My First Pro-Am Game

Image courtesy of Real Motion Image/On Point Basketball

I’ve wanted to participate in a pro-am for years now. But see there was this huge obstacle that stopped me from joining one. No, it wasn’t due to “politics” or CIS eligibility issues or even a simple lack of time. This huge obstacle that I faced was one that almost every single one of us faces in life.

It was fear.

As much as I really wanted to compete against the best in the city and as much as I wanted to test myself, I was too afraid of failure. Too afraid of finding out that all my hard work wasn’t enough. But how ironic is that. I work so hard to be able to play and compete at that level, but then I was afraid of displaying the results of all my training. The mind works in strange ways at times.

But a very important step I made last summer was recognizing and acknowledging the flaw in my thinking. From there I began working diligently to change it. All summer I self-analyzed and worked relentlessly on changing my way of thinking. I am certain that I worked on my mind as much as my actual skills that summer and once my school season rolled around, I was ready.

I faced my fears at every turn and was amazed at how much things began to change for me.

I went from being one of the last guys off the bench to a starter playing the most overall minutes on the team.

Words can’t describe how proud of myself I am for that. I stepped out of my little comfort zone and began proving to myself and everyone else how good I can be. And now that I have begun seeing the benefits of that decision, I am eager to continue to face my fears. Joining the On Point Pro-Am this summer is a prime example of just that.

Image courtesy of Real Motion Image/On Point Basketball

I’ll admit I was nervous that day right up until I arrived at the Toronto Pan-Am Centre. But once I stepped onto the court for warm-ups, that nervousness was immediately replaced with excitement. I was eager to compete and to continue testing myself.

Now I didn’t shoot the ball particularly well that game. I missed a lot of looks that I usually make. But I’m not concerned about that at all. Because the thing is, even-though I didn’t shoot a great percentage this game, there was a whole lot of positives to take away from it. First of all I was able to get by my man or create my own shot pretty much every time I tried. Not only that, but I was also able to get into the key and create scoring opportunities for other guys consistently, a key ability for point guards. The third thing, and perhaps the thing that I am most proud of is that even though my shot wasn’t falling early, I remained confident and engaged the entire game. It may not sound significant, but it is a huge sign of growth for me. A couple of years ago, I would have allowed the early misses to get to me and I wouldn’t have remained confident. But I have since learned that that is unacceptable if I am to accomplish the things that I want to accomplish.

Playing passively gets you nowhere so I simply can’t afford to do that anymore.

Every single day I make the conscious effort of facing my fears and further strengthening my mentality. July has only just begun and I already feel like I’ve gotten so much better as a player. The funny thing is that a lot of that progress has been a result of what I’ve been doing off the court.

I can’t wait for our next game.

I was once nervous about going up against the best but now, I crave it.