The Basketball Dream
Four years at Ignatius
It went by so fast
Now we are alums
And that’s weird to think

Many things got me through this
But basketball is the main one
I had four great seasons
Improved every year

I can’t wait to play in college
Can’t wait to wear the colors
Of orange and blue
Who knew basketball would get me this far

Not me
I never thought
I would go D1
Never had that dream

But I guess that
The sweetest dreams
That gets fulfilled
Are the ones that you never really had.

Intro
Dear readers,

For this final project, I decided to do mine on basketball. Basketball has been the vocal point of my life since I entered high school. The sport has given me so many opportunities that I am truly grateful for. Basketball has really brought out a lot in me. I have learned how to continuously work hard at all times. I have learned to set a goal and do all I can to reach it. But most importantly I have learned to never give up. So I feel that I owe it to the sport to make it the central theme of this final project.



Start of a Journey
I woke up that summer morning with butterflies in my stomach. I was nervous. I couldn’t even finish my pancake breakfast. All I could think of was how I would do. Who would I see? How will they do? Then my mom said it was time to go. It was time to head to Ignatius for the start of summer basketball. Throughout the car ride I did not say a word. All I could do was think. I just kept on thinking of how I would do. We finally got there and my heart stopped for that moment. I began to second guess myself and the reasons why I came. Then my mom told me to just go and play as hard as I could. But she didn’t know that I would be playing with high school sophomores. And I hadn’t even played basketball. My mom and I got out of the car. My stomach seemed to tighten with each step I took towards the school and the gym. I did not know what to expect and who I would meet and talk to. When finally got to the gym and the sophomore players were already playing. The coach saw us enter and came up to us. He introduced himself. He told me that he was happy to have me and he looked forward to working with me. He then told me that my development as a player was going to be a process and that I should never worry about messing up. I took that to heart, put on my gym shoes, and started my journey to being a basketball player.




Johnny’s Free-throw Shot
There was a ten year old boy who loved to play basketball. He would play every day after he came back from school. He would compete with his older brothers who were twins in eighth grade. But people always made fun of him for being way too short to play the game. Frankly the kid was just ten years old, but people made fun of him anyway. One day, his dad came home from work and asked Johnny, the ten year old boy if he wanted to shoot a free throw at half time of a high school game. If he could make the free-throw, he would win an unlimited supply of ice-cream from Baskin Robbins for one year. Johnny got really excited and immediately went outside and practiced his form. But soon all the other kids heard about the opportunity that Johnny had, so they started making fun of him. They told him that there was no way that he could make the free-throw in front of hundreds of people. Johnny continued to practice even with all the doubters. His twin brothers helped Johnny and showed him the proper form in shooting a free-throw. When he would go to school, kids would say that he was too small to even shoot the ball near the rim. This motivated Johnny and he continued to practice and practice. Soon, the day of the game came and Johnny was confident. Even as he was at the game, he had people yelling at him doubting that he could actually knock down a free-throw. Finally halftime came and Johnny stepped up to the free-throw line. The president of Baskin Robbins handed him the ball and Johnny took a deep breath. He remembered all that he learned. He dribbled the ball twice and then rolled it to himself. He bent his knees and shot the ball with his improved release. The ball seemed to stay in the air forever. Johnny’s heart stopped for the seconds the ball stayed in the air. Then swish. Nothing but the bottom of the net. The crowd went wild. Johnny jumped up in joy. He fought through all the doubt and accomplished what he sent his goal towards. All his doubters were shocked and Johnny enjoyed his ice-cream