The ball was soaring! I got cold feet as I anxiously watched the ball go closer and closer to the net. What happened? Let me explain.
My dad and I have spent many memories together, as a father and a son. Some of the most cherished moments we have spent together were watching, talking, and playing basketball. But, out of all the memories and moments I have spent with my dad, the most memorable memory would be the time I won my first basketball game.
When I got selected on my second grade basketball team, we had our practices on Tuesday and Friday. On Friday, we had a scrimmage to prepare for the game on Saturday. At the end of the scrimmage, I had scored eight points with the score 21-18.
“Be ready for the game tomorrow!” called my coach to the team.
The next day was Saturday, the first game of the season. As I went into the gym, the room was crowded with about 40 different people sitting on the bleachers, all awaiting for the game to begin. When the tipoff was about to start, we all huddled together with our coach.
“Use the power of teamwork to score and win the game,” my coach whispered so the other team couldn’t hear our conversation.
The parents in the crowd were taking out their phones to record, while the kids were ready for the game to begin. At the end of the first quarter, the score was 7-9. We we’re were losing! We huddled together with our coach, and he told us that we were doing great, but we needed to have more ball movement.
At the end of the second quarter, we had taken the lead for the first time that game, 16-15. As we huddled again, our team captain had us put our hands in the huddle and say, “Go Sharks!”
In the start of the fourth quarter, it was tied 18-18. As the minutes ticked by, my teammate inbounded the ball to me. As I walked up the court, the other team was staying close to our team, so they wouldn’t let our team have an opportunity to score. After a bit of the ball maneuvering, I saw Nathaniel, my teammate, was wide open in the paint. Because of this, I passed to him, and he scored a layup. An assist! I had to pass the ball more so we could work as a team! Now the score was 20-18! This put us up by two, and we held the lead for the rest of the game.
My dad told me, “You did your best out there! Nice win!”
The whole entire time, my dad was cheering me on which boosted my confidence to win my first basketball game. This made me realize that no matter what happens, your family will be there for you.
