Hey Hey….okay so I’m sure you read the title and thought hmm what could she be talking about?!..

well……

I’m not pregnant lol…. but I wanted to give you a highlight reel of my passion project.

It has been approximately 6 weeks since I started sharing my life with you. It was a chance for me to be vulnerable through my writing and a sport that I am truly passionate about. I love the game of basketball but basketball has always impacted my life in some way.

Week 1: The Beginning, my love for the game

I gave a intro on my love for the game and how much it means to me. I discussed how my love started at a young age and a little more background on who I am. I also talked about why I chose to play and interluded to other blog topics as well. Be sure to check that out.

Week 2:3,2,1, Bang

This blog was about my favorite buzzer beater at a Washington Wizards game and how I was able to witness it. The Special Part was that it was during Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Dr. King has meant so much to me and many of things I appreciate such as basketball and its diversity wouldn’t be possible because of him.

Week 3;Stress Relief

I was having a stressful week and decided to blog about what relieves my stress. I also discussed finding time to take for yourself to exhale from the worries life throws at you.

Week 4: Heartbreak

Losing my great grandfather was the subject of this blog and how I dealt with it. I will never forget how I found out about his death. I shared some of my favorite memories about his life and the experiences we shared.

Week 5: Curry vs Wall

I love John Wall & Stephen Curry. They both share some of the same characteristics on and off the court. I just listed and explained my top 5 between them both.

Week 6: #23

I was up late one night and decided to blog about my favorite 23. Michael Jordan has always been a inspiration to me and how he never gave up to excel at the game. I also discussed one of my biggest challenges while being in high school and being able to overcome that.

Spring Break: March 7-15: Kobe

I watched Kobe Bryant’s documentary Muse and loved it so much that I decided to blog about it. He discusses his life through his eyes and his muses and how he thinks about but doesn’t know how he will be able to leave the game.

Week 7:Refuge

Kind of like my stress relief, basketball gets me through everything. I often look to it for a breath of fresh air. So I just shared some thoughts about what I was dealing with this week.

Week 8: March Madness!

NCAA Tournaments are often so much fun and entertaining to watch. I decided to fill out a bracket and watch it as the tournament goes forward.:) I also discussed family time and how I’m missing it this semester due to school.

I really hope you have been following along each week and reading my blogs. I’m excited to continue to share with you each week. Be tuned for next week!..Hint: I will be discussing 2 topics both basketball related.. One is about a ESPN Anchor & the other the biggest scandal the NBA has experienced. Can you guess Let me know!!:)

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

Let the real fun times begin in the sports world. March 19-April 4,2015 will be the NCAA Division 1 Tournaments for Women &Men as well as the lower class and smaller tourneys. I absolutely love march madness because I love trying to watch all the games and keeping track of who is upsetting who. The upsets are what make the tournament super fun and the brackets all jacked up. My bracket is pictured above and you can look at my picks. I’m pretty sure I will probably change my picks again before tomorrow due to anxiousness and listening to the experts speaking about each team in the 64 bracket pool with automatic bids into tournament. If you would like please feel free to share who you think will win ! I would love to hear your choices. My top pick for Div 1 is Kentucky just because how their season is going and overcoming close games to getting a victory. I also have the Louisville Cardinals in the race pretty tight as well. I admire Coach Pitino and his will to help his team pull out victories. On the women’s side I have my all-time favorite UCONN-Huskies pulling out yet another title. Coach Geno has a system that works for his ladies and they are just really good against their competition. So how does March Madness impact my life?? Well its simple, Family Time. Spending time with my family is always important to me and we love watching sports game together. Every year around this time, we would be eating snacks and cheering on teams often yelling at the TV. LOL like die-hard fans even if we don’t attend the school.Luckily my hometown school Ohio State is in the tournament and hopefully they pull out their first win against VCU a hard match-up but they can do it. This year unfortunately will be the first time I’m not home to watch the madness or spend time with my mom,dad, and younger sister but I’m sure I will face-time them with the same excitement. I’m still going to have fun and watch every game I can with the same excitement. I hope to attend or work a NCAA Final Four game that would be a lot of fun and the intensity of the whole tournament would be amazing to experience in person. Also the madness of march is trying to complete and stay on top of school work as the semester speeds up and winds down before summer sets in and basketball helps me to stay focused to an extent. So if you are joining in the madness from any aspect, have fun! enjoy it and GO CRAZYYYY!!!….The Madness is here!

