Ballin’ from the Bottom

Moving was probably one of the hardest things for me to accept. The only thing that

could top that would be my father passing away. My name is Marcus Washburn, I’m seventeen

years old and about to be a senior in high school with a promising future in basketball. Well I

guess it was promising until the accident happened and now we are about to move to a brand

new area. Living in the sunny suburbs of Southern California will be replaced with a downtown

run down atmosphere of Utah. I've never seen my mom so stressed and worried over a situation

but I can’t blame her. My little brother Trey who was just a year younger than me, was pretty

silent about the whole thing but he held his head high, must have been weeks since I saw him

smile though.

Our flight to Utah was awkward to say the least. Nothing but silence for the ride there

and then some small talk between me and my mom, Trey was still pretty emotionless. I wanted

to say something to cheer him up or at least get him to smile once. “Hey bro” I said to Trey as

we waited for our food at the airport “you ready to ball up on these foos out there in Utah?’

Didn’t get much of a responseIt was a real gloomy day in California, which was weird since it

was still technically Summer, and didn’t seem to be much better when we touched down in Utah.

None of us wanted to leave California but the cost of living there would be way too much for a

newly single mother to take care of and since our father was the primary provider for the family,

we had no other choice. I offered to get a job and help out with everything but my mother was

firmly against it with her reasoning being that I gotta focus on basketball, it's what dad would

have wanted.
 Ever since we were little, me and Trey always wanted to be in the NBA and I think that

all started with our dad taking us to the Los Angeles Laker games. Dad loved that sport almost as

much as he loved us and seeing him get all hyped up for the game got us excited for it too. When

me and Trey both decided to become a professional basketball player back in elementary school,

our dad was ecstatic about it and for the rest of our childhood he became our number one

supporter and coach, with our mom being number two, of course.

We lived near our Aunt and Uncle so they helped us out whenever they could but for the

most part it was living in a ghetto looking apartment while our mom worked two jobs to provide

for us. Fortunately, we made just enough to keep our cell phones in service but that's about all

we had.We did our best to find the bright side of this situation though. Just down the block was a

basketball court we could practice at and our high school had an open gym and weight room

most nights, a little run down but we had to make the best of it. The main goal was to just keep

focused for basketball season. I figured if I put all my energy towards that goal then maybe my

skill will be enough to get the attention of colleges regardless of where I play. It was my last year

of high school so I had to make it count. My dad always taught me to give it my all regardless of

my situation. He mainly used that analogy for basketball whenever I would get in a tough spot

but he told me I could apply it anywhere.

The beginning of the school year was anything but easy. It wasn’t the education aspect of

it, that all came pretty smoothly, surprisingly. Instead it was the social aspect of it. Me and my

brother struggled with. All our friends were back in California and the only way we could keep

up with them through social media. All we got in our new school was a bunch of funny looks and

cold shoulders. It didn’t stop there unfortunately. Being new to some of these kids meant to them
that it was cool to bully us. Small things like pushing stuff off our desks and name calling don’t

do much but it adds up. The goal stayed the same and I was determined to make my dream a

reality.

The colder it got, the more hyped I got. Basketball season was coming soon. Thankfully,

Utah has their own NBA so it has that going for it. Seeing all the hype for Utah’s team the Jazz

reminds me of owing to Laker games a long time ago with my dad and seeing players like Kobe

Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal clean sweep the competition. Memories like that add even more

fuel to my fire of being the best. Everyday after school me and Trey would go straight to the

basketball court and get in as much practice as we could. Unfortunately the bullying followed us

even there. Kids would follow us out there and mid practice would step in, take our ball, and

chuck it as far as they could. They would say things like “white kids can’t ball up so get lost” or

“go back to your broken family you rejects.” That stuff hurt and it took everything in my power

to not beat the hell out of them. The only thing that's stopped was something that dad always

said. “When you aim high, you often come across fights that just aren’t worth fighting.” It was

enough to hold me back and just take it. It was smart in the long run because getting in trouble

like that would jeopardize my chances for a college to pick me.

