To my AAU basketball coach,

There have been many people who have walked in and out of my life throughout my basketball career, but fortunately you stayed right by my side for about eight years straight. You, my friend, have been one of the biggest inspirations to me, not only as a basketball player, but as well as a person. Thank you for always restoring my confidence and faith when I needed it the most.

You're probably reading this, shocked that such nice words can come out of my mouth, because when did I ever get emotional and really let you know how much you meant to me? You got to see different sides of me that not even my best friends have seen. But that's probably because we spent weekends, many late nights during the week and most summers together. Not only have you seen those sides, but you always had to put up with them and I truly commend you for that. You've seen me almost get thrown out of some games, you've yelled at me multiple times because of how hungover I was at 8am games (I still did my best), and you've witnessed how angry and discouraged I can get after not doing so well sometimes. But most importantly -- you've watched me grow from being that little seventh grader who was severely attached to you, into a college girl who wouldn't be the person she is today without you. Something that separated you from the other coaches in my life was the way you valued my opinion. You listened to what I had to say and never pushed me aside. There were games that I definitely didn't feel like putting my energy into (because we're all human and allowed to have emotions), but I knew that you would be disappointed in me if I let my team down, and disappointing you was the last thing I ever wanted to do.

At such a young age, you forced me to become a leader the minute I joined your team. 12-year-old me had no idea what being a leader meant. But it wasn't too long until you always wanted the ball in my hands -- even at times when I thought I wasn't able to do it. Being a leader is something that'll not only benefit me on the court but in life as well and if it weren't for you, I would've never learned that. Thank you for always hearing out what I had to say and explaining me why you thought maybe my ideas wouldn't work in certain situations. Instead of shooting me down, you brought out the clipboard and walked me through everything one step at a time - which was more than any coach has ever done for me.

Thank you for making basketball fun for me. All of those late nights in foreign cities will always be some of my best memories as a teenager. I must say though that my favorite tournament was the week we spent in Chicago at a high class haunted hotel. I actually broke down into tears in your hotel room and refused to leave your side because I was always terrified of those paranormal stories. That week brought the team and I closer than we ever were. We spent some nights down at the piers out looking the beautiful Chicago skyline and shared stories with each other that we'll never forget. But unfortunately, at some point during my high school career basketball was no longer "fun" for me. It was political and all about who won and scores the most points. But I had you to turn to ... to change all of that around. I know you were expecting me to continue my career throughout college, as were my parents, but halfway through senior year I made the decision not to. I felt like I had let you down because both you and I put so much time and effort into tournaments, showcases, and getting my name out there to the college coaches. Still to this day I look back and hope that I never let you down.

Thank you for always having faith in me when the clock was running down and the score was extremely tight. Summer league going into my junior year of high school was one that’ll always stand out to me, and hopefully you too. We were playing in a gym with no air conditioner in 90 degree weather. You knew how exhausted everyone on the court was but you still found some way to motivate each of us to pull out this game. The game was tied and we had the ball the last possession of the game. I distinctly remember standing wide open in the corner waiting patiently for someone to pass me the ball. I looked at the clock with five seconds left knowing that I’d have to put up the shot as fast as I could. As soon as the ball left my hands, I knew it went in. The buzzer went off and you were the first person I ran and jumped to. Even if the ball didn’t go in, you were still going to be OK with me taking that shot – you always told me that I need to be more selfish and at that moment I was.

Thank you for telling me that I need to move my feet more on defense. Thank you for screaming at me from the sideline to step up and pressure the ball every single possession. Thank you for being the only voice I was able to hear when I was on the court. Thank you for believing in me when no one else did. For everything you’ve ever done for me, there is no way that I can repay you.

Love always,

#24 — your mini me.