This post has been inspired by Danielle Clark. She's one of my best friends and we played together for 2 years in Osnabruck and she's still playing in Germany this season. She recently wrote a journal entry about why she loved basketball so much. I thought it was really interesting. While we both love the game, we love it for some of the same reasons and for some different reasons.
First and foremost, I love the game because of the competition. Of course, like Danielle, I can get competition pretty much anywhere. Whether is be a game of ping pong (I challenge anyone who is willing), a card game, board game, video game, working out in the gym, etc.) but there is just something different about basketball. It can be such a simple game yet it can also be such and intricate, complex game. And part of me being competitive drives me to be my best. With basketball, I can compete with myself, within the team, against other teams, and players. It's fantastic :) I could go on forever but I'll stick to the point. So what are my favorite parts of the game, and why do I love them????
Favorite sound: Hands down, the swishing of the net! Something about the way it sounds when you hit nothin but net and the net snaps. ahhhh beautiful. Some days I just love to be in the gym by myself and hear that sound over and over.
Favorite Shot: Man, there are so many. I love coming off a screen, rising up and shooting over someone. And I love the step back jumper but my favorite is the 3 pt shot with a hand in your face. Not an open shot but one that is really contested. It's so disheartening for a defender when you run at someone and are right there and they shoot a dagger right in your face.
Favorite Play: The perfect pass. Being a point guard, I take more pride into making that perfect sweet pass and getting my teammates involved than I do in scoring myself. There are those certain passes, that no one else sees that you can slip through the seam, that just feels so good. I love the long baseball pass off the dribble when the defense has their backs turned and I zing it by their ear for a layup, haha.
Favorite feeling: I have 2 here. Physically I love the feeling your body has after you've worked hard and sweated. I secretly hate the European gyms because most of them are freezing in the winter so it's harder to get a good sweat. Yes, I'm aware I'm not like most girls. Most people don't like to wear grey to workout in.....I actually prefer it bc I like to be able to see how much I've sweat and how hard I worked :) Ok, my 2nd fav feeling is being in "the zone". To someone who has never been in it, it's hard to explain. It's like everything on the court slows down, you don't hear much noise....things are just kind of quiet and peaceful. All the while, you are killing it on the court. You make all the right decisions, everything is clicking and working and you just can't seem to miss a shot if you tried. There have been tons of times where small parts of the game, I've been in the zone but there has been maybe a handful where the whole game was more like a dream that I never want to wake from. Everything is just right and in rythymn and in sync. It's a beautiful thing.
Favorite tactic or skill: Instinct and being able to read screens. As far as instinct goes, there are times in the game were my insticts completely take over and I just do things. Whether it's a pass or scoring there are times when I think, "how did that just happen". and I love it when this happens bc I've learned the less I think sometimes, the better. It's really hard to explain but more than a few times,I will make a move in the game that I've never done before. Just something that I've thought about or maybe something I've watched someone else do in another game. And then I'm like, wow, I've never done that before. So the other side of insticts is being intelligent and reading the game. I love it when my team runs plays where they set screens away from the ball for me. To me, it's like a game of cat and mouse. I want to be patient and watch where the defense is and i want to go the opposite way. I think I do a good job of this and feel like I can read a screen well enough that there is a good chance that I will be open for a shot everytime, and if I'm not open, the screener will be open.
Underdog vs. Topdog: Ok, I might have made up topdog but I love being in both positions. I haven't been on many teams where I was the underdog, but personally and individually I have been there. Due to my size, esp in high school, coming from such a small town and school, and let's be honest..the brightness of my skin, haha. I have been underestimated and doubted and I love the feeling of proving people wrong and working hard to get to where I want to be. I mean who would've thought that I would be playing professinal basketball when I was 28......I'm telling you the list is small. On the other hand I find a certain satisfaction in being the Topdog and being succesful. In college when everyone was aiming for us and hated us and we still came out on top with 2 national championships.....no better feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment.
Misc things that I love: Buzzer beaters (end of shot clock, quarter, or game) Setting a solid screen, floating through the air on a shot and nailing it, the few times a game when you jump extra high (it's happening less and less for me, haha) to grab that rebound or shoot over someone, and last but not least ADRENALINE!
I could seriously go on and on but hope this gives you a glimpse into my world. Hope it answers some questions about why I'm still playing. These are the small things that keep me going when I'm so far from home. I think that making so many great friends and getting to see the world is just icing on the cake!
