Heart Over Height

Growing up, I was always the smallest kid in the class. I always got overlooked by the boys who magically were growing beards and mustaches before I barely hit puberty. It was rough being the baby face, scrawny little pip-squeak in class who all the teachers referred to as “the cute little shy boy”. Their size definitely played a part in my insecurities about my body and in my belief in myself. Confidence was something I struggled with growing up. Although I seemed like the stereotypical ‘nerd’, I was always very athletic and full of energy, so I decided to give basketball a try. When tryouts came around I was nervous and scared that I wouldn’t even make it home afterwards because these 8th graders were giants compared to me.

Throughout the first drills we took part in, you could sense the nervousness inside of me escaping my body. My confidence was diminished. I just could feel my opportunity to make the team was over. At this point I was just hopeful that the coaches may look for potential instead of my performance. I guess seeing that I was down, one of the 8th graders, Xavier, I will never forget his name, came up to me and said “Hey man if you want to make the team you need to relax and just have fun.” I know it doesn’t seem like such an inspirational event but it really helped to get through the tryouts and even make the team. I never had a friend who supported me and tried to motivate me to become a better version of myself. After practice I told X “Thanks for your advice” and it was like a new fuel was inside when I came to practice the next day and I even made a new friend.

It’s funny that I actually thought I could make it to the NBA, but I worked really hard but once again my size was my disadvantage and it began to break my spirit. I tried talking to my coach, who I also knew outside of school, about actually getting to play in the games. I was quickly shut down as he said, “I wasn’t ready and that the older kids had to play first.” During this time I was annoyed with basketball, almost ready to just give it up, as I knew I would probably never touch the court. In addition, our team had been on a losing streak and no one was having fun anymore we were just going through the motions. The really good players stopped caring and became more and more selfish on the court, while coaches tried everything they could to rekindle the chemistry we had at the beginning, when we started off on fire. A change needed to be made to give our team some morale heading into the final part of the season so late in the 4th quarter my coach did something unexpected and put all the 6th graders into a game that was a blow out. I knew my chance finally came and I had to take advantage of it. I went in there and tried to make an impact. Within the first 30 seconds of being in I got a steal and transitioned to the other side for my first points in middle school. I remember X and my other teammates cheering for me on the sideline chanting “Let’s go Ty!” In that moment I felt so good about myself and knew that I was capable of anything I put my mind to.

We made it to the playoffs but sadly lost in the second round. There were lots of different emotions I felt after the game disappointment in losing but proud of my growth by the end of the season. X was also proud of me and he continued to be a role model even after the season. This moment has stuck with me to this day because it showed me the value of hard work and perseverance. This story is bigger than just basketball. It showed me that in life to succeed you have to believe in yourself, have a plan and stick to it no matter what you face. Also, the importance of surrounding yourself with people that want to see you succeed and do well is a must.