To my high school basketball coach,

Many people come in and out of my life and have touched my heart in different ways. To my high school basketball coach, you were one of the biggest influences in my life, whether you know it or not. There are much to thank you for. If it wasn’t for you, I would have never developed an interest for the sport I love today. Thank you for putting a little faith into the ninth grader when she needed it.

I know it is long overdue but sometimes it takes time to realize how good you truly had it. You were honestly the best coach I could have asked for. You really got to know me and my fluctuating personality. You could figure me out day by day and realize just how to motivate me day in and out. You knew if I needed encouragement or if I needed to be yelled at. Although we used to butt heads and sometimes we didn’t always agree, I knew that you would always be my biggest supporter on and off the court, and knew I was always getting one of the best hugs imaginable, even if we weren’t agreeing. I knew that if I came to you, my opinion would always be heard and respected. That is something you can’t find with most people and it was one of my favorite qualities about you. I never felt that I was just a peasant under a ruler. Thank you for making me feel important, thank you for making all of your players feel important.

Thank you for turning me into a leader. When I stepped foot onto your court in 2009, I had no idea what a leader entailed. I had no idea what responsibility it held. Soon, you taught me just that. Thank you for looking at me when you knew my teammates needed guidance. Thank you for making me step up and putting me in the role of a leader. You have taught me this life lesson which I would have never learned without you and this sport. Thank you for giving me the ability to come to you when I felt things were unfair. It allowed me to be the leader for my teammates when they were unable to come forward, it made us feel like we had a voice. This meant more than you can ever imagine. Thank you for always hearing me out and no matter what, always respecting me. Thank you for explaining your side when you did not agree with me and not just shooting me down. There are so many things you have done to turn me into the great leader that I am today and there is no way I could ever repay you.

Thank you for seeing me through the tough times with words of encouragement. You saw me in a dark place after my injury. When I truly believed it was over, you pushed me to better myself. You challenged me to better understand the game mentally when I could not play. You showed me that there is more to the game of basketball than scoring and rebounding. You showed me that it forms a basketball family. When I was crying on the sidelines because I could not participate, you always came to me with encouraging words for the future. You gave me hope when I couldn’t find any. When I was watching others play the sport that I loved, day in and out you were there to reassure me that I still had an important role in the team and that I was still a huge leader for my teammates. You made my recovery easier for me when I didn’t think anything could make it easier. Even though I couldn’t play that year, games and practices were still the highlight of my day, basketball was still my happy place. You showed me that by choosing to play the sport that I loved under your guidance, I had a supporter through the hardest sports moments of my life. It pushed me that much harder and showed me that no matter what, I wanted to be better, not only for myself, but for my basketball family.

Thank you for pushing me toward my dreams. You knew that my ultimate goal was to play college basketball; we talked about it on multiple occasions. When I had college coaches come to watch me play, you could tell that my nerves were at an all time high. Thank you for knowing how to calm me down. Thank you for always reminding me of my goals. Ever since I was a little girl I wanted to play college basketball. Thanks to you, and the hard work you helped me to put in, I accomplished this goal for the little girl inside of me. I can say that one of my lifelong dreams was accomplished, and I couldn’t have done it without you. When I thought there was no shot of me going on to the next level, you always told me I could. You always pushed me harder, and you always showed me that I did have another level of play that I could reach. My potential was endless; all it took was some motivation. Thank you.

I cannot thank you enough for believing in me when I didn’t believe in myself. There were days when nothing was going right for me, on or off the court. You always knew when I was starting to get in my own head and needed a pep talk. You always knew when I was starting to become a hot head and needed to be calmed down. You always knew when I was starting to get excited and you helped to spread my excitement to my teammates to rally when we were down. Thank you for telling me I can when I kept saying I couldn’t. Thank you for putting faith in me to take the last shot in the big games. Thank you for telling me that I needed to jump higher, run faster, box out stronger, lift more, or be more vocal. Looking back, I know these are the most encouraging and motivating things you could have done for me. I now realize that you were not yelling at me, you were telling me all of these things because you believed in me. Thank you for always having my back.

Thank you for helping me fall more in love with the game. The game of basketball has been a huge part of my life since day one. The day I stepped foot on the court at age three, I fell in love with the game. But you helped me fall even more in love with the game. Basketball was my first love and you always made me realize that there is more and more to love about the game. You have taught me so many life lessons from this game and there is no way that I can ever repay you. You took my first love and turned it into a lifelong love.

Now every time I step into that gym, all I can think about is all the memories that I made with you by my side. I still get that rush of energy when I walk into that gym. I can still feel how it felt to have pre game pep talks, running around the gym for warm ups, the huddles and chants before the game. Whenever I see a pre-game tip off I still think about every time I stepped up to half court and faced my opponent, looking over to you on the sideline, you clapping and hearing “Come on, Mon, you got this.” It’s the irreplaceable moments like this that I can never forget, the rushes, the emotions, the laughs, the tears, the screaming, the anger, the pure joy and happiness. It was all there. It all comes back to me every time I step into that gym.

Thank you for everything you have done for me, I know I haven’t said it in a long time and it is long overdue. Thank you for all of your support over the years. Thank you for believing in me always. Thank you for being the best high school basketball coach I could have ever asked for. More importantly, thank you for being a great person for me to look up to and learn from, you truly are one of a kind, and completely irreplaceable.

Love always,

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