John Pamukci English 1103-025 Assignment Number 4 There are certain aspects in life that are engraved into

your personality. Basketball is something that is in my blood and is a part of my everyday life. But learning basketball and being comfortable with it was not a simple process. Learning the discourse of basketball took many years to master because of the difficult nature of basketball. I learned many values including teamwork, persistence, and the value of learning how to adapt to a new environment and the diversity of being around different cultures of basketball players from the many years and different stages that I played basketball. Throughout my main journey of basketball, Middle School, High School, and AAU basketball were the three main stages that taught me the most about basketball and the many values that I learned throughout the game. Middle school was the first time where I knew that basketball was something that I truly loved. I was learning the game more and more every day. I was practicing on my own often, and had decided to try out for my middle school to truly test my skills. I did not know too much about the game and the specifics. I went to the pre try-workouts, and I realized how many different players there were and how much knowledge each player knew. The coaches were teaching us what positions we would play, and the coach told me I was a 4. I had no clue what that meant at the time, but I found out that each number, 1-5 represented the position you were assigned. 1 is the point guard, 2 is the shooting guard, 3 is the small forward, 4 is the power forward, 5 is the center position. These terms are simple but these small terms are what separated the serious players and the other guys. The workouts were mainly five on five scrimmages that

were used to determine the skill level of all the players. This is where I learned about the importance of teamwork. Many players, especially at a young age, think that basketball is a one on one game. Coaches notice players who know how to play within a team concept and play with four other guys. The coaches noticed that our five on five team had skilled players, who passed the ball and played the team concept and they took note of it. 4 out of the players on that 5 on 5 team made the school team that year, including myself. The coaches preached teamwork and fundamentals of basketball. We learned many basketball terms in full depth such as setting screens, backdoor cuts, and team defense. Setting screens and backdoor screens were used to help get other teammates open, and team defense was the anchor to our middle school team. A screen is where a player stands firmly next to the defensive player so that the offensive player with the ball can go around the screen and manipulate the defense with a new defender guarding him. A back door screen is when one player from the right 3 point line would go to the other side, and help free up a player by screening their man. After the screen, the player would cut across the screen and free himself open for a jump shot. One of our best games was when I set a backdoor screen, to get our shooting guard, Preston, an open look hit the game winning shot at the buzzer thanks to the screen. But sometimes we were not as fortunate. When we lost to our rival school, and our team was devastated. Nobody was talking in the locker, and it was one of the worst feelings in the world. Guys were in the locker room complaining and blaming each other for the loss, but our coach set the standard, and got us in the right mindset. He was encouraging and told us to keep our heads up, and that there were plenty of chances to redeem ourselves. He reminded us that we win and lose as a team, not as an individual, and we all fed off of his energy and the locker room was electric and everybody was encouraging each other. Just a few minutes after the locker room was complete silent and dead, but our positive outlook on

team play always kept us in the right state of mind. We did not have the most talented team, but we played as a team, and every player knew how to play the game so we ended up being successful as a squad. I learned a lot about the game of basketball in general while playing in middle school, and learned the foundation of the game while playing. Middle School gave a good foundation of basketball knowledge and helped me improve on my abilities, but things would get intense while I was in high school. The high school process was much more commanding and punctual. The workouts began during the summer, and everyone that wanted to be on the team had to be there working out during the summer. This was no longer just working on basketball skills. Many players had great ball handling abilities and could use both their left hand and right hand when dribbling and layups, which was rare in high school. In high school everybody could touch the rim, and I was one of the only players not even close to it. The physical aspect of basketball was hammered, working on physique and body structure. This was a challenge for me because I was a skilled player, but had limited athleticism and wasnt a stereotypical basketball player. In middle school I used my size and skills to help make the team and become a good player, but in high school everybody grew taller and got stronger. The two things that separated players were their athleticism and skill. Most high school players had the ability to dribble with both hands and finish layups with both, and almost every single high school player jump at the rim or get close to it. I had the skill and ball-handling abilities but even after the intense summer workouts, I still did not have the athleticism. I worked hard my freshman year, but could never attain the athleticism so I got cut from the team. This was a stab in the heart because it felt as if a loved one did not want me anymore. I knew that I had to gain the love back. From the day I got cut until the next years tryouts I worked tirelessly to get into shape and to become a better athlete. Box jumps, defensive slides and wind sprints

