There's a minute on the clock, your team is down by two and has the ball, but the other team has a full court press waiting to attack. Your coach just drew up a three point play for the best shooter on the team, and it's a ride or die situation. The crowd roars behind you, and the student section is going wild. The adrenaline is racing fiercely through everyone's veins, and you can see the fire in their eyes. The ball is inbounded, both teams race up the court in a fight to win over the ball. The play your coach drew is under execution, and now there are only 10 seconds left. The ball reaches the shooters hands, and swishes through the net right as the buzzer goes off.
Being a basketball player, you live for those moments of high intensity with everything at stake, but coming out on top is an indescribable feeling. Every sprint, every extra push up, every extra brush burn, was all worth it in the end, and nothing is more satisfying than winning a close game. Girl's high school basketball makes for a lot of memories, and those girls now carry everything they learned and gained from those four years. If you played high school girl's basketball you can relate to all 18 of these things listed.
1. You now have an endless supply of basketball shorts.
No matter what day of the week, you have a different color to match every workout outfit.
2. You have enough basketball socks to start your own line.
No matter the brand, whether it be Nike, Under Armour or Adidas, there is enough to claim one whole drawer.
3. The amount of tournament or high school basketball shirts or hoodies is enough to stock a side of your closet.
You can never have enough t-shirts, and now you'll never have to buy any for your whole college career.
4. Even if your basketball shoes are completely worn, for some reason you can never get rid of them.
You never know when you will need them again, even if they do smell like a dirty gym locker. They hold a certain place in the heart, and always a favorite basketball memory that will never be forgotten.
5. Your basketball numbers will always be your lucky number.
The number we wore on the back of our jerseys will forever be stained into us.
6. You will never forget the warm-up songs you ran out to.
For every year there was that one distinct song that always got your team hyped before a game. Those songs will always bring back those memories and feelings. Even the songs we jammed out to in the locker room will bring back instant memories, or crazy weird dance moves.
7. If you played travel ball over the summer, those constitute as the top memories and make for the best summers.
The friends you made are most likely now some of your best friends, and forever will be. You'll remember those long days, and the nights you pigged out at the restaurant, where you told the waiter it was one of your birthdays so you could get a free dessert with your meal.
8. You can talk for hours about the days where you and your team had to go through the most grueling practices, with not even a basketball in sight.
Those days are the best, worst memories to look back upon, but every high school athlete can relate to. Looking back now, you were most likely in the best shape of your life, and you can thank all those long extra sprint practices.
9. There's a section in your room that holds all your trophies, medals and plaques throughout your high school basketball career.
Those medals remind you of the happiest times of your life, and will always hold a very special place in your heart.
10. You pretty much lived in your practice gear.
That stinky, crusty, smelly practice jersey was all you basically wore every day, and sometimes what seemed like all day. What was the point of washing the jersey if it was just going to get sweaty and stinky anyways the next day? Every girl can relate to waiting a whole week before finally washing that jersey.
11. Saturday morning practices were the most dreaded mornings of your weekend.
There was never a weekend where you could just lay in bed and watch Netflix all day. You were up before the sun or your parents, and somehow you managed to go to practice every Saturday morning.
12. Never had to worry about how much you ate.
There wasn't a time when you weren't hungry, and you could always spare extra snacks because you knew those three hour practices would burn off every calorie.
13. You would do anything to miss those full court layup warm ups in the beginning of practice.
If you forgot your ankle braces, or just feeling a little extra lazy, you would make the trainer wrap your ankles, just to take up extra time in the beginning of practice.
14. Pre-wrap was the best thing to use as a headband.
If you didn't have pre-wrap to hold back your hair, the world may have better just come to an end.
15. The words "Everyone on the baseline," was every player's worst nightmare.
Some nights you would have a nightmare where you could hear those words coming out of your coach's mouth, but then realize it wasn't a nightmare; it was real life.
16. Game day, was like Christmas. Every player lived for game day, especially a rival game.
You can't describe how you felt, but you knew it was the feeling any player could feel.
17. You never left school, because of practice.
Basically you were there before the sun rose, and left when the sun went down. For the amount of time you spent at school, you might as well have just found a room and made it your own.
18. The bond you made with your teammates was something no other friendship will match.
Essentially your team became your clique. You spent day in and day out with them, through all the ups and downs they always had your back. The friends you made with your team are the best friends you have now. Even if you are separated by colleges you are not separated by the heart.
Coach Mike Krzyzewski once said, "Teamwork is the beauty of our sport, where you have five acting as one. You become selfless." Those words couldn't be more true. The bond you shared with your sisters on the court was something no one can understand unless they have played the sport. If your teammate made a basket, so did you. If your teammate fouled, so did you. You won and lost as a team. Your teammate made that basket because someone either made a good screen, or a great pass, in which it was a collective effort. It takes a whole team to win, bench included. No matter where life has taken you now, playing high school basketball will without a doubt be the best high school experience. The only thing you'll remember most from high school is all the blood, sweat and tears you and your team put into each year, and the life long memories and friendships you have made.