Andrew Gustafson

24 August 2019

Mrs. Cox

Period 6

Cultural Essay

I've played basketball ever since I can remember. Some of my best memories and friends

have come from the sport of basketball. Everyone in my family has played basketball from my

Grandparents to my Aunts and Uncles playing basketball is a big part of my culture.

Basketball has always been a big part of my life. I started playing rec league basketball

when I was 4 and played until middle school. My dad always coached my rec team and when we

moved to Seattle my uncle was our assistant. Basketball has taught me a lot from a young age. I

learned how to stay disciplined by shooting with my left hand when going up for layups on the

left side. I learned how to stay loyal to my team by showing up to practice every single day. And

I also learned how important teamwork and how communication is key to being successful with

a group of people or a team. Once I got to middle school, it was time to say goodbye to rec and

move on to the more competitive league, AAU. I was recruited to play for South Side Select

when I got middle school and played with them for 5 years. Moving on from having my Dad

coach me wasn't always easy at first, but it helped me learn how to be more social, and it helped

me learn to be able to work with a new group of people while being able to adapt to how they did

things. For most of my time in middle school I was playing for two teams my new AAU team

and my middle school team, The Pacific Vikings. Playing for two teams was, although at times

stressful, very enjoyable. I loved being able to play multiple games a week and still have an

AAU tournament that same weekend. Because I was so busy playing basketball I didn't have a
lot of friends outside of my basketball teams, which was very difficult at times but it shaped me

to become more self sufficient and independent. By the time high school hit it was time to move

on from South Side Select and focus on playing high school basketball. Playing for my high

school was a whole new experience for the first time people other than my family started

showing up to the games and it was really exciting. Just when things were starting to go really

well for me at my high school in Seattle, I had to move to Las Vegas.

Unfourntlay moving did make me quit my playing career, I will never leave the game of

basketball. I was able to coach a sixth grade rec team with my dad in the fall and was able to

again in the summer. Basketball has always been a huge part of my life and will be forever. I

have learned so much from playing and coaching basketball and am very thankful for all the

opportunities it gave me. Basketball is a major part of my culture.