To the girls I have had the blessing of being able to coach,

I’m sure my first group of girls sometimes didn’t understand my half-time blabber and parents wondered why I got the job sometimes, but here I am three-years later on my second year of head coaching. I started off assistant coaching middle school girls’ basketball when I was 20-years old, and the opportunity just fell in my lap. I was excited, but nervous – oh so very nervous. I was lucky enough to first coach under a head coach who taught me the ropes and kept me in line my first year, giving me recommendations, coaching the bench when I was overwhelmed, etc. (shout-out to you, Zerbs)

Throughout the years, there have been days where I wanted to cry from anger and frustration, and there have been days where I cried from laughing too hard.

Thank you to each and every single one of you for being teachers. You’ve all taught me many lessons like:

• Patience is key.
• At the end of the day, you’ve just got to laugh things off and approach the next day with a positive attitude.
• Middle school girls know all the words to Kanye West’s “Gold Digger” and Fergie’s “Fergalicious” better than friends I grew up with do.
• A compliment goes a long ways. You all would make me feel prettier than ever showing up to practice bumming, as long as my messy bun was on point.
• I’m a role model. Because of you guys, I know I make better decisions to ensure you know what’s best and what steps to take as you grow older.

Each one of you have left memories that will last a lifetime.

I will never forget the despair on the face of the girl as she looked towards the bench when she hit the ground after fracturing her ankle. I will never forget the look on that same girl’s face when our coaching staff showed up at the hospital after the game to make sure she was okay. I will never forget the look on the girl's face when I chose her to shoot our free throws for a technical foul so she could get her first points in the book. I will never forget the time one of you came at me during the figure-eight lay-up drill and went up so strong, I fell to the floor. I will always remember the smiles on your guys’ face after a good game – especially those smiles when we took home W’s against South or McPherson.

I could write a book on all the ridiculously silly, but hilarious, things you guys would ask or say. Like:

“Because when you turn around, what are you gonna get?” – Me

“An elbow.” – Basketball girl

“No, a defender.” – Me

Thank you to each of you for inspiring my love for the game of basketball even more. There was never a bad day that didn’t end as soon as I walked in the gym and saw you guys ready for another day of practice. Seeing every single one of you improve from day one of tryouts to the end of every season amazes me. Girls who couldn’t keep their dribble for a down-and back drill are excelling at dribbling between their legs or behind their back by the end of the season. Girls who didn’t know how to push through a shot with their legs and a shooting hand (remember when y’all thought you just threw a ball up there with two hands?) were the ones staying twenty minutes after practice to work on their form, swishing their free throws by the end of the season.

You each have a special place in my heart.

I promise to always try to make your games when my schedule allows as you continue to play in summer league or high school. I promise to always have an open ear and listen when you just need to get something off your chest. You all are capable of so many amazing things, both on and off the court. Just know you always have someone cheering you on in every aspect of life, no matter how many years it’s been since I coached you.

Love,

T-Pat