Ball is Life

If basketball could be rated from 1 to 10 – 1 liking basketball the least and 10 liking basketball the most – I would rate basketball a 15. Now, some people may rate basketball a 10, maybe even express their love of basketball beyond the boundary of 10 by rating it an 11. I need to go beyond that even. I love basketball so much that it rates at 15!

I love basketball because it keeps me happy, in shape, and out of trouble. Basketball is a sport of accountability. High school students need to pass their classes or they cannot play on a team.

Basketball teaches discipline. If a student does not develop discipline on and off the court, they won’t get to play. Basketball teaches strategy, particularly time management. Players need to balance their academic studies, practice, and a social life. But, who needs a social life when you have basketball?

Basketball is a family tradition in the Howell family. My father and uncle play, and when I was a little girl I would go to my uncle’s games and watch him play. It takes courage to play basketball on a New York City court. It was exciting to watch my uncle play. I would daydream about having the same skills as my uncle, and play as he did. I wanted to play with strength and confidence. My uncle thinks that he is nice like Michael Jordan. And, I agree.

In the Nike commercial entitled “Failure” Michael Jordan famously explains what it means to succeed when he says, “I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” How I will succeed is to continue to practice so that when it is my turn to take the game winning shot I am prepared to shoot with confidence.