Personal Narrative: D1 Basketball

My Story Hearing my future coach blowing his whistle and yelling for us to bring it in for our first varsity practice, I could feel my heart begin to race. Going to a school and joining the varsity team as a freshman with 7 D1 athletes on it and one of the best coaches in the country, one could say I was a tad bit nervous. Looking around in the huddle of teammates and coaches, I knew I had picked the right high school because the group of people surrounding me was going to make me a better basketball player. Having both perspectives of my coach giving me critical feedback of my play and my teammates encouraging me to never give up and keep working hard, I learned that it would be challenging, but if I kept my heart to it, I could reach some

If I didn’t have my teammates with me to encourage me on the court, I do not think I would have kept my goals of wanting to play D1 basketball. There were times that I was challenged so much during practice by his strong words that I just wanted to scream at him. In my 4 years, there was not one time that I did though because of my teammates. They knew how to calm me down and keep a positive attitude when things were hard during practices. One specific player that kept me sane was Napheesa Collier. One of my best friends and also THE best basketball player I have ever played with, she showed me what it took to be a great athlete. Not only is she one of the best women’s basketball players in the country playing at UCONN, but she is also one of the humblest people I have ever met. I believe that she is another person that helped me find my passions for the game. Playing with her for 3 years was one of the best experiences for me because I was challenged by her hard work ethic every day in practice and got to guard her every single day. Being on the court with her for every practice made a huge impact on my game because she was such a phenomenal player to play against/with. I do not have a specific story with her, but just creating a relationship with her inside and outside of basketball helped me get to know an amazing person on a greater level.

Not only because Coach Wright could see them in me, but because when I met the team I could see the same passions in all of them. Now that I am here, living the dream and reaching my goal of playing D1 basketball, it is time for me to live out these passions and finally play at the next level. I need to remember what Rolfes told me about being a great leader and show those qualities with this team. I also need to remember Napheesa’s work ethic and how she got to UCONN and use that as motivation to work very hard every single practice and game here at Miami. Without these two people in my life, making an impact on my basketball journey, I would not have the passions that I do today and wouldn’t be at Miami University