Basketball Can Shape Who We Are by Brianna

Basketball Can Shape Who We Are by Brianna - January 2017 Scholarship Essay

Basketball has been helpful for me in many ways. It has taught me life lessons and helps me stay on the right track in school. It has taught me responsibility, commitment, communication, and how to be a leader. Basketball has shown me that you can’t run from adversity, but that you must face it. Basketball has been a key component in transforming me into who I am today.

I’ve loved basketball since I could walk, and I’ve always wanted to become a role model to younger kids, and show them what it’s like to be a part of a special commitment. River City High School’s basketball program has a Jr. NBA program, and I have attended two separate clinics. The first clinic was a demonstration for the coaches, where my teammates and I demonstrated a few drills for the coaches to help with teaching the younger kids how the program works. The second clinic, both girls and boys varsity taught the younger players how to do the drills. We spent a lot of time showing them the detail and the hard work that needs to be put into the sport, but we also made sure that they had fun and that they enjoyed the clinic.

When the clinic was over, it was an incredible feeling seeing all the kids smiling and laughing. It also made me feel good to know that they had fun and that they appreciated what we had done for them. A lot of the kids came up to me and said thank you, and they hope that we can have another clinic. Hearing how appreciative they were and that they wanted to do it again made me realize that basketball can serve a purpose in kids’ lives and that it can change their experiences in life.

The most enjoyable part about the clinic was not only seeing how many kids and coaches there were, but all of their parents showing up to support our program. Seeing all the parents, kids, and coaches there made me proud to be a part of the West Sacramento community because it not only showed support for the kids and the program, but it felt united. There was a lot of energy and pride in the gym and that made all the hard work seem worth it. Knowing that there are kids that look up to my team, coaches that enjoy watching our games, and parents that are willing to support our whole program made the experience better for me.

As a kid I always looked up to older basketball players, whether they were in high school, or in the NBA, I wanted to be like them, I wanted to be able to inspire younger kids and set an example for them. Basketball allowed me to accomplish that goal, and I look forward to being a role model to the younger kids. I had a conversation with a few coaches at the clinic and they all told me that they liked going to our games and seeing the intensity we play with, and I can only hope that when the Jr. NBA kids come see us play, that they will be inspired to become a role model as well. I had a conversation with my coach about having more clinics and I hope that we can because basketball helped make a difference in my life, and I want that for the little ones too.