things basketball has taught me

I played basketball for over a a decade. A couple of them were at the NAIA DI level and six of them was playing AAU Travel Ball. No matter how many years one has played the game, there is always still so much more to learn. Below I have compiled a list of things basketball has taught me over the course of eleven years. 

1. Time Management 

As a former student-athlete, I would miss classes very often due to traveling for pre/in-season games. In order t combat falling behind in my courses, I would try to get ahead in any possible way that I could. For instance, if there was a project or homework assignment that was due when I was gone or when I came back, I would turn in the work early so that I did not have to worry about it while on the road. These types of work habits have followed me even after I decided to hang up my shoes a bit early. 

2. Punctuality 

As an athlete, I would always be afraid of being late. Hence, I would always make sure I showed up to practice at least a half hour early. This was to ensure that I was warmed up, stretched, and mentally focused. All athletes know that being even a minute late could cost the entire team a vast punishment that no one would ever want to know about. 

There was one year when one of my teammates who will not be named, did not know up to practice. She did not tell our coach anything. No call. No text. Nothing. As a result, our coach was absolutely livid and tired of the same occurrences happening over and over. Consequently, he made the entire team run at least twenty suicides. Fortunately, I was injured at the time and could not run. Punctuality is common courtesy. Showing up on time lets others know that you respect their time as much as you respect them. 

3. Basketball is a Metaphor for Life

I remember after an AAU tournament one year I read on a mother's jacket and it said: Basketball is a game of life. At first, I honestly thought that was the stupidest and most cliche thing I have ever heard. However, the more I thought about it, the more it made sense to me. 

I think of my teammates similar to co-workers in life; constantly working together to achieve the same goals. I think of my coaches similar to a boss in life; they are always telling you what to do and guiding you to achieve similar goals. I think of the officials similar to the people in life that are critical of us. Officials call our almost all of our mistakes. I think of practice as the time to make mistakes, learn, and build chemistry amongst your teammates. I think of games as a place to demonstrate all the hard work put into throughout the week. The points scored in the game is a product of all the hard work put in during week. Basketball is a metaphor for life and teaches players life skills that are not taught in the classroom. 

4. Interpersonal Skills 

Basketball teaches players how to set differences aside in order to achieve a similar goal: win. Similarly, in life we need to learn how to work with others we might not necessarily like or that might have differences in order to become successful.