February 18th, 2016 | Uncategorized
Whenever someone asks me why I love basketball I instantly think back to my childhood. The moment when I finally became strong enough to just get the ball high enough to reach the rim made me feel like I was on top of the world. The joy of finally being able to dribble the basketball between my legs the way I saw Michael Jordan and Allen Iverson do so effortlessly seemed like the greatest achievement in the world.
This past weekend was my first time coaching children ages 6-8 years old. I was asked to lead both their practice on Saturday and game on Sunday. I didn’t know exactly what to expect right before Saturdays practice. I decided I would make practice fun by doing some of the things that I enjoyed while playing basketball at their age. At that age I just wanted the basketball in my hands (not much has changed) so I made sure everyone had a ball during all of our drills. The children had so much joy as they played it was contagious. I literally could not stop smiling as we went from drill to drill. On Sunday it was game time and I could see the nervousness, excitement, and anticipation on each of their faces. The game brought the competitive spirit out of them as they cheered for each other and ran as hard as they could from one end of the court to the other. I was asked 230,000 times “Coach is it time for us to go in the game”. The energy that those children brought to the game was infectious. I started giving out high fives to everyone and cheering louder then the children at times. Coaching the Andersontown Cubs reminded me of all of the feelings that made me fall in love with basketball as a child. I want to replicate these feelings in every vision and goal I embark on in the future. “To God Be The Glory”
Present University: Ulster University
US League: East Coast Conference
Club/Community Partner Ulster Elks/ Andersonstown Tigers
Alma Mater: St Thomas Aquinas College
Sponsored By: Teamwear Ireland
