FCYU-Feature Story

Playing for a Dream
Basketball keeps me feeling good

By Martin S.

As a little boy I always dreamed of becoming an NBA basketball player. When I was about 5 or 6 years old I began to watch it on television and I’d always root for my favorite team, the New York Knicks.

While I was in elementary school I’d play ball during my recess and I’d always manage to score more points than my classmates. At a young age, I realized I was good at this sport. We played in gym class a lot. I played position guard or sometimes forward, since I was one of the tallest people on the team.

A Dream Come True

One day we were playing in gym and the other team took the lead, 58 to 57 with 10 seconds left. My nervous coach called a time out and decided that I would take the shot to determine whether or not we win the game.

My heart was beating out of my chest as I passed the ball to my closest team member and ran to the three-point line. With two seconds left I closed my eyes and took the best shot that I could.

I did not even see if the shot went in or not but when I opened my eyes, the scoreboard read 60 to 58! Everybody came rushing toward me. I had won the game for the team! It was the first time in my life that I had a dream that came true.

Ever since that day, basketball has played a big role in my life. It gives me a chance to escape from my problems and helps me feel good about myself.

When I got a little older, my big brother taught me how to play according to street ball rules. The rules in street ball are different than in an official game because there are more tricks you can get away with. We used to play in the park around the corner where everybody from the neighborhood went to play basketball.

The first time I went there to play, all the kids were looking at me because they didn’t know me. I didn’t really feel comfortable. Most of the guys were older, taller, and bigger than me so they took advantage of the court. They would run full-court basketball games so that nobody else could play.

That day I was there with my brother and a couple of our friends from the neighborhood. We told the guys on the court that we wanted to play, but they said no. Maybe they thought we couldn’t play because we were small and young. So we challenged them to a ten point game.

Learning to Win

I never thought that we’d be able to compete with the older guys, but we won the game, 10-9.

We all were so happy that we were screaming and jumping with excitement. At that moment I was in heaven; couldn’t nobody tell me nothing. And after a while, the older kids started going up to the court a few blocks down.

After that day I had a better understanding of how to play the game. My brother and I would play every day in the summertime trying to get better and better. I began to look at basketball as more than just a sport. My goal was to become a pro player and I was on a mission to make my dream come true. That kept me motivated to move forward every day.

Escaping My Worries

Basketball also helped me with the problems I was facing in my everyday life. When I would get stressed about everything going on at home between me and my brother and my godfather, I would play ball to calm down.

It was like every time I played basketball all my pain, stress and worries just went away. When I was on the court I would not think about the chores that I had to do when I got home or my godfather screaming at me because I forgot to clean my room.

Every time I played I got a sense of freedom, and basketball became my favorite escape. Every time I won I felt good about myself and I felt relieved. I did not like to lose while playing basketball because every time I lost that sense of freedom would disappear. I’d get frustrated and ask for a rematch until I won.

Part of a Team

When I was old enough I joined a junior Knicks basketball team. At the time, I was going through a lot of family problems. My godfather was very strict on me. I was having problems keeping up with the work in school and I felt pressured to pass all my classes and get good grades. Basketball got me out of the house so I didn’t have to deal with my godfather.

In the past I’d always dealt with my stress by smoking weed. But the coach would give random drug tests and if one came up positive you were off the team, just like that, no second chances. I loved the game so much I couldn’t do anything to risk getting kicked off. Now when I would get upset I couldn’t just go and smoke. I had to deal with it in a different way, which was to go and play basketball.

Being on the team was a very good experience for me. I met new people who shared dreams like mine. It was easier for me to relate to them because we went through similar situations at home, like not having enough food in the house and always getting into trouble at home and school. The other kids on the team were cool and really friendly, and we were very close.

I’m too old for the junior Knicks now, but basketball still plays a major role in my life. These days I play for my high school. Being on the team puts me in the public eye and has helped me start to meet girls and be considered one of the popular kids at school. And once again I get the chance to do something that really makes me feel good about myself. I still keep my dream in mind, that one day I will go to the NBA and be the best of the best.