After graduating high school two years ago, I gave up my eight consecutive year-round basketball life. This was a decision that had been a long time coming. Although I loved the sport, I just had an inkling that my time in college would be better spent in other organizations.

Since I dedicated eight years of my life to playing basketball, here are some of the best life lessons I learned.

1. Your teammates will be there for each other, win or lose

You might not be best friends with your teammates, but when it comes down to it you win and lose together and that's all that counts.

2. Everybody has an "Off" game (day)

Some days you'll just be off your 100% game, and that's okay.

3. Injuries don't always take you out of the game

You might have taken a hard fall or rolled an ankle, but you probably went back in to continue to play in that game or you came right back the next game. This was especially true for me in my Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) league (summer basketball). We always had just enough team members to play, so we all went right back in the games.

4. You can push yourself much farther

Running to be conditioned for the season, I always thought I would give up or fall over. But guess what? I never did. You'll be surprised at how much you can push your body to its limits.

5. Your memory is probably better than you think

There were so many times that I thought, "I'm never going to remember these offensive or defensive plays in a game situation." But when it came down to it, I didn't do too bad with my memorization.

6. Getting a foul shot routine down is priority

Just like a foul shot, in college and life you need to get a routine going (at least somewhat) of what you need to accomplish. I found that this simple lesson helps in finding out your top life priorities later on.

Basketball might have only been a short part of my life so far, but I hope to one day get back into playing. It is not just a sport to me, it is so much more.