Jeremy Lin #7

After the final buzzer rang out into the packed arena, this short once forgettable kid not much older than me, walked off the court with a smile on his face and sweat dripping down off his chin to his already soaked blue and orange jersey. He just scored 38 points against one of the arguably best basketball teams in the western hemisphere also rivaling and outscoring one of the best shooting guards to ever grace the hardwood. Looking up at the score board, his team won in stunning fashion 85 to 92 all he could do is to think about how his future had no way but to go up. Handshakes, butt slaps, high fives and hugs all surrounded him as he got to his bench. The electricity and insanity of the crowd, the uproar of cameras bright flashes snapping all hitting his fatigued body caused him to show his humble smile even more and he would probably smile for the rest of his career.

Jeremy Lin, probably the most unintimidating professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association. He was already released from one organization and was dwindling on being fired once again but this time was different. He was a reserve guard that never played that season but due to injury would be forced to have to start for the first time in his professional career for the New York Knicks.  Taking the court in the best basketball league on Earth must already feel like an elephant sitting on your chest but starting in an NBA game for the first time is so much pressure I wouldn’t dare to want to imagine the feeling. He wasn’t drafted, he had played in the Developmental league for the NBA, and he was so humble of a person that when he was stopped from gaining access to the practice facility in New York by security because they didn’t believe that he was an actual player, all he could do was laugh and smile until finally being allowed in after the mix-up.

A graduate from Harvard in Economics and he was still sleeping on his teammates couch. Jeremy Lin is probably the best inspiration to student athletes that education is more important but you should never give up on your dreams because one day you may get your chance to attain your dreams. Jeremy Lin never gave up, never lost hope, never stopped but he worked hard in the classroom to gain access to the greatest school in the nation and was able to participate in Ivey league athletics. In reality he might not have been the best player, made all the right decisions or played such perfect games that he deserved to go to straight professional play, but anyone who can come from such a low to a high such as him, in my mind deserves a lot of recognition. I think that my situations in basketball and life are bad and that I dig myself in holes that I can’t see the top to but he can go through all that he has and keep the same resolve, and a never quit attitude.  I plan to adopt his mentality and to prove to myself that I can do whatever I want if put my mind to it and that one day my chance might come and I have to come through on it.

Now in the NBA with a new franchise, new city, new contract, and new faces he’s ready to be painted a franchise player. He’s on magazine covers and billboards and has a big fat new 35million dollar contract to play in my hometown, for the Houston Rockets. I can’t wait to see how he does this year and how when put in front of adversity how he comes out. Good or bad he’s my inspiration and will still be my hero.  

The difference between winning and succeeding

http://www.ted.com/talks/john_wooden_on_the_difference_between_winning_and_success.html


John Wooden, a very successful basketball coach that once coached at UCLA for several years, states in this video that "You can lose when you outscore somebody in a game. And you can win when you’re outscored.” I think this relates to my blog because what he is saying is you can learn from your failures and hurtles become a better competator. My blog is all about picking my self up and keeping my cool even when things with basketball don't go my way. I learn to succeed by my failures and by doing this I become a better player and person on and off the court. Nobody is perfect,  because life isn't perfect and basketball is an imperfect game. I hope that one day I can be as successful as John wooden and wise as him so I can spread what I have learned to my peers and children as what ever path they choose in life they know that failing is just apart of the journey to success

Inspirational Quote of the day!

 

Who died and put you in charge??

 

As an 18 year old male that is able to vote, able to fight in a war, and able to make important decisions on your own and then being told what to do how to do something or when to do something, kind of creates a lingering heart sunk feeling in your chest that no matter what won’t go away. This feeling is called pride. I don’t know why this develops this way nor why it has to happen in the first place but I think it’s a mental and physical road block on my way through life. Should I be told what to do by my peers?

CRITICISM VS.  COACHING

No, but while working with others is necessary to be productive, especially in a sport where the only friends you’re going to have will be the four others that surround you on the court. My overall success will result in listening to the right people, preforming my role to the best of my ablility, and most importantly my self.

 

With all the teams I’ve been involved with I still have trouble with dealing with others attitudes. Bad attitudes can deflect and sabotage a team’s goal on why they’re there in the first place from wanting to win to an individualized popularity contest among the players and coaches. Why does this happen? Well from my experience the causes are mostly players trying to be coaches, playing time, or maybe being the best of the best at losing.  Playing time or suffering the fate of the charlotte bobcats (who went 7-59 in the 2012 NBA season) isn’t something you can just directly impact because it is based on what the coach thinks of your playing and simply, if your team plays better than the other. You have to ask yourself when working with others; Am I a good teammate? Do I play my role? Do my teammates trust me?  Do I have the right to dish out criticism and receive it?  After you ask yourself these questions you might come to the conclusion that peers that are trying to direct you that aren’t doing their job to their full potential , usually aren’t trust worthy, and it creates problems. This is where my problem lies with my current situation. All these directing voices trying to guide me to where they want, what they want me to do, or how they want me to play disturbs me. Why should I listen to others in the same boat as I? Who died and put them in charge of uncertain variables and my body? Why do people what me to be perfect in an imperfect game, an imperfect world? I want to be coached, not by someone who has one more year of experience, or two or three. I trust my coaches with a life time’s worth of experience in the game and myself that I can be a good ball player. I feel I am my own person and the way I am to be successful on the court as in life would be to ignore what isn’t important, keep calm and play ball.

What does KEEP CALM AND PLAY BALL mean?



KEEP CALM

Coming to a new place, not knowing anyone, being over 2,000 miles from home and all I can do is wonder how I ended up here. Coming from a place you thought was your whole world to only find out that you can't even find your home on a map. Coming from a place with flat land and with horizon all around but basketball courts, football fields and trees to only find out you'd be leaving it behind for greater endeavors. Coming from a place I thought the end of the street was where the world ended and the house I lived in, the begining of my life each day had started, to a place where I couldn't tell you where my mail box is. Coming from a place where I had seen the storms that I thought would kill me only made me stronger to a place with weaker storms but diasaters still in sight. Coming from a place where I walked the fine line between love and hate each day, to a place where the line could become even thinner. Coming from a place where playing ball was everything to a place where playing ball is more than everything. Coming from a place where my I would push myself and tell myself to take risks to a place where I can only tell myself is to KEEP calm.

AND PLAY BALL

The grooves and bumps on the ball lay softly upon my finger tips as I get ready to release it. I feel the power come from the ground up, coming from the movement of my muscles. It shoots through the soles of my feet to the middle of my stomach to the flick of my elbows and wrists and the ball is released. Its tragectory is off it bounces off the back rim on the right side and flings off the goal to only bounce back to me. But I keep shooting. I do this two more times before it finally goes in and I can only feel slight progress as I knock down the next two and then three and then four in a row. Each day knives cutt into my knees and soon stinging ice is there to sooth the pain but I keep jumping. Before I even decided to play I was told I was to stupid to play this game, so I keep learning. I made a promise to master this game before I die and promised a dying man that I would complete such a task, so I keep living. I don't know where I'm going to end up with my new journey, so I keep traveling. I don't know what new probblems may present themselves so I think of the repetitive saying, and so I say to myself, Keep calm and play ball.