No Banners, Just Breakthroughs

When I first decided to leave public school and go to a private Christian school, it wasn’t an easy choice. I didn’t want to leave my friends behind, but what convinced me was the school’s basketball program. My mom found a flyer for something called “Ambassador Basketball Academy,” which promised a serious program that even adjusted your school schedule around practices and training.

However, right when I started freshman year, I found out the academy had been shut down. It was disappointing, but I didn’t dwell on it too much at the time, as I was still surrounded by older teammates and great coaches. Unfortunately, that all changed the following year. Almost everyone on the team graduated, and our head coach unexpectedly retired. The program was essentially scrapped, and I began to wonder if I had made the right decision by coming here.

Still, I persevered, trusting that God would ensure everything worked out. My sophomore year was particularly challenging. We barely had enough players, were undersized in every game, and lost frequently, sometimes to teams we had previously beaten. It was frustrating, but I was surrounded by new teammates and coaches who quickly became like family to me. I understood this year to be part of our rebuilding process, anxiously hoping for success to arrive soon. Our junior year improved; we had new teammates join us and began to develop real chemistry. We made it to the playoffs but lost in the first round. Overall, though, it was a great season. We improved significantly from last year, and all the strings from our rebuilding process started to come together. Then came senior year, our last and best shot to find real success and compete for a championship. We finished second in the league and believed this was finally our moment. However, a new CIF system placed us three divisions higher, leading us to face the top seed in the first round. We lost, and just like that, it was over.

By traditional standards—wins, banners, trophies—you might consider my high school basketball career a failure. But honestly, I wouldn’t change a thing. Looking back, I see something different. I see growth, connection, and purpose. The experiences I gained were immeasurable, and the connections I built up will last forever. I learned how to lead, how to keep going when things don’t go your way, and how to stay committed even when the results don’t come. A verse that stuck with me through it all was Proverbs 19:21: “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” I had my plans, but God had His.

Basketball didn’t unfold in the idealized way I had imagined; I never got my fairy-tale ending. But, it shaped me in ways I didn’t expect through paths that gaining the success I had sought after wouldn’t have. It taught me patience, discipline, and how to cultivate genuine faith, finding success through growth and maturity, rather than merely by conventional definitions of “winning.” So, no, I didn’t get the championships I had hoped for, but I got something better: the clarity to see that the process itself was the reward..