The Offseason

I've always loved and hated the offseason. The time of the year that we're about to hit. It definitely tests the athletes. It tests their motivation, their desire, their work ethic, honesty and their character. What will they do when no one is looking? Sit around and let the days pass them by because they've found a new sense of freedom or are they going to get out and work to get better even though they aren't getting credit for it? I hate to say that I used to be the first person. When the season ended, I basked in the new found freedom and time was spent watching tv, eating and trying to regain some of my 'childhood'. You feel like a kid again without the ties and strain of a sport. Fortunately, as I've gotten older and learned more about basketball and myself, I've started to become the second person. Not to say that I am now a person of the utmost, highest character but I think I've just started to become an adult. No longer can I spend time sitting around and watching tv. Instead, I think about school, work, getting an internship, my softball game this week, church, my brother's game, my grandpa and everything else but sitting around. I've started to see that I no longer have an 'offseason' but constantly I'm 'in-season': into something new and challenging. Am I happy about it? Ha, not always, but I know that all the busyness and stress that I'm feeling now will pay off one day so I will continue to build my character and work ethic and become the person who works without reward, without recognition and instead, for my own personal gain.