I remember walking into the gym the very first day of summer with apprehension and excitement. I looked around to see players twice my size in height and skill. Standing at five feet, you walked up to me and said, "Hi shorty, what position do you play?" I shook my head in nervousness. "We are going to make you into a point guard." Those were the words you promised me the very first day. You kept your promise. You not only made me into the player I am today, but also the person I have become.
You were unlike any coach I had ever had before. You were tough and pushed every player to their limit. I remember crying after every practice for a few weeks because you scared me so much. Without realizing it, you were making me stronger. I grew up quick and took every critique you had because you were just trying to make me better. You taught me new things every practice and every game that we had. Although you were demanding of us, you never failed to tell every player what they did well. You inspired me and others to become a better player. We were excited to play for you because although you were tough, you were inspiring as well.
My sophomore year, I became your point guard. We bickered like an old married couple every game. But you never gave up on us and still expected us to be the best that we could be. My favorite memory was at a game during half-time: you wrote on the white board, "Defense sucks," and just walked out. That was the epitome of your coaching. To some, it might seem extreme, but for us, it was motivation. We had the utmost respect for you and we never wanted to let you down. Despite the fact that you scared us half the time, you made sure we were always having fun. I will never forget all the laughs and memories made with our team.
Ironically you became friends with my parents, and you have become more like family to me. I was heartbroken when you weren't my coach anymore because I had learned so much from you. However, you never stopped supporting me and never stopped coaching me. You still watched me play and always told me how I could improve. You always cared about all your players and knew each and every one of their strengths and weaknesses. You spent countless hours trying to be the best coach you could be for us. Additionally, you cared about all of our grades and made sure we were doing good in school. You still encourage me to be the best student and person I can be.
I will always miss our bantering on and off the court. And I am forever grateful that I had you as a coach. More importantly, I have someone who I consider family. You are full of wisdom and sarcasm, the best combination that you can get. I know that I can always come to you for advice whether it is about basketball or just about life. Basketball brought me so many fun memories and important people in my life. I am so happy to say that you were one of them. I thank you for teaching me the game of basketball, but most importantly about the game of life.
