My Best Years

by exb11

There are many things that I have experienced that I could write in this essay. I am choosing to tell you about two things that are most important in my life. First I am going to talk about sixth grade.

In sixth grade I was introduced to Claremont Middle School. At first the school was hard to get used too, but because I had so many friends from my previous school I was okay. In sixth grade I started to play basketball. I always knew about basketball, but since my mom played in college (way back when) she wanted me to follow in her footsteps. I tried out for my first AAU team when I was about 11. Luckily I made it, and my mom was really proud of me, as was I. Once I started going to practices and getting to know the coaches I started to get more comfortable with the team and the overall EBX organization. I wasn’t the best player but I soon began playing in camps and working on my game.

Then, in the seventh grade I was one of the starters and I got really good. Almost every weekend I would go to a two-hour clinic that was called Triple Threat Academy. The coaches were Tony and Lou. They were probably the two best players I have ever seen play in person. They really inspired to me to get better. I remember the first time I ever went to the clinic I thought to myself “I wish I was as good as them.” Soon enough my coach picked up on my improvement in basketball and called my mom. He told her about my good effort and hard work in practice. I was really happy because in the seventh grade my team started traveling to Reno, L.A, and Oregon. I earned my starting position and became great friends with one of my teammates, Taylor Norman.

During the eighth grade is when everything happened. I applied for two high schools and the process was really expensive and long but it all came out great in the end. I got into both of the high schools, and I was really proud of myself because I knew a lot of kids applied. The schools I applied to were Bishop O’Dowd and Saint Mary’s College High school. Because I got into both, I had to pick one. In the end I picked BOD, mostly because they have both a better academic program and basketball team. My mom was okay with my decision either way, but she was especially happy because my brother also goes to BOD and she said she wouldn’t have to waste any gas going to and from both schools.

These three years of my life have changed me a lot. I have gotten more mature (which is probably hard to believe for some) and I know I have become a better person through school and basketball. I am really glad I got to spend my middle school days at Claremont. I met a lot of life long friends, and I became a more aware person.