All of the years I spent playing basketball, I have gone through thinking quitting was never an option.

I virtually lived by the famous Don Haskin's quote to Bobby Jo Hill from the movie Glory Road, "You wanna quit? You quit now, you quit every day for the rest of your life."

It was such an emotionally powerful scene for me that I had it instilled in my mind that quitting basketball, or anything for that matter, was never going to become an action I pursued.

I loved the game of basketball and I believed that it loved me back through all the hard work, dedication and heart I had - I was convinced.

But I was wrong.

Several years ago I dealt with a coach that destroyed my confidence in ways I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy.

This was at a point in my life where I was supposed to be carefree, where I was supposed to discover who I was and what I wanted to become. I was supposed to be involved, have a lot of friends and just be happy.

Instead, I was the girl who was going to a therapist to work through the mental abuse I was suffering through on a daily basis.

I was the girl who couldn't (and still can't) even take a compliment because it felt so unnatural to hear. Compliments come as a shock to me.

I was the girl who questioned every single possibility and outcome before doing something.

I was the girl who had constant anxiety attacks from the stress I inflicted upon my body because I didn't want to mess up at practice or in a game.

For three years, I was asked repeatedly, "Why do you keep doing this to yourself?" or "Is it even worth it? It's just basketball."

It all began to sound like a broken record.

At that time, it wasn't "just basketball" to me. It was my way of expression. The gym served as my sanctuary, a place that could save me from all of my problems no matter how bad they might have been. It wasn't "just basketball" because it was my life and most importantly, it had ahold of my heart.

So I kept replaying the same thing over and over in my head to help me push forward through all of the pain, the stress, the mental and emotional abuse:

"You wanna quit? You quit now, you quit every day for the rest of your life."

It wasn't until my junior year of college that I truly realized that what was done to me before didn't matter anymore.

Everything that I had to deal with those years couldn't be undone. This isn't something I should ever hold on my shoulders because none of it was ever under my control.

What truly mattered is what I was doing to myself.

The past three years of my time at college I spiraled back into the dark place I was years prior. I wasn't the person I knew I was. I was back to being insecure with myself, I was rude, I didn't hold any ounce of confidence and quite frankly, I was lost.

It took me three additional years to realize that what I was feeling and who I was becoming isn't normal at any age or point in your life.

I knew that this isn't the girl I am or who I want to be.

It doesn't take too long to get sucked into destructive, toxic environments that do nothing to bring you down - especially when you are already vulnerable to those situations.

So, here I am, a junior in college who just weeks ago announced I was quitting to my coaches and teammates.

It's not because I couldn't physically handle the practices, the time commitment or the extra work outside of practice - it was because I WASN'T HAPPY.

When you are surrounded by nothing but manipulation, drama and a negative environment by people of authority year by year, it starts to get old.

You start to realize that you don't even know what you are capable of doing outside of sports or the person you are capable of being to others.

The sad thing is that just about anyone you talk to in sports always harps about the repercussions of quitting and how it defines you as a person.

"You'll never make it in the real world" or "You have to live with that for the rest of your life, you know that right?"

It's bullshit that anyone could ever look you in the eyes and tell you that you aren't going to get a job, be successful or be able to live with yourself all because you quit a sport or something didn't bring you happiness.

Since quitting, I have had the biggest weight lifted off my shoulders. I don't have to deal with negativity on a daily basis or the mental and emotional abuse flare-ups that I suffered from long before.

I have become more involved with clubs and organizations on my campus. I became the editor-in-chief for the Odyssey at my college and I have internships that I will be pursuing this summer through next year.

Most importantly, I can now spend time with people who I genuinely want to be around and do whatever I want without feeling drained.

Even though I won't be continuing basketball anymore, I can whole-heartedly say that I am winning and succeeding through my involvement, academics, friends, family and experiences I take on.

I'm winning and succeeding not because I scored the most points in a game, rather because I am actually taking the time to figure out myself and the important things in life outside of sports.

I didn't choose to quit, I made a conscious decision to choose fulfillment and happiness for my life.