Lunchdatesonly

“The determinator” – I was given this nickname by this really short guard I was playing amateurish, lockdown defence against at my local leisure centre. Yeah, he was the kind of player who had crazy handles and scored by laying up the ball instead of shooting it.

This happened when I was maybe 15-16, when I joined a basketball course at the last minute (it must have been the last session) to hone my game, namely my scoring (I was a massive Iverson and Kobe fan back then!)

We were playing full court and he kept saying “it’s the determinator!” when he was trying to get past me. I think he was mocking me, but he was also giving me my fair dues for getting in his face and making it more difficult for him to score. I recall he still scored plenty but I kept playing lockdown defence on him – and everyone else – because no one passed me the ball when I was in scoring position, and I didn’t have the confidence to create my own shot.

Still, this nickname stays with me because it reminds me that even when things don’t go as planned, playing with others and trying my best is fun – it gets my heart pumping and fuels my competitive drive!