Personal Narrative: Stagg At Home

AND ONE!!!! It was the last basketball game of my sophomore season. We played Stagg at Home, in the main gym. Everyone was there because it was the last game and it was at home. Coach Thompson substituted me for Darius with 5 minutes and 42 seconds left to play, we were already up 10 so he just emptied out his bench to give everyone some final playing time. When I got in I instantly caught fire. I don’t know what got into me I just couldn’t miss, even if I wanted to. I was making mid- range shots, 3’s and I was also getting to the basket. My first shot was a pull up jumper about 15 feet away from the basket, it was nothing but net. After I made that shot I felt as if I could do anything, so I kept scoring. When I made my first 3, the team basically
gave up because it was nothing they could do to stop me. I finished the game with 15 points, 6 rebounds, 4, assists and 2 steals and I only played about 6 minutes. After that game, my basketball career changed completely. I started seeing my trainer, Mr. Cartwright, plus going to the gym every day. I wasn’t employed yet so I didn’t have anything else to do so I just hooped all day. I had to wake up at 7am every Saturday to go with my trainer and he would train me until 12pm. I also would go to the YMCA every day and play with my teammates. All I knew was I had to get better to make it too the next level, varsity. This constant basketball happened from the end of February to the middle of November. November is when the next basketball season starts, well try-outs. There are usually 2 days of tryouts but this year it was only one. It was on a Monday morning because we were out of school. Tryouts begin with stretches and a few drills to get warm, like 3 on 2, 2 on 1. It’s a drill when you go down the court on a 3 on 2 fast break and whoever shoots the ball or turns it over has to play defense on the 2 defenders. After we finished that we did some shooting drills and some defense drills. When we did the shooting drills I didn’t miss. I blamed it on all the hard work I put in through the off season. After we did that we scrimmaged for about an hour. At about the 30 min mark he pulled out players to go work with them on the other side of the gym. When he did that we all new something wasn’t right because he pulled 12 guys and it’s only 14 players on the team. After all we figured out that those 12 players made it and it was only 2 more spots left. After the try-out ended we had to wait until he came up with who made it.
We waited in the gym for about 4 hours, then I got hungry. I walked through the dark hallway to use the vending machine. After I got my honey bun, I walked around to the field house to see if they posted the team. They did, 14 id numbers on one sheet of paper. I looked up and down the list multiple times looking for my id number and unfortunately it wasn’t on there. My heart was broken and I was so confused. I walked home teary-eyed and when I arrived home I cried my eyes out. After that I didn’t play basketball for a whole week, which I had never done. After that week I got back in the gym, and kept playing every day as usual. I went to all of their games because I loved the sport and I wanted to support my friends. After the season ended everything went back to normal, we kept going to the YMCA every day. Now school has ended and summer league starts. Coach put me on Jr. Varsity just too test my skills and the first game, it was the best game of my life. I dunked the ball on a fast break and I couldn’t miss. I was the star player and that showed coach I was better so he put me on varsity. All in all I am just saying never give up and work as hard as you can, it will pay
off.