became second nature to me. It was a tough physical hurdle, but an even bigger mental hurdle because of the persistency it took to see results but in the end it was all worth it. A typical day would consistent of waking up at 6 am, rain or shine and hitting the courts. I would do 15 minutes straight of ball handling drills while maneuvering through cones and finishing at the hoop. The next 15 minutes were all defensive drills. I would get down in a defensive position and slide from cone to cone learning the fundamentals of defense and learning that defense is all about effort and determination. It was 15 minutes of just straight moving through cones in a defensive position. After a rest, I would shoot a variety of shots from all angles of the court to enhance my shooting abilities. We would spend 10 minutes shooting from 10 feet away, 15 feet away, and 20 feet away from the hoop. This was to ensure that I was an all-around skilled player. After all of this, we would end with a burnout activity. I would do 20 box jumps on a 48 inch box and would end doing 10 full court sprints to finish it off. This was a 90 minute workout that would leave me exhausted, but I knew that I was improving. 5 times a week all throughout the year I worked tirelessly to improve my game, and it paid off. I made the JV basketball team for my high school, as one of the last player put on the team. All the hard work and constant pressure helped me to make my team where I learned so much about the game. My game had elevated to another level, and it was going to keep on improving with the help of the high school team. At our high school we learned about isolations, which is where a one on one would occur during a matchup problem. I also learned how to exploit smaller players down in the post, with various amount of post moves that the school taught us. I didnt get much playing time, but when I did I used these moves to my full advantage. A player 5 inches taller than me was guarding me down near the hoop. I caught the ball, pivoted and pump faked. My defender jumped for the ball, and I went under him for a layup. This was an up and under move that I had learned from the

coaches of the team. I was proud that I was learning by being on the team and soaking in new information. Despite all that, I did not get lots of playing time so I knew deep down that if I wanted to be relevant I would have to improve upon my game even further. The next phase in learning the game of basketball and becoming the best player that I could be was playing for an AAU team. Playing AAU basketball was the main way competitive players competed to try and earn a scholarship to play college basketball and to impress coaches. AAU is a junk ball type of system where players are allowed great freedom to play however they would like to. This gave scouts better chances to see players and how they play. For me this was a great opportunity to become more skilled play against super athletic players and learn the game from a new perspective. I tried out for the Jets basketball team, and there were 40 players trying out for the team. Of the 40, two teams would be made of 13. And out of the 40 players 20 could dunk, and I was a part of the 10 that couldnt. I felt misplaced trying out for this team, it was a whole different league. We started off with lay-up which are as simple as it gets, but I noticed something. The coaches would watch players as they went for lay-ups, and if they were not dunking, or making layups right at the rim, they would cross your name off the list. Athleticism was something that was required. I knew this, and when it was my turn, I put all my effort and power to make sure that I got off the ground as much as I could. I made the layup right at the rim as my hand grazed the back of the rim. To this day, that is the most important layup I have ever made. I worked hard during the tryouts, and played with confidence and ended up making the team. We had a great team, but I felt strange because I was only one of three nonblack players on the team. Our school team was a majority of white players who played with mostly sound fundamentals and focused on the team aspect instead of individual skills. Our AAU team was the opposite, where we focused mainly on individual greatness to help win

games and to make others better. During our practices I would find this to be true. We had 3 division one prospects on our team at young ages. These players were highly gifted and had unbelievable amounts of athleticism. One player, Sean, would be doing tomahawk dunks during warm-ups during the games. There was no soft spoken words during practice or games. Often players would argue with each other and would talk a heap of junk as our coach put it. Whenever one of our players, Trey, would strip somebody during practice or a game he would yell gimme them f*cking cookies in front of everyone. Practice was never quiet, the games were never quiet, and then everybody was trying to get into the head of the opponent. It was definitely a different environment for me, but I embraced it because I knew it was for the best. I played against some stiff competition everyday during practices and during the many tournaments that we had. When you play against better players this causes you to play at a higher level consistently so you get better. One of our tournaments we played against Theo Pinson, who is a high school senior now, and is one of the top 10 players high school players in the country. On the court he radiated excellence, he had a very serious demeanor and his body language was excellent. He knew he was the best player out there, and said nothing the whole time, he just played his game. His speed and athleticism were of the charts, easily maneuvering through the sky and rising for an array of dunks. One possession I ended up guarding him, and he faked left and did a cross over move to the right, and I was left in the dust as he attacked the basket. I had absolutely no chance of keeping up with his speed, size, or his athleticism, and neither did our team. We ended up losing to his team by 35 points, but it was a learning lesson, it helped me improve upon my game because I was being challenged and I played as good as I possibly could, and still had more work to do. AAU basketball truly inspired me to become a greater players, and it led to a greater appreciation of the diversity of basketball.

Every aspect of my game improved during the three main stages of basketball that I played in. I learned how to be a team player at first during middle school, then I learned how to be persistent and to never give up during my high school days, and during AAU basketball I learned how to always be open to new things and new styles because every little thing learned can help in the long run. Basketball has a huge impact on my life and I use these same core values every day in all aspects of my life. Whenever Im in a tough situation I always think about the persistency, and team work that I used in basketball, and I try to apply what I learned in everyday life so that I can better myself. The values I learned helped me realize that anything is possible and that no matter how dim things are looking, it can always improve. Learning the game has also helped increase my confidence in my abilities as a basketball player. Our 3 on 3 basketball team at UNCC was one of the best teams there was. We won all of our games during the regular season, but lost in the quarterfinals of the playoffs. I also had the opportunity to play against some college recruits back in my high school, and would beat some of them in games of one on one. Through my many adventures of basketball I learned that no matter what court I step on, or no matter who I play against, I always know that I can thrive and succeed, and that is greatest feeling a player can have.