You’re in middle school and your dream of making it to the WNBA seems more attainable than ever. You spend all of your time with your closest friends playing the game you love. You are in the heart of some of the greatest moments of your life, and you don’t even know it. So please, hear me out.
Dear Younger Me,
It’s almost time for winter break which means two things for certain. It’s tournament time, and it’s almost Christmas. You’re probably playing in the North Hills tournament all weekend. Your mom has probably taken way too much time all year to follow you and cheer you on in countless tournaments, but she’ll be here for all the games. Her back hurts from sitting in bleachers all weekend, every weekend. She makes sure you have enough water. She drives miles and miles for you to be here on time. Thank her. You wouldn’t be here without her. I mean in this world, but I also mean at all of these tournaments. Seriously, thank her. You have no idea how much she loves seeing you play, but she could be anywhere today, and she chose to be here with you, taking pictures and cheering you on every step of the way.
You’re going to spend an entire weekend in a sweaty old gym eating concession stand food in between the countless games with the best friends you could’ve ever made in middle school: your teammates. Enjoy it. Laugh about that one teammate wearing her jersey backwards again. Make sure you don’t sit next to the teammate who gets motion sickness on the ride there if she doesn’t take her Dramamine, even if she is your best friend. Trust me. Once you get to the gym, make sure you get rid of your gum when you first see a garbage can so that you don’t have to hand it to that one mom who collects it before every game just because she’s so sweet and helpful. But for now and always, please, if you remember nothing else, remember to have fun. The work to remember plays and have a perfected foul shot means absolutely nothing when you aren’t enjoying what you are doing and who you are doing it with. And trust me, you won't remember all the plays or have a perfected foul shot.
Please remember who inspired you and why you chose to play in the first place because these days will soon end and these big dreams will soon be dissolved by reality.
When you’re not playing ball, you’re definitely watching it. Pay attention to what’s happening on the court. I’m not talking about paying attention to how Ivory Latta runs the UNC offense. I’m talking about the team chemistry you see, how the players respect the coaches, how much teamwork goes into making championships happen. I challenge you to not only watch the game in effort to be a better player, but also a better person.
Watch Pat Summitt coach every game you can. When you’re sitting in Nashville with your family who surprised you with UT at Vandy tickets for Christmas to see her 900th win, take the entire environment in. Watch the excitement in Alexis Hornbuckle’s eyes as the team comes back from a 14 point deficit. You are witnessing history in real time. Make it a game you will never forget. High-five strangers, cheer, live in the moment. This feeling won’t last forever. College careers are four or five years at most, and by the time you start to understand the value of a player to a team, they graduate. Remember that.
Every single one of Coach’s players will graduate throughout her entire career. Every. Single. One. Strive to be a champion not just on the court but off as well.
You’ll be a freshman in high school when Coach reaches her 1,000th win over Georgia, and while your dreams of becoming a WNBA player or even a D1 college player will start to dwindle, you must not forget what basketball gave to you. Be grateful for the teammates, families and coaches you have made memories with. Be thankful to those who inspired you throughout your entire journey.
The jersey may be hung up and the tournaments may just be in the past, but the game will never leave your heart. The passion of basketball will forever be inside of you. When you lose a chunk of your childhood, you’ll always remember how that feels. The memories of all the times you laced up and ran through layup warm-ups hoping to be a Lady Vol will soon fade, and the coaches you looked up to will be no more. It’ll be a surprisingly emotional period when this time comes, so please, enjoy it while you can. Take advantage of every game, every moment because when the time comes, you won’t want to be regretful.
The older me will hold the memories of basketball forever in my heart.
Play hard and have fun,
A 21-year old me.
Rest in peace, Coach Summitt. Thank you for all that you did without even knowing it.
