Those were the best times of my life, playing a game I love with all my heart.
I started playing basketball when I was 13. I also enjoyed playing basketball during my PE class when I was in the seventh grade and when they had open gym on the weekends or after school. When I got to high school, I really started taking basketball seriously. I tried out for the junior varsity team and made it. I averaged 13 pts and 10 rebounds a game my sophomore year. After the season, my friends and I would play basketball at different courts all over Sacramento. That summer, our JV team played together in a summer league. Going into my junior year, I made the varsity team. The kids that I played with and against were in 11th and 12th grade, so they were much bigger, stronger, faster, taller, with more talent. I continued to grow and work on my game and also get better and better. That year I averaged 17 pts and eight rebounds a game. After my junior season, I was invited to a basketball showcase featuring the top 50 juniors in Northern California. We got the chance to show off our skills in front of coaches, scouts, and reporters. That same summer, my friends and I started playing at the YMCA on weekends, going up against grown men. The following year was my senior year, where I tore it up and averaged 22 pts and 11 rebounds a game. I also strung together several 30 point plus games that season. I broke the three-point record at my school and got my name put in the Sacramento Bee as one of the state’s “Stat Stars” for all those big games. That was one of my proudest moments as a basketball player, along with the five scholarships I was offered. The five offers were Sacramento City College, American River College, Sierra College, Cosumnes River College, and Bethany Christian College. Those were the best times of my life, playing a game I love with all my heart.
