The Benchwarmer The smell of sweat surrounds me, but for some reason I’m not sweating. I hear the piercing whistles of the refs and I’m sitting on the edge of my seat wishing my basketball coach would put me in. Everyone around me is cheering my team on, but I’m too furious to clap or yell. I have a mixture of aggravation, discourage, and miserable feelings. Yup, I sat the bench, in fact, I sat the bench a lot. Sitting the bench is not exhilarating or fun, but that’s where I lived. This story is how I got off the bench and how it changed my life. Have you ever sat the bench? Let me tell you it’s the worst feeling in the world! I play travel ball and it’s way different from your regular school ball. Your team travels to different places and you have all the parents, coaches, and refs not only from your team, but from sixteen different teams on eight different courts. These tournaments aren’t a joke either, you can’t just go into a game without working or preparing with your team. These teams are usually strictly basketball and are big schools, me coming from a small school we don’t play one sport. So not working very hard in one sport it’s really hard to get off the bench and try to keep up with the other teams. …show more content…
I knew that my goal was to be one of the starting five, but how was I going to get there. I could work out, eat healthier, try harder in practice, and suck up to my coach. I’m kidding I didn’t suck up to my coach instead I proved myself to him that I should be starting on the court instead of the bench. So, what I did was run, lift, eat healthier, and eventually he started to notice me. I was getting faster and stronger than my teammates and opponents. My coach was proud of me and I started to come off the bench a little bit more, but I wasn’t a starter yet and I wasn’t going to give up
“Why can’t we get into our freaking offense!?” This is all I really remember from Coach McKendrick at halftime last year against Niles North in what was a tough night for our basketball team. Prior to this, we beat New Trier at home and then went on the road and beat the pre-season unanimous vote to win conference, Highland Park, in our first conference game. Before the New Trier game, our game plan was simple: we were smaller, but faster, so we were going to run the court and make this is a fast pace game. We executed our gameplan, and we won.
I was trying to encourage our team, and kept yelling to get a stop and do what we were supposed to. However, I noticed that I was doing the same thing they all were - backing off when the person I was guarding got the ball. So, the next time I had the opportunity, I got up into my man and did exactly what I was trying to get my teammates to do. The next play, Jordan did the same thing, and we got a steal. Then, Alex, Ben, and Sherman all started to follow what we started.
“It is only a game” is a common saying I have heard several times in my life. However, it does not explain the crazy actions and immense passion I experience on the PIT floor for basketball games. These feelings reached a pinnacle point during my freshman year basketball game against our arch-rivals, the Bettendorf Bulldogs. “If we can keep Bear from posting up and scoring, we should be win the game,” my friend Bryce analyzed. I responded, “We will need to shoot the three ball to have a chance, Bettendorf is a really good team”.
When football season finally arrived, I found myself on the varsity team. I thought it was going to be a repeat of my past two seasons of me just being another benched player. But I actually started for more than half the season as defensive linemen. Even on games where I didn’t start, I was getting a lot of playing time. That really pushed me to be even better for my senior season.
“Unfortunately, Jack, there will not be many opportunities for you this year.” Seconds after being told I had made the varsity baseball team, I did not expect my coach to so bluntly tell me I would be spending more time watching the game than playing it. Our state ranked team had a pitching staff full of Division 1 commitments and future MLB draft picks, and I was being told I did not measure up. The bench became my best friend.
Now I knew almost all of the coaches except the freshmen. I wasn’t sure what to expect. I knew we were going to come out and work hard every practice. All I wanted to do was impress the coaches. I had an advantage over all my teammates, I kinda knew what they expected.
I was ready for this challenge that I had to face as the new team leader. Our coaches, Bethany and Jay, were not very experienced in basketball whatsoever, so I was basically considered another coach. I created most of our plays, and even our defense. Surprisingly they were all effective against our opponents. Although our first game made me immensely nervous,
I was immediately in the gym trying to get bigger, faster, and stronger. I spent countless hours each night during the week perfecting my game and fixing any flaws I had. I had one goal after that day and it was to prove the coach who cut me, that it was a mistake. I started to work harder than ever before. Being told you are not good enough takes a toll on your self confidence.
I kept going for the guy next to me performing to the best to his ability. Success was the result of all the hard relentless work done throughout June into August. I acknowledged that my team had a good group of seniors who were high character student-athletes I spent most of childhood with. Ultimately finishing with a record of 3 wins and 7 loses taught me many lessons on becoming a better person and
As we approached the red and black car, I got into the car and noticed how roomy the car was. I was very exuberated to go to Minnesota. I packed 3 very stuffy bags. One of my bags was filled with clothes. The second one was filled with all my basketball stuff.
I was set on helping my teammates realize that I could be a valuable asset to this team. As the season progressed, my teammates started trusting my decisions on the court and were confident I would try my best to make the right play. I earned their respect as a teammate and made some great news
I felt like I didn't stand out anymore. Every time I got an opportunity to play I would seize the occasion and show out. For some reason this wasn't enough to show the coaches how good I am. I was tired of putting in so much work to be benched behind the coaches “favorites”.
I cannot recall a day in my life when I have not heard the sound of a bouncing ball; I grew up eating and breathing basketball. My heart fell in love with the winning, the competition, the adrenaline ever since I started rolling my dad’s tube sock and shooting an imaginary shot against the wall. “It was reminiscing when I was a fresh young boy; I was strolling around the Smith Park with a basketball in my hand and wearing a gold/purple Kobe Bryant’s jersey until I espied a compelling teenager playing basketball with tight handles, and great athleticism on the opposite side of the court. Whereupon, I pondered about my future and his inspiration for me that I will be a professional basketball player in the NBA and be like him.
I would help encourage my classmen to do the same and this pointer allowed two other freshmen make the team. My sophmore year I transferred to a different school and this caused me to start over on another basketball team. I made the varsity squad as a starter because I would help motivate and teach the other girls how to do drills and basic fundamentals. My coaches assigned me as a team
Today, was tiring. I did all my practicing so that I just have to rest and get ready for tomorrow 's game. I get ready for my game by putting on my uniform. The game is starting and the whole crowd is cheering for