Scariest Moments on the Court

Basketball has its fair share of scary moments, and I’m not just talking about buzzer beaters or the beep test. Sometimes the fear hits mid-air, when you realize you’re about to land hard and there’s nothing you can do about it. Other times, it’s watching a game slip away in slow motion. But mixed in with the tricks are the treats: the laughs, the lessons, and the moments that remind me why I love this game even when it hurts.

One of the scariest moments of my basketball career came from playing too hard. The second? Just me messing around and having fun. Both ended with me flat on my back.

The first one happened during practice. There was a fast break, and I was trailing the play, trying to catch up on defense. I went up to block the shot, but the timing was awful. I didn’t mean to hurt anybody; it was just a bad play. We collided mid-air, and if you watch the video, you can see us both spinning before landing hard on our backs. Definitely didn’t feel great.

The second moment was also at practice, during a slow stretch. We were on defense while the other half of the team was on offense, and while waiting, we were just messing around, dunking, shooting,  and having fun. I wasn’t fully warmed up, and I went up to dunk with the ball behind my head. My finger slipped off the rim, and you can literally watch me fall straight down and hit my back. Funny in hindsight, but terrifying in the moment. Being mid-air with no control is not a great feeling.

Some other haunting moments? You can pick whichever one you like best, but the ones that still stick with me are the buzzer beaters. Watching the Rutgers shot, the Wisconsin shot. Just standing there, watching the ball float through the air, thinking “no way that’s going in,” and then… nothing but net. I think we lost three or four games that season on buzzer beaters. If even one of those hadn’t gone in, we’d have had another conference title. But hey, that’s basketball.

One of the treat moments for me this season is kind of a mix of two things. First, the camaraderie and chemistry we’ve been building as a team. It’s slowly coming together, and it’s beautiful to see. Guys are getting more comfortable, opening up, sharing more about themselves. That’s one of the reasons I’ve always loved sports, especially basketball. It’s not a huge team, so it’s easy to get close with the guys you’re going to battle with every day.

That’s another reason I play this game. If you’re around the right people, they care. They’re thoughtful. And the relationships you build can last a long time. The basketball world is small just like the banking world, or any industry really. But basketball players do a great job of looking out for each other, especially when there’s mutual respect. I think this place is special. It might not have the biggest budget, but the character, the integrity, and the personalities here are top-tier.