DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.

If you know the man that I am today, then you know that basketball is one of the most important things in my life. The feeling  that I get when I step on the freshly waxed hardwood floor is incredible.  There is nothing better in the world than playing the game I love in front of a packed gym of fans cheering as I dribble, pass, and shoot.  I am proud to wear the jersey of the team that I play for and get so excitied to put that jersey on each night.  There is another reason why basketball is so important to me. As a young child,  our family went through some very bad times and basketball was the thing that I turned to.  My love for the game was my escape from it all and helped me to cope with things that were happening in my life.  

When I was in 4th grade, my biological father was sent to prison for doing some very terrible things.  I felt like I had nowhere to go to ease the pain and sadness that I was feeling.  I started to spend time in the gym as much as possible.  My step father coached basketball in town and would bring me along with him when he went to practice.  I would put my headphones in and get in a zone where nothing could bother me at all.  Basketball became my escape, my happy place, my mood changer, and the reason that I am who I am today.  Eventually I was able to move on and basketball was a big reason why.    The game provided me with an opportunity to become very close with my step father as well.       

In order to play collegiate basketball at a high level you have to have more than just the skill to play the game.  You need to have the mental toughness to fight through the adversity, as well as the work ethic, determination, and composure. As my younger life went on,  I realized that these were all skills that I lacked.  My basketball skills were developing because of all the work I was putting in but I still had a long way to go. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy but I was up f.or the task to become the ultimate player.

Leadership and composure are two of  the most important thing you need to have in order to be a point guard in the sport. You have to be the one who can settle your team down when things aren't going as planned. It is your job to be the player that never shows emotion and can always be calm and collected and run the show. I used to be the complete opposite not just in basketball but in life. I had zero mental toughness, average leadership skills and no motivation to change that. Basketball helped me with this because I loved the game so much that I wanted to become a better player and a better person. The sport helped me to become a leader on and off the floor and gave me the ability to  play in college.  That is the main reason I love the game so much, it has paid me back for all my hard work.

People will tell you if you happen to lose or play bad that it's, “just a game” and it's fine because they are entitled to their opinion. To me it's a lot more than just a game.  Basketball is my favorite thing to do and my escape from the rest of the world.  I am the person I am today because of the game of basketball.

DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.
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DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.