My first year in college as a player of MAC Basketball Team. The last thing I was proud of was winning districts and winning our first game in the national tournament in basketball for Mineral Area College. We had a great game in Chicago, and we really played hard. Overall, the season was great! We really made history this year and the game in Chicago against Triton in districts was memorable. We played hard and fearlessly. I may not have been on the court for some of the games, but I was always there on the bench always supporting. I never missed a game; I was part of the team. In the beginning the game was close and every second counted as we went back and forth with talented team players from both teams. First the other team from Triton came out strong with a lot of three pointers and good shots taken. Then after we settled in, we started to get in our groove as a team. We started to slowly but surely got our way in the game. Then they started to fire back and at half time we were up by five. In the second half we really took command of the game! Our point guard Terrion did a fantastic job of controlling the pace and making the right reads not only offensively but defensively. The game seemed to go pretty long but, in the end, we ended up winning the game that would help us go on to nationals in Kansas. The game before that is probably my most memorable one though. It is hard to pick between these two, so I am just going to talk about both. The regional championship game against Moberly at Mineral Area was amazing and it had a sensational atmosphere. Our crowd really came out to support us and show their love. Even in pregame layup lines you could see that everyone came out to support. By the time it was tip-off time the entire gym was rocking. The first half was back and forth with us and Moberly scoring and playing defense very well. Moberly was playing with skill and by half time they were up by one. The second half saw one of our best players Malovy took over and really showed his true talent on both ends. Knocking down threes, blocking shots, and getting several other opportunities really helped us to pull away to ultimately win the game and not only that but in front of our home crowd. After the game it was gratifying to see us interacting with the fans and being able to talk to them and converse. I really liked those two spectacular performances, and those two games are what I am proud of. In the mist of COVID we played as one with gritted and provided team support on and off the court. These memories will hold a noteworthy place in my mind allowing me to recollect the excitement of something bigger than myself. In closing, being a student athlete has provided me with a great deal of stability and determination to be motivated as a college student. Playing sports has allowed me to have the fuel to get the job done, both on and off the court. Thank you for taking the time to read my essay.