When I think about my senior year, one word comes to mind: basketball.
It wasn’t just a sport—it was the heartbeat of my final year of high school. From the afternoon practices to late-night games, from team huddles to bus rides filled with laughter, basketball was the constant that shaped everything.
I remember walking into the gym on the first day of the season, not knowing how the year would go. I just knew I wanted to make it count. And somehow, between the sweat, the struggles, and the wins, it became something more than I ever expected.
Basketball gave me structure when everything else felt uncertain. Senior year is full of pressure—college decisions, grades, friendships changing—but basketball grounded me. It taught me how to lead, how to be part of something bigger than myself, and how to keep going even when I was tired, frustrated, or unsure.
There were high points, like the time we beat Washington in overtime at their gym for the first time in my career. But the best parts weren’t always on the scoreboard. It was the feeling of walking off the court knowing we gave everything. It was the teammates who turned into brothers and family. It was the sense of pride wearing our school’s name across my chest. Basketball made my senior year unforgettable—not because of trophies or stats, but because of the person it helped me become.
My fondest memory of basketbal season is when we made the playoffs in sophomore year for the first time in my career against Academy High School and it was a big relief because we put in a lot of work after coming up short the year before. Basketball has taught me that even if you fail you should keep going because in the end it’ll eventually pay off.
One of the biggest disappointments through my career was in sophomore year when we made the playoffs and played the undefeated Lincoln team. We started off to a rough start, being down double digits at half time, we pushed through and came back down two points with 10 seconds left. One of our players got a very nice steal and had a wide open lay up but sadly smoked it and we lost.
As I get ready to graduate, I know I’ll take those lessons with me. No matter where I go next, I’ll always remember that it was basketball that made my senior year what it was—real, challenging, and completely worth it. Disclaimer, some of this information may not be mine or true
