Hello, my name is Klayton Gamel. I live with both my parents as the only child, because my only brother is in college. I am a 15 year old freshman on high school. I am 6'2”;193 pounds; size 12.5 shoe, and if you ask me really good at basketball. I play AAU basketball for former NBA player Jermaine O’Neal.

I would say I'm a regular teenager but others wouldn't agree. I have visited multiple countries, in past summers. All the times I went were on a cruise ship, and the trips were a ton of fun. I have had to travel to California, Nevada, and other states to play basketball. I have already been in contact with D1 colleges for basketball. My friends call me rich, even though I would disagree. I do have a lot of stuff, but I would rather say I'm fortunate and blessed.

I wear some expensive clothing and shoes but only because of the grades I make. My mom wouldn't even buy me half of the stuff, if I didn't have good grades. She told me the phrase “ A penny saved is a penny earned,” and I haven't forgotten it since. My mom has taught me a lot. I’m very grateful for her and my dad.

My dad is different though. He is more loose, very funny, and talks trash to me about basketball. I know I can beat him. I’ve beaten him before, and I will do it again. He says he will play me again, so I’m just waiting on our rematch.

My brother on the other hand is funny, goofy, and scary. I scare him all the time, so I can see him jump or scream a little sometimes. He will try to chase me after I do, but I’m too quick for him. We have our games of NBA 2K that I always win. He has rarely beat me, but when he does I give him his props. We barely argue now that he is in college, but if we do they don’t last long. He is the best brother I could ask for.

When it comes to friends, I have a lot.I get along with everybody I hang with. They say I have a great personality. I just try to make everybody laugh and entertain them. I always have positive vibes too, so they like that too. Overall, I have a great social life.

I play AAU basketball in the summer. This past summer, I played for Jermaine O’Neal’s Drive Nation. It was a great experience to be on the team. We practiced at his house and Keller Central High School. I had one of the longest drives, because the rest of team lived in the Dallas area. Driving a hour and a half to practice didn’t seem long at all, with how many times we drove. I improved a lot during the season playing outside of the paint like I was used to. I had grown up always playing in the post, because I was always one of the tallest.

Since I wasn’t the tallest, I played from the short corner to the top of the key. I never really played there so I was uncomfortable playing there at first. After about 2 or 3 tournaments, practicing on playing in those spots, and working on my handles I had became dominant at that spot. I became the main scorer and leader of the team. I was playing with people I’ve never seen before, but the chemistry was there like I’ve known them my whole life. We all clicked during the games and worked hard during the practices. Every game, I impacted in any way I could. My main impacts were scoring and defense. If I had an off game, I would set teammates up with screens or passes.

At the end of season, we had became a really good team. We started blowing out teams and winning with ease.
Then came our last tournament, and it was in Vegas! We were playing in the Bigfoot Hoops tournament with over 100 teams and is known nationwide. I flew out a day before the tournament started early in the morning. We stayed at Mandalay Bay, and I was amazed when I first saw it. I had never stayed somewhere that big before. I was surprised how big it was.

The first day we watched two top ranked players in the nation. Zion Williamson who is known for his athletic dunks and Lamelo Ball who is known for his scoring ability. The game was so packed they stopped letting people in and locked the doors! They busted the doors down security couldn't do anything about it but let them in.
The next days we played all of our pool games which we won all of them having a first seed in the bracket. We won our way all the way to the elite eight. Out of the 100+ teams there we were one of the eight left. In the game to go to the semi finals we played a team much like ourselves. They were the same size, liked to move the ball, and played hard defense. That game from the jump we started off cold and they were hot. Everytime we would start to go on a run they would to. At the end of the game we lost by 10 points, it was a sad loss for us. The parents cheered us up and said they were proud of us.

When I came back home it was almost time for school. My summer had been very eventful. I went to an Under Armour camp, got to play in Vegas, and talked to college coaches for the first time. I improved a lot in basketball thanks to my team. Now it is time for me to enter my first year of high school!