Hoop Dreams

When you’re shooting hoops on the sidelines and preparing for the next pickup game on the court, you tend to watch the action going on in between your warm-up shots. You might be analyzing the game for entertainment while you wait. Other times you’ll be on the lookout for players that need to be guarded closer as they are the elite ones on the floor. At times you will watch how each team is playing, so when you take the floor, you can force steals by knowing how they run their offense.

In the moment you look away, a fast break steal happens on the hardwood. One of the most athletic, elite guys on the court pushes the ball toward the basket on their defender. Then, they leap into the air with the ball and slam it down in their face leaving the players both on and off the court in awe. I’ve always wanted to be able to dunk a basketball.

This dream of mine has always been limited. With several ankle injuries, it’s taken me some time to become more comfortable even being inside the three-point line. There’s always so much foot traffic and bumping of bodies in the paint. I’ve never enjoyed the physical elements of the game of basketball. I focus my practice on developing craftsmanship with dribbling, shooting, and isolation types of plays with a defender. I’ve recently become much more active as a shooting guard despite my size and I use and set screens to get open. I also love to pick and pop for three-pointers with another guard.

Despite my ankle injuries, dunking the ball has always seemed unattainable because of my size and strength. While I’ve been 6’3” since my sophomore year of high school, I’ve always been a heavyset kid. I’m so used to not being able to move that quickly on the court. It wasn’t until freshmen year of college that I lost 40 pounds and was able to move more fluidly while playing the game I love so dearly. It wasn’t until I met my girlfriend sophomore year that I believed I could work hard and reach unattainable things. It’s very difficult for me to reach out for things when I don’t see observable results initially. Dunking a basketball requires me to increase my vertical and become stronger when I take the ball to the hoop. It also requires me to become more comfortable in playing from spots all over the court instead of along the three-point line although this is my expertise.

In order to achieve this goal to dunk a basketball one day, I’m going to need to put in a lot of effort off of the court and in the weight room. By replacing the fat on my body with muscle during the offseason, I should become more agile and have a little more bounce to my jump. Once I reach that point, I can begin focusing on building strength in my legs more — also by lifting — in order to dunk and finish in general through fouls. The tricky part is going to be getting back my shooting form when I’ve focused my training during this offseason on getting stronger. The best shooters are the ones who are consistent. This has also been an obstacle for me, as I do not want to lose the motion of my shot while I’m working on other things. The only way I can overcome this obstacle is by having faith that I will find it and develop it again over a period of time. The ability to dunk will be all the worth one day.