I started playing basketball in 7th grade because of a show I watched. I had little to no experience and barely any basketball knowledge. I still wanted to play though, so me and my dad fixed this busted-up basketball hoop we had in our backyard. The sport became so fun I played it every day, slowly improving. With basketball tryouts a month away, I didn’t have much time to get prepared.

In November 2021, the school basketball tryouts began. My athleticism and grades got me on the team because, skillswise, I was not that good. This didn't stop me though, because when I saw the skill gap between me and my teammates it just motivated me. I played basketball nonstop. It’s all I did and my dream was to win a championship. The coach even gave me the nickname “Cousy,'' which is what mostly everyone calls me now. Bob Cousy was an NBA player that mainly used his right hand and had no lefty. That kind of explains how I played my first year.

The season didn’t start off too great but we ended with a 9-1 record, which was amazing. Then, because of COVID-19 our remaining games were canceled. Surprisingly, we were notified that the playoffs would continue and we were all excited. The pressure was high though because one loss would end the season. We got destroyed in the first game. The bus ride back to the school was quiet. I was so sad I couldn't even cry.

Ever since that loss I worked harder than I ever did before. Basketball was my only focus. My basketball coach, Mr. Alvarez, motivated me a whole lot too. I would say he motivated me more than even my parents ever did. He also coached me outside of school. Over time, I started seeing a lot of improvement.

The 8th grade basketball season came and I made the team but had no motivation. I felt like it was pointless and wanted to quit. Coach made me realize how quitting would affect me. His words made me rethink what I was about to do, so I decided to stay on the team. I knew I had to pass my classes and that’s where most of the problems came from. I was getting in trouble and my grades went down drastically. I would be cut from the team if I didn’t become a better student so I did what I had to and managed to get passing grades.

I stayed on the team and this year's basketball season was amazing. I started off as a 6th man, coming off the bench, then became a starter. This was the best season I've ever had. Our team only lost 2 games this season and we won almost every other game by 20 points or more. We made it to the playoffs and we were very excited. The first playoff game was the first time my parents came to watch me play. We destroyed our opponent 53-14. We made it all the way to the finals and won the championship! We all worked so hard for it, we deserved it. I had finally accomplished my dream of winning the championship with the team.

Basketball made it way easier for me to socialize with people. I changed a lot throughout the year and basketball made me realize that if you put your full effort into anything you can become amazing at it. I’ve noticed that being an athlete is fun and all but the student comes first in “Student-Athlete.” As I move forward in high school, I still plan to be a student-athlete. The high school I'm going to attend has high expectations for their students. They can expect the best from me.

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