The season for basketball came and sure enough I made the varsity team and started as a

point guard. Each coach was blown away by how well I could handle the ball so that gave me

confidence but my team was a different story. The relationship with my team was… neutral. I

think they didn’t like how I just popped up and showed all of them up but since the school has a

history of being an easy team to beat, they’d put up with it. My little brother made the team too

but for the Junior Varsity team and a back up for the main team if needed. Our first few games
were a bit rocky but we actually pulled through with the bulk of the points coming from me. Our

wins were consistent and we started making a name for ourselves as a school.

Of course, with every good there must be a bad and that came from those same bullies

that plagued us at the beginning of the year. We were safe practicing because we were inside

with the rest of the team but anywhere else become a little slice of hell. In between classes, in

classes, on our way to school, on our way home, everywhere we went we experienced this same

group of kids continuing to pester us. One kid from the basketball team took notice finally and

spoke up to me one day. He told me that they were all kids who came from a gang and wanted to

drag us all down with them. In other words, they hate success and want to do everything in their

power to destroy it. It was a poor reason to explain their persistence but I couldn't let that stop

me.

It’s hard to describe all the feelings I felt during that school year. It was set up to be an

absolute hell but instead we made the best of it. An extreme depression alongside and faint but

noticeable light. All I knew was that I needed to chase that light, maybe it was left by my dad,

for me to pick up and make it brighter. It was up to me to get us out of this mess, make my

dream not only become a reality for me but for my mom who worked so hard for us and give

what little she had after my father’s passing.

Despite the odds, we surpassed everyone’s expectations as a basketball team, not only

making the playoffs but the state finals. Our coaches had no clue what to say or do other than

keep up the hard work and stay consistent. Just days before the big game me and my brother

were just about to leave our school for the evening after a good session of working out with the

team. We were the first to leave so we could get home for dinner, first time in awhile our mom
was able to cook for us. Right outside the door I got shoved right to the ground and Trey was

grabbed from the back. It was those same kids who bullied us. Two more kids pinned me to the

ground and one stood on top with a bat in his hand. I remember him saying he was going to

“shatter our legs” so he can “shatter our dreams”. I was terrified, it was dark so no one could see

what was happening if there was someone around. Right as the kid wound up his swing, a huge

crowd of kids came out the door we came out of and swarmed the kids holding us down. It was

our basketball team. Tears were streaming down my face as my teammate picked me up. Our

team chased everyone away walked us home. They told us how they knew those kids were

planning something and knew they couldn’t leave their teammates behind, regardless of who it

was. Easily the biggest relief and comforting feeling my life.

The state finals came and went but we fell short of victory by just being shy six points. It

was a tough loss but I was proud of what I accomplished. Our team had a real good bonding

session on the bus ride home, just talking about each game we played and for the first time I

really felt like I had friends like back in California.

We got home and survived the rest of the school year, now with people we could count

on. Near the end of the school year we got a call one day from a representative from Duke

University. He said that he was told to attend our state game by our coaches since they were

good buddies and he liked what he saw out of me. I was offered a full ride and to play for their

team. Big names like Kyrie Irving, Brandon Ingram, and Jayson Tatum all came from there and

are extremely successful in their NBA careers. A literal dream come true for me. My mother was

in tears and Trey was jumping all over screaming at the top of his lungs. The toughest year of my

life produced the biggest results. Each tear that came from my mom represented so much she had
to do to make this a reality. Each shout from my brother gave me so much hype and excitement,

the whole thing was full of emotions.

I’m now playing hard at Duke University with my goal being nothing but the absolute

top. My brother is working hard to get to my level with the team we bonded with back home. My

mom is working hard too but once I get drafted she won't have to anymore and I look forward to

that day. I owe a big part of this to my dad, this would not have been a reality without his effort

to be the figure I needed for the future, whether he was here physically or not. You know,

Lebron James was right, you do have to go through those tough times in order to be something

great. I can’t wait to share this experience with him as I pass him by.