Saturday, February 5, 2011

High School Ball

I decided to take my talents to (sorry Bron)... Waterford Mott High School (the white school for those of you who've read my prior posts first).



This meant new setting, friends, and a new kind of basketball. I must say though, I was eager for this new adventure, especially because I didn't know anyone and they didn't know me. I felt like I could start out in the driver seat there and nobody would know I had been in the passenger seat with basketball my whole life.

9th Grade Year:

Try-outs were a success... I had no doubt I was one of the better kids on the team and that all my hard work was starting to pay off. It was during this season I would say I learned the most as a basketball player to date. I had good coaching and great teammates. I learned from them and I hope they learned from me. X's and O's made more sense than ever and I cherished being on that team. It was a "roller coaster" type season though. I came into the season with a big head (thought I was the best player) and finished the season humbled (appreciated the team aspect and developed a deeper love for basketball than EVER before/wasn't the best player). This also happened to be the year I met a player with similar interests and love for the game of basketball, Mr. Jeff Jayson (AKA Tre Jizzle, my very best friend in life (excluding my wife of course!)) We were a tandem that shared my thoughts and beliefs on the game and pushed one another every day to get better.

10th Grade Year:

Came into this season with high hopes... Thought in my mind that maybe I should get an opportunity to play on the varsity team. Jeff had proved he belonged there so why wasn't I getting the same opportunity? My JV coach did a good job of snapping me back into reality and telling me I needed this team to improve some things in my game. Being hard-headed, but a good kid, I listened! I used that season as fuel to improve and prove I belonged with the big boys in the school. We were a great team and had the record to match that season!

11th Grade Year:

I started playing with the varsity in the summer between my 10th and 11th grade year and I was much more hungry than ever before. I had a fairly good summer and knew I needed to keep the ball rollin' if I wanted to make the type of impact I had already set in my head. Mannn, did I work my tail off! I ended up starting for the Varsity team that year and was reunited with the confidence I once had. Our season was a success and I had the best statistical season of my career as a basketball player. Life was good!

12th Grade Year:

With high expectations being carried into my senior year, I wanted to win and make it as far as possible in the state tournament. We had a pretty solid team and I felt personally responsible for every single win and loss we had that season. It had bright shining moments to go along with some bad sore spots. Nonetheless, I continued to develop as a player and my love for basketball was beyond endless. Toward the end of my high school career, I often got caught up thinking, "I may never play basketball in a competitive setting like this ever again". There weren't scholarships being offered and no coaches were at my door step asking for me to play for them. This sadly brought the realization to myself that I was finishing a relationship with basketball that I didn't want to give up. Shortly before graduation and going off to college (not as a basketball player), I finally got a call with some interest in my basketball game. George Evjen, Assistant Coach at Rochester College, called to invite me over to the college for an open gym try-out/evaluation. So here I am... in the middle of June, with my financial aid letter signed and ready to be sent into University of Detroit, with my roommate for the fall semester already picked out, and a basketball-less future already being accepted in my head, I'm left thinking... should I give basketball another chance? I think most of you reading this know what I chose to do...

The Finale... College Ball

FHR

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