It was an exceptionally average Autumn for most, but not for me. I had woken up at 5:30 am to prepare myself for our first game of the season, my alarm was meant to go off at 5:00, which set me back from taking my morning shower. As I was running to school, I started thinking about what all this meant to me, and why I began playing varsity basketball in the first place.

As a kid growing up in Chicago, there was always talk about Basketball and more specifically the Bulls, at the time I was more preoccupied with my dream of going to space. I wanted to be the first man to step foot on Mars, I remember watching the NASA channel constantly checking for updates to see if we made any progress on going. I would always hear my older brother, Marcus, bouncing the basketball with his friends outside the living room window. Every once in a while I would peer over to see what all the fuss was about, the only thing that caught my interest was the ball. It reminded me of my replica Mars, it was round with a reddish tone, with the texture being smooth.

I didn’t understand why they were being so rough with it, especially if they loved the game so much. I always took care of my models of the solar system, constantly wiping, dusting, and polishing them. To me, it was disrespectful, if I ever did that with my model it would be almost sacrilegious. “Mom?” I said, “Yes, son?” She replied, “Why are the boys ruining their basketball?” I questioned, “Well James, that’s how the sport is played, not everyone takes good care of their things like you do.” She seemed almost disappointed with me, although as a kid I didn’t really understand that. 

Marcus then came storming in with a certain rage, he stomped up the stairs not saying a word. I looked out the window and saw his friends smirking and walking away. “He must have lost again..” I said to myself. It wasn’t out of the ordinary for Marcus to storm off after one of his casual games, he seemed envious of his friend's natural ability. I couldn’t say that though as he was too proud to admit I was right.  I didn’t know anything about the sport, but I did know he wasn’t very good at it. The ball was laying in our driveway, layered with dirt, grass stains, and scrapes. 

I grabbed my wipes, opened the patio door, and started polishing and cleaning his prized possession. I was so curious why he got so fussed over this game, the scientists at NASA never got frustrated when a test launch failed, they just began calculating and fixing any errors. That’s when my curiosity got the better of me, I picked up the ball and shot it into the net, it slid around the rim and landed on the ground right in front of me. I didn’t like the sound it made as it slid against the rim, it made me twitch. I took a step back, thought about it, and realized if I changed the angle of my arms I wouldn’t have to hear that deafening sound. 

I changed my position and quickly shot it, landing it perfectly. I glanced over to the window and saw my mom watching me, smiling. Had this made her happy? It was really easy, all I needed to do was just adjust my internal measurements. She stepped outside, and asked, “Do you know what it means to dunk the ball?” Of course, I didn't, my only knowledge of the game was watching Marcus play, and he wasn’t a good example. “Not really,” I responded shortly. “Alright, watch this.” My mom was tall compared to other women so she was able to dunk it efficiently.  I then performed the action, just as she did making minor adjustments based on my height and weight.

I looked over to see her expression, she seemed impressed. The entire evening was spent teaching me the rules of the game, and certain tricks I could perform. I didn’t even realize how late it got until I saw my dad's car pulling in the driveway. He stepped out of the car and started questioning my mom. We all went into the house, but she pulled him aside into the kitchen. Since this was so long ago I can’t remember all that was said except “He has a true talent for this, like I’ve never seen in a kid before.” 

I went back upstairs and started reading my book about Saturn and its many moons. Then I heard a knock on my bedroom door, “James.” my mom said, “Can we talk?” Just then my parents opened the door, with a grin on their faces. Once again I can’t remember the conversation, but it was pretty boring, I just remember wanting to keep reading my book. The next morning, I joined the local basketball team.

Now that I am a senior, I’ve been given a couple of sports scholarships which is why I’m working so hard to maintain my skill. My models of the solar system are replaced with trophies of my triumphs. I don’t wonder anymore why the players are rough with basketballs, nor do I wonder about why my brother got angry. After every big game, I look into the night sky and only wonder how my favorite planet Mars is doing.