Nothing beats the squeaking of sneakers on the hardwood or the swish of the ball through the net. I finally got to appreciate it again after a while without it. The end of my high school senior basketball season meant, for the time being, the end of basketball for me at a competitive level. Coming to Penn State meant I made a definitive choice to not play basketball at the highest level anymore. I knew that I would still have an opportunity to play basketball at Penn State if I was good enough to make the club team, but it wouldn't be as competitive as being a student-athlete. I was okay with that and excited to discover myself in other places other than on the basketball court.

Coming onto campus with literally hundreds of clubs for me to chose from I knew of one that I was hoping to become involved in was club basketball because I knew how much I enjoyed the game, and I really missed playing. The club team at Penn State is a middle ground between intramural and the real varsity team. We practice 3 times a week at most and travel a few times a semester to colleges nearby to play in tournaments.

For me, making the team led to a super cool opportunity of being able to travel and finally play basketball again. Sure, between the end of the season and now I had played basketball but the competitive spirit wasn't there as much during the summer. I can tell you there is a difference between just shooting around by yourself or even playing pick up at the IM building, and playing a real game. There was a little empty spot in my heart for that ready to be filled again.

It had been too long since I wore a uniform, too long since I did my silly superstitious pre-game rituals, too long since I got to enjoy basketball with my teammates. It was like getting a breath of fresh air to be back at. Early Sunday morning we traveled a few hours east to the University of Delaware to play three games. I haven't been that excited to wake up at 6:00 A.M. in a while. I knew I was in for a good day. It was a good day, to say the least, and I'm super excited to do it again in our upcoming tournaments.