. I love basketball because it not only shows how a game should be played- players drenched in sweat but all reaching towards one goal and working together as well as perfecting themselves- but it is also a game that inspires me to do my best in everything whether it be academic, physical, or mentally. Basketball is the model sport because it is a game of endurance, inspiration, and victory whether a team wins or not.

“Are you interested in this?” , my dad asks multiple times about multiple sports. I as a four year old just learning about sports, and watching them with my family decide that basketball is for me. So I go on to rec league… I learn how to dribble, pass, and shoot. Time passes and by middle school I can shoot left-handed layups, cross-over behind my back and in between my legs. High school is here.. and I become even more advanced not just with fundamentals, but mentally, and even more aggressively, and physical. I have a purpose, I love the game, and I want to play it as long as I can.

For a majority of people in the world, if they were to wake up with 350 million dollars, and would be able to be fully retired by 38 years old, then they would be very content and happy with their lives. Being able to wake up every day in a big mansion, lying with your family by the poolside, not worrying about financial issues for yourself or loved ones, and lastly having the great opportunity for you and your whole family, to not work a day the rest of your lives. It is an ideal situation that approximately 99.99% of people would want. But, an outlier, challenges those astonishing odds, by using their influence and popularity, to help out and make a difference. Not

I see myself in the NBA or the NFL, making enough money to have a house and food for my family. I will be visiting my family on my off days and helping them with what they need, and making sure I take care of myself, and keeping myself in shape. I’m going to be in the NBA, hopefully on the Chicago Bulls; my favorite team in the NBA because it's my home state. My favorite player Derrick Rose is on their and that team is a good team. My school has a basketball team I got people in my school that can help me with my goals. In five years I see myself you're in a basketball or a football team, having good grades and keeping my healthy. I'm going to be the oldest child in my house I'm I have to watch out for them especially my little brother Daniel.

Basketball has been the passion of my life since I was 4 years old. I've always had a competitiveness or desire to not lose. That's why my sophomore year of high school was the worst, but best year of my life. As a freshman I was on JV and had tremendous success. The next year I anticipated a starting varsity role. I couldn't wait, expecting a year even better than the last. All the success I had as a freshman didn't translate as smoothly.

Last year, in seventh grade I decided to try out for basketball after the first day of tryouts I was not confident that I was going to make the team because I could not make a shot. The next day we had another try out I was ready to play. I came out and played well which made me feel better about the tryout. After the third day of tryouts I was not to confident that I would make the team. When I got the email that I made the team I was juiced I jumped all over my room. The first practice I was ready to play. I knew that coach Faust didn't mess around when it came to basketball. Practice was miserable I was so tired from doing “suicides” and running around the track. Our team couldn't do any of the drills successfully so we ended up running extra. On the second day of practice we started doing much better and making some shots.

The cool thing about humans, is no two are exactly the same, every one is different in their own way. We’re all defined in unique ways, some by their jobs, some by their livelihood, or interests such as basketball. This is one of my favorite things to do in life, there's just nothing better than setting foot on that court. When basketball season starts to roll around, memories from past years come flooding in. Being able to smell the freshly popped popcorn all throughout the gym. Looking up at the crowd and seeing everyone in the stands cheering us on, arguing with refs about a call, or not really paying attention to the game at all. The feeling I get when I’m on the court is second to nothing. This is where I go when I need need to just get away and think.

An all time favorite activities of me to do and to watch is basketball. Basketball is something I relish because it's exciting and really affecting, I started playing when I was in fourth grade. When I became attentive in basketball it was because I was trying out sports that year and I determine I admired it and really, enjoying it. Basketball is something my dad, and my brother plays, too. My brother and I try to practice, and learn from each other when we both have the time to practice.

Rushing to the bench, I heard the referee call out “Timeout, Heat.” Everything was on the line with our team’s championship hopes foremost on our minds. As soon as we were all huddled up, Coach Drew began to lay out his expectations. “I’m not going to tell you how to play basketball,” he told us. “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.” We rushed back onto the court, riled up at the thought of our coach’s inspiring speech. The crowd, encouraging as always, chanted our names. With just sixteen seconds left in the game and our team down by four, we had no choice but to do something special.

This is about why i like the nba and why the phoenix suns are my favorite team in the NBA and how i got into basketball.

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

Some part of me, though, has always wanted to keep it all close to my heart,

The most spontaneous thing that I have done is just playing basketball. Basketball is spontaneous to me because I just wanted to start playing the game. Therefore, my 8th grade year I played basketball for my school team and I wasn't really feeling basketball. Summer of freshman year I played summer league for L.H.S and I felt a burst of energy for the sport. After, a couple of games one of my teammates wanted me to go to their house. Little did I know I was going to get extra practice for the sport.