While at the gym I caught the second half of the MSU/Kansas game. Basketball used to be a MAJOR part in my life - in high school I lived and breathed the sport. It was never just a season it was everything - if I wasn’t playing, I was watching (Go Blazers!) or coaching or practicing nearly every day. The whole experience really shaped my teenage years for the good and the bad. On the plus side, I was in amazing shape, made great friends and the sport catered to my competitive side. Although, I was a small one compared to the others on my team (I’m 5’8”/5’9”  on good days), I was fast and a pretty decent player. On the negative, I had coaches that at times were brutal in a completely nonconstructive way. If you weren’t shaping up into the All American they desired you were a failure. And, I’m pretty sure they tried to measure this by how much you could bench press. Anyway, our league was highly competitive, my coaches were harsh and attacks were personal. The best thing I can compare it to is Texas high school football, which I know sounds crazy, but really in the late 90s that hardcore in it to win it mentality could be found in 4A high school girls basketball in Washington State. I reminisced about all this while watching the game today. It’s so funny because I haven’t played basketball seriously in years. It used to be so important and now it’s just a blip on the ol’ radar. My interest and intensity in the sport died after a car accident my senior year set me back. I was never really the same player after that partly because my coach pushed me to play when I should have taken my time rehabbing injuries - the state championships were approaching after all. Ugh, the whole thing kinda disgusts me actually, but I will say that watching college basketball today reminded me why I loved it - ultimately, it’s the game and everything both physical and mental that goes into it. It’s entertaining and emotional and I’m happy to be a fan.  (AP Photo/Al Goldis)
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While at the gym I caught the second half of the MSU/Kansas game. Basketball used to be a MAJOR part in my life - in high school I lived and breathed the sport. It was never just a season it was everything - if I wasn’t playing, I was watching (Go Blazers!) or coaching or practicing nearly every day. The whole experience really shaped my teenage years for the good and the bad. On the plus side, I was in amazing shape, made great friends and the sport catered to my competitive side. Although, I was a small one compared to the others on my team (I’m 5’8”/5’9”  on good days), I was fast and a pretty decent player. On the negative, I had coaches that at times were brutal in a completely nonconstructive way. If you weren’t shaping up into the All American they desired you were a failure. And, I’m pretty sure they tried to measure this by how much you could bench press. Anyway, our league was highly competitive, my coaches were harsh and attacks were personal. The best thing I can compare it to is Texas high school football, which I know sounds crazy, but really in the late 90s that hardcore in it to win it mentality could be found in 4A high school girls basketball in Washington State.

I reminisced about all this while watching the game today. It’s so funny because I haven’t played basketball seriously in years. It used to be so important and now it’s just a blip on the ol’ radar. My interest and intensity in the sport died after a car accident my senior year set me back. I was never really the same player after that partly because my coach pushed me to play when I should have taken my time rehabbing injuries - the state championships were approaching after all. Ugh, the whole thing kinda disgusts me actually, but I will say that watching college basketball today reminded me why I loved it - ultimately, it’s the game and everything both physical and mental that goes into it. It’s entertaining and emotional and I’m happy to be a fan. 

(AP Photo/Al Goldis)

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