When in Doubt Play Basketball








Standing in the gym, all 17 of us, hearts racing just wanting to get our hands on a ball. Coach has announced to us many times that this was going to be a rough season with our short numbers and young team but none of us cared, we all had only one thing on our mind and that was to get a starting varsity spot. With only 17 girls we knew we would get on the court at some point in the season but to start, now that was something only a few lucky girls would get to do.

Working all summer and even harder now that coach was watching. Taking every shot we could, crashing the boards, and pulling out every move we had just to impress coach. We knew that any mistake would push us just a little bit farther from getting that starting spot.

The first game was right around the corner, weeks and hours spent in the gym for this moment. As coach reads off the names of who will be starting, girls cheer when theirs gets called, my name was not called. I got on the court that night for a few minutes.Working extremely hard, I knew this was my time to shine. Playing just like I had practiced, I didn’t do too bad.

At practice the day after we discussed the game and how we thought it went. After the talk we got back to practicing. Coach called me over to the side to tell me he was very impressed with my defense in the game the night before. I could feel my lips expand into a smile that reached ear to ear, this is what I have been waiting for, coach to notice me. I knew I was one step closer to getting that starting spot.
Coach wasn’t lying when he told me that he was impressed with my defense because the next game I was starting. I could barely hold my excitement in when I got home from practice. My mom told me that I must remember one thing, “When in doubt just play basketball.”

Finally it had come, the night of the game. Going through the warm ups, I could hear the band playing “Eye of the Tiger” just like they did every night, but tonight it sounded different, better. My nerves rising, seated on the bench next to the other four girls who were starting. My name was called by the announcer, I look up, I could see my mom smiling, I knew she was proud of me. People cheering as I run onto the court shaking the other coaches hand wishing him good luck. The part i've been excited for but yet so scared for comes, the jump ball. My nerves at an all time high, I take a deep breath and remember “When in doubt just play basketball.” The other team got the jump ball, my brain switches into basketball mode, I hustle back on defense. The game is a lot faster moving than what i'm use to; girls back cutting, setting screens, and executing their plays in only seconds. The girls were also a lot bigger and stronger than I was but this was just what I wanted.

When the final buzzer sounded off I knew that all my hard work had paid off. I strived to be one of the five best girls on our team of only 17 and I did it. I only had one thing on my mind when I first stepped into the gym at the start of the season and that was to get a starting spot on varsity. And I did it by never giving up and working hard even when I didn’t get it the first time.