Personal Narrative: A Career As A Basketball Coach

Standing tall in the middle of a college gym, basketball in hand and a determined look in my face, the floodgates open and a tsunami of screaming children come rolling onto the hardwood. This was the start of my summer as a youth basketball coach. My primary goal as a coach was not to be a demanding boss, but be an encouraging teammate. When I played basketball in elementary school, I always cherished my teammates who would share not only the ball, but their sportsmanship and happiness, on and off the court. Above all, I wanted to reflect this mentality through my positive coaching. My quest to become the best coach began during our first match, when I saw the biggest problem with my team: everyone wanted the ball, but no one wanted to share. At once, I taught my teammates how much of a secret weapon passing can be.

I explained to them how constant passing can exhaust the opposing team, and result in easy points.

They loved this idea so much that as soon as the next match started, every fingertip was orange from nonstop passing. Working as a team, we began winning games, but I didn’t allow pride to overshadow the significance of remaining humble. After our wins, I made sure my teammates didn’t forget to compliment our opponent’s efforts, and exchange high fives. Meanwhile, after our losses, I reminded them to acknowledge their own hard work and simply practice harder for the next match. Ultimately, great sportsmanship allowed us to always come out on top, no matter the result of the game. By taking what I learned as a coach, I am able to be a role model on the high school track team, encouraging my teammates to reach their full potentials and to actively embrace great sportsmanship. Overall, I realize that this basketball camp wasn’t simply a chance for me to become a coach; it gave me an opportunity to become a leader and positively influence individuals who would grow up sharing their own forms of sportsmanship, on and off the

court.