THE GAME OF BASKETBALL BY ANDREW SCHUERMANN
Growing up in a very large area on the east-side of Cincinnati, I found a passion in playing basketball. My school had tryouts for A, B, and C teams starting in sixth grade and there was a lot of great talent within my grade. I luckily was good enough to make the A team, but I knew that if I actually wanted to play, I would have to do things that others couldn’t. By that I mean switching up how I shot the basketball, made certain moves with the basketball, and fundamentally played throughout the game. Whether that was lobbing a floater up through the air or shooting a downtown three-pointer. I had a true passion for the art of basketball and I wanted to excel at it to the highest degree. Through the realization of this passion, I learned some very good life lessons. The first important value to learn from basketball is hard-work. My coaches constantly reminded us that the more effort we put in in the weight room and on the track, the better we would be on the court on game day. I was constantly being pushed to the highest level possible by my coaches and peers, and it bettered me in the long run. When I was off the court, basketball taught me that I must hold myself also to the highest standard in school. It taught me to not let my GPA fall in school and to take my classes seriously. It taught me to respect my opponents and to play with spirit and integrity.
A second value that I learned from a short career in basketball is to constantly be alert and aware wherever you go, and to anticipate future events. On the court, that meant guarding my man closely and boxing him out when the shot goes up to the basket. Off the court, that means looking out for my friends and family, and staying ahead of my assignments in school.
Finally, basketball has taught me that sometimes in life, I am going to fail. It is through these failures that I will get back up and try all over again. I must overcome and learn from my mistakes in the past so that I can act differently in other situations in the future. If you give up on yourself, you won’t be happy, and that is why you cannot quit. You also cannot succumb to your competition. You must constantly battle and struggle for your successes. Nothing in life comes easy, and it’s important to give it your all every single day and better yourselves and the people around you.
