Personal Narrative-Embarrassment And Realization Of Basketball

Embarrassment and Realization

Basketball. A sport known for dribbling, dunking, and shooting a basketball inside a hoop to have more points than the other team at the end. Something that it is also known for is loose, button-up pants. Ya know, the ones that The Harlem Globetrotters usually yank off before every game for some humor to the games. Lucky for me, I absolutely loved those pants and purchased a pair when I was young. A month later, IT happened. Yes, I’m talking about IT.

It was sixth grade. Kids all around. Sun beaming on the playground and all over the outdoor basketball court. Unintelligible yelling and cringey dancing anywhere you look. I didn’t want anything to do with any of that chaos. I saw that there was nobody on the

basketball court, so I grabbed a ball and headed over to practice my inefficient handles and horrid shooting.

Oh, did I forget to mention that I am utterly horrible at basketball. That might explain a few details later. Anyways, as I approached the court a few other guys came and saw that I was the only one there. “Hey were you about to start playing on this goal?”one of the kids asked humorously. I wanted to reply with a smart-off type of answer, but I didn’t even know the kid so I just replied with a simple yes.

“Well we’re about to play a game and we already have an even amount of people.”

“Well why don’t you play me 1 on 1, and whoever wins, gets to play on the court.” I have NO idea why I decided to say that. Even though I have ZERO talent when it comes to basketball, I wanted to “defend my turf”. So he agreed on that and we got to playing and it was going pretty well. For him that is. It was 9-0 and he only needed one more point to win. I was not going to go out like this. Not without scoring at least one point. So the next time I got the ball, I would score. He starts dribbling and kinda just messing around with the ball since he

already knows it’s a guaranteed win. Meanwhile I had a plan to settle into place. It was time. “Hey that teacher wants you.” I had no idea if that would work, but miraculously, it did. So then, it was my chance. All my focus was on scoring this basket. Nothing else around me had any significance. I dribbled the ball, put my eyes to the net, and went for the shot. Slowly time faded into slow motion. As it floated towards the rim, it bounced up into the air, which seemed like forever. Finally, the ball sank into the net. I felt proud, but for some reason I also felt cold. Then, I realized IT happened. While I was focused on the shot, while the ball was floating in the air, one of the guys watching had yanked my pants off and was holding them in his hand. I had done what I needed to do. I did what I set my mind to. So while I still have my pride, I grab my pants and walk to the nearest bathroom and button my pants up. That’s when I realized something. If I just set my mind to one goal, and only that one goal, I can accomplish it. I didn’t let anything around me affect my goals and what I put my mind to. Through pure determination and will, I took my shot, and I scored. That was all I needed. So in the end, I was proud of what I did, and still am today. It showed me to stay with something if you truly are determined to finish it. Except basketball.