My Last Game Ever
"My last time ever playing a basketball game.", I whispered to myself. I didn't want to seem pessimistic, but I knew my team's chances of winning this next game were not very good. Our coach never allowed us to talk on the bus ride to games, so I decided to reminisce to myself about all the memories I have gained from basketball. Looking out the window it was a normal February day in Ohio. It was cold and dreary and all I saw were empty fields, making it easier for me to get lost in my thoughts. I thought about the first basketball game I had ever played which I remembered very clearly, because my Dad had made me late for it. I smiled to myself thinking about all of the games and practices he had made me late for throughout the years. I would always give him such a hard time about it too, but if it was not for him I would have never even learned the game. He was never my actual coach, but he taught me everything. Counting all of the years I played basketball in my head I came up with the number thirteen. Thirteen years of my life were revolved around this sport and now it was all about to end.
I had my music blasting through my headphones as usual as we pulled up to the school we were playing at. Snapping me out of my thoughts was my teammate Kathleen who tapped my shoulder and said, "Help us God." I looked up and realized the team we were playing had arrived at the same time as us and almost all of them looked at least six feet tall. I couldn't help but laugh. They were one of the best teams in Ohio. All five of the starters on their team had signed to play division one basketball in college the next year. Don't get me wrong, my team was good, just not as good as them. During warm-ups I noticed the gym was packed with people as I had expected it. This game was a state tournament semi-final game, meaning if we lost our season was over, but also meaning if we won we were one step closer to a state championship. Everything felt different to me. Everything felt surreal. In our huddle my teammates would say, "Lets shock the world! Lets shock the world!". "No offense, but I do not think a girls high school basketball game upset would be shocking the world." , I said to another one of my teammates as we laughed. Nonetheless, I still wanted to win the game as bad as ever. They announced the starting lineups and I took the court with butterflies in my stomach. I made a promise to myself that I would play my hardest so either way I could walk away from this game happy. Right before tip-off I heard my Dad yell, "Be aggressive, Casey!". He would always say that to me before every game and I never knew why. To my surprise, my team was winning at half time by two points. The other team began to get frustrated as they were not used to losing. Parents from both teams were yelling at the officials and the atmosphere in the gym became hostile. At one point I thought to myself, wait, could we actually win this game? Nope. In the second half they were just too much bigger, faster, and stronger. We lost by fourteen points. Even though I knew it was coming I couldn't help but feel heartbroken. The other seniors and I cried as we knew our basketball careers were over. So much time and dedication had been put into that sport. Thinking about never having to run sprints again made me smile for a brief moment, but I knew I would even end up missing those. Basketball was everything to me. My teammates were my best friends. My coaches were my mentors. Basketball gave me something to be passionate and excited about. The images in my head of that last game will always be my freshest memories of basketball. I must have played over one thousand basketball games in my life but now whenever I hear the word "basketball" , that last game comes to my mind.
I will never forget that moment and my times playing basketball. It will always be more than a game to me. Basketball taught me many life lessons including discipline, commitment, work ethic, and the understanding of humility and adversity. These lessons will only help me succeed in life, just as they had on the basketball court.
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