My feet were moving quickly, so quick that it would look like I was running but I wasn’t(I knew I shouldn’t have gotten a ride from my mom) I was on my way to the main gym. Everyone already arrived, while I was rushing to put my shoes on. AAU is a whole new level of basketball, I was scared, that if I mess up Coach Kesha will regret placing me on this team. So it was time to show what I was really made of.

   “Konnor hurry up! You don’t wanna be lost once we start.” Coach K said with a giggle.

    Before we started conditioning we stretched out a bit, it was exciting considering I was leading it. The gym walls echoed after us.

“1…2…3…4…5…6…7…8…9…10.” I felt like I was  growing to be a good leader for the team.

     It was time for conditioning and can I say, it was some hard work! We did each exercise for 1-2mins, and coaches mins. are long. After the first 2 exercises, I felt like my heart was gonna pop out my chest! We took a 3 minute break and Coach K was attempting to speak over our heavy breathing. “I know you guys might think I’m trying to kill you or I’m being mean, but I’m just trying to make you a better basketball player, and ya’ll need to be conditioned enough to play your games tomorrow, because you have 4 games”. It’s nice to know that coach cares…….wait did she just say 4 games! 4 games in one day, I have never had that many games in one day before. But I knew I could think about that later.

      Time past and it was only a few more minutes until  my  first AAU practice  was over and I don’t want it to be, but this girl on my team Mikayla is starting to influence that decision. She’s is so bosy and thinks that she knows everything. And I don’t know how I can continue being on a team with her.

    “ I don’t like that girl Konnor, she think she know everything. Telling what to do like she’s our coach.” said Kayla.

        “ Kayla be nice and plus you should get to know her because she’s actually a nice girl.” said Karinna in her soft little voice.

      “ Sure Karinna I will believe that when pigs fly!”That was the only negative part about my new experience in basketball.

          But I had bigger things to worry about, I still couldn’t wrap my head around 4 games back to back(that means non-stop)! I was thinking of a whole bunch of things. Like,what if I get a lot of turn-overs? Or what if I traveled? Or pass the ball to the other team? Or worst…miss a shot?!?!  Oh no, this will be the worst weekend of my life.

     The other night I could barely close my eyes , I was tossing and turning so much that my mom might’ve checked up on me a couple of times.

         “That was a lot of tossing and turning last night, was it bad dreams “?

“No”. I said hoping she wouldn’t find out why I’m nervous and then give me a long lecture on how “…everybody get’s nervous Konnor so you have nothing to worry about, because I remember one time at my job…” yeah I was not gonna hear that story…again.

               Today was the big day and I can’t believe I didn’t get enough sleep and the game was at 7:00am and I was almost about to have heart attack because my slow mom was going to make me late for my first game.

“Mom, can you please hurry up the game is at 6:30 and we’re gonna be late”! Even though the game was at 7:00 I just needed to say something to put some hop in her step. The game was at George Mason University and it is only exactly 30mins or less away. Plus my mom is a speedy driver so I had not much to worry about.

     We hopped in the car and then we were off. The car ride was longer than I thought and awkward because my mom does not know to hold a nice conversation. All she did was talk and talk and talk! I was complete tourcher. And plus was tired so I think I fell asleep half of the time she was talking. When I got there I was suddenly not tired anymore, my eyes went around the field house so much people started starring at me like I was crazy.

      “Hey, Konnor, over here”! The girls from my team called me over and were all sitting in a group laughing and talking about the team we were playing against.

“Eh, did you guys see the team we’re playing against, their over on the other bleachers” said Geonna. And I saw them alright they looked bigger than me and somehow I went from tired to nervous to crazy to sick. I could just imagine what they played like.

       “Come on you guys huddle up”! called coach. “Ok, so I know you guys see how big they are but in basketball or in any sport you’re gonna realize how height doesn’t matter one bit, it’s all about your confidence, hard-work, and your heart. So how about we show all that this morning, and I see how you girls might be tired , but I need ya’ll to suck it up for me and your teammates so let’s go”!

   It was a rush, Plus, I was in the starting 5, I just couldn’t believe this was happening! We all were doing so great, that it was hard to believe this was our first game.

             The score was cut close,and there was but so much time left in the game and then that’s when it happened. One of the girls on the other team fouled me when I went up for a layup and boy that hurt, because she had made the ball hit my index finger. And just my luck I had to shoot 2 free-throws.

   I was under so much pressure, breathing in and out so hard I felt like coughing. And trust me being under pressure is not fun, at all.

“Form, Konnor…form”! Coach K yelled from our bench. But that didn’t make the heat go down. I inhaled and exhaled so loud that people from the other courts can hear me. So it was time to stop stalling and shoot so raised my arms up and followed through and that ball went off the backboard and into the hoop. Everyone cheered but I don’t know why even though I was likely to miss the next shot. But then again I raised up both off my arms and then that small moment happened I could see the ball about to fall out of the hoop, everyone gasped. And then I had the huge feeling I left everyone down .

        But I didn’t, we lost the game but coach said that “…you win some you lose some”. And I completely understood that. But I didn’t like it. Also, after our other 3 games I was dog tired, I felt like my legs were gonna snap off (thank god they didn’t)!

   When my mom and I got home, she was so proud of me. And I was proud of me too. My first few games and I did pretty good. But there were many where that came from and I couldn’t wait, I knew I would become a great basketball player and I was right but I still have many more to learn, I’m a whole new person now and my dream is to play pro and once that day comes it will be magical!