I have been playing for the i-slam basketball league for a couple of years now. I can say that every year I have gotten a little better. Unlike many of my basketball buddies, I never played organized ball in high school and as a result, I have had a hard time adjusting to the full court game. It’s different than half court and it’s taken me unusually long to adjust to it. The trick (I suppose) is to slow the game down and only resort to a few moves on the offensive side. It’s hard to learn these things when you don’t have a coach at your disposal.
This past i-slam season has undoubtedly been the best experience of my life in terms of basketball. It all started when one our top player left the team at the end of last season. This left a huge void on the offensive side as he averaged over 20 points per game. But this gave me the opportunity to finally showcase my skills. Since I was getting more opportunities to score and handle the rock, I increased my season point average to about 20 points per game which was an increase of 10 points per game as compared to last season. My rebounds and assists also went up. But not only was I doing better statistically, but more importantly I felt much more confident and I could sense that my teammates believed in me. It was a great feeling to have the trust of my teammates and I used the confidence they gave me to have the best season of my life.
Two weeks ago our season ended as we lost in the quarterfinals of the playoffs. I had the ball in my hands with about 10 seconds to go in a game where we trailed by just one point. Out of the timeout, our play was initiate a “mismatch” where I would be isolated against the big man on the other team. The play unfolded just the way we had designed it; I had the ball in my hands with the big man guarding me. Instead of pulling up or driving, I noticed that my teammate was wide open and I passed him the ball. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get a shot up and we lost the game. It was a heartbreaking loss. I still vividly remember every detail of the play… and the aftermath of it. The taste of defeat left me at a loss. In the past week, I have replayed the finally 10 seconds over and over in my head and I am still not convinced that I am over it. It’s going to take time but I have learned a lot as a result of playing this season. Even though I apparently played a great game and had a great season (Most Improved Player, Three Point Champion, First Team All-Star) it means nothing to me because we lost. I know it’s a cliche and all but that’s how I feel.
If there was one thing I learned this season, it was the importance of confidence. If you believe in yourself then anything is possible. Confidence is key not only in basketball but in life as well. Having said that, slowing the game down and practicing elementary basketball moves is probably the only reason I am now considered a good full court player.
I can’t wait ’till next season! Go Kawthar!
2008, is first off the bench on a good defensive/offensive sequence for the Raptors. Chris Bosh makes $175,738.793 per game (that is if he plays all 82 games). Jermaine O’Neal makes $260,396.341 per game (or more because he hasn’t been fit enough to play every game in this young season). Jose Calderon makes $90,707.536 per game. If these players don’t want to play in Toronto… cool. If no players want to play in Toronto: freakin’ amazing. Don’t play. We don’t want to pay a sorry ass team that doesn’t have the will to win. It’s a freakin’ recession… I feel sorry for all season seat holders.