I hope you enjoy this blog 🙂 Please Share and Let me know what you think:)

*sigh*

Alot of times I hold alot in until I break.

My mind is on 100 and sometimes I want to scream.

I head to the court, headphones in, phone off.

The basketball court is my place of serenity.

My place to unwind, my place to be free and forget about whatever is going on in my head at the time.

Being at school,I try to hit the court as much as possible but due to my schedule and how my weeks go, I end up not going.

Before I went away from home, I always had time to spend just shooting around and release my inner stress.

It helped me to feel better and focus.

Basketball is everything to me. During times of hurt or when I’m in my feelings so to speak, I turn to nba players and I watch old interviews just to cheer me up or put me in their shoes.

Last Night was a night for it. My mind was all over the place and I couldn’t sleep so I went to youtube and started with John Wall. I watched 5 different interviews where he was speaking about upcoming games or his signature shoe or even being an all-star. I still was in a rut so I switched to Michael Jordan and for some reason I stumbled upon the 1996 finals. This particular championship run was right after Michael’s father was unfortunately murdered. I’ve never experienced a pain such as him but I know that he found his refuge on the court. He played his heart out and once the championship was in hand he let all his emotions out on the court. It was about 3:30 in the morning by this time and in my head I wanted to tell him it was going to be okay. The bulls winning that championship not only solidified Michael as a great but it also showed in a time of a deep pain that basketball can be an uplifter. Lastly and by this its almost 6am, I am watching none other than Kobe Bryant hosting with Jalen Rose and Bill Simmons. They are reminiscing about Kobe’s seasons with the Lakers as well as the best current players of the NBA. This interview showed me more of what players see and think outside of the game. I found my serenity and was starting to feel alot better and able to sleep (it was after 8am this morning). I often say I’m okay when deep down I’m crumbling, I just don’t want people to feel sorry for me especially if its an issue I can handle on my own. Basketball eases my mind and allows me for the moment that it is own to just exhale and breathe. It’s the first thing I go to in times of trouble, happiness, pleasure when I feel alone or when I just want to celebrate. Basketball is my refuge but also my family. It’s like the brother I’ve always wanted and friend  I always needed. What is your refuge in time of storm?

Thanks for reading!

“There is power in understanding the journey of others to help create your own”-Kobe Bryant

It’s funny to think that in a short time all of my favorite/current NBA players will be on their way to retiring. You begin to look back at their careers and think of the legacy or the impact they have had on your life. Kobe Bryant is one of those players for me. He isn’t retiring but his current documentary Kobe: Muse which premiered on showtime March 1, 2015 takes a look at Kobe’s career through his eyes. I watched it in its entirety and decided to blog about it and just pay homage to such a great player and share some of my favorite Kobe Memories!

Kobe Memory #1 – Championship #2 against the Philadelphia 76rs 2001

This memory sticks out most to me because this was when Kobe and Allen Iverson were in their Prime and it was a dog fight back and forth. Kobe came out on top but it was fun to see Kobe and Allen go at it. This second championship was apart of the Lakers upcoming 3-peat

Kobe Memory #2- Championship #5 2010 against Boston

I loved this series due to the fact that this rivalry was once again renewed. I had also graduated from High School during this series and the final game happened to be on my graduation day. I was eager to race home to watch Kobe and to celebrate my grad day with a Laker win and yet another Title. They won and my house erupted, I was so excited to once again witness a legend win another title.

Kobe Memory #3- 81 Point Game vs Toronto April 2006

When I say this memory was unbelievable, It took me a minute to really comprehend what Kobe did this night. Watching him score 81 really left me in awe because since then no one has been able to get that high except Kobe. During this time Kobe aka Black Mamba was in effect. What caught me by surprise the most was the fan reactions and how surprised but respectful of this great accomplishment. One of the greatest moments ever in NBA History.:)

Kobe Memory #4 -Passing Michael 2014

Kobe Bryant and MJ two of the greatest ever to play in the NBA and who alot of people mirror/compare Kobe to. Scoring wise Kobe scored alot of points and rightfully so put him in a space to pass Michael for 3rd all-time leading scorer in the NBA. It was my christmas break and yet again I was able to witness greatness. At the free throw line is where he made history and I almost wanted to cry because I was happy for him. Yes, he one of my favorite players but to watch him accomplish something so great just made me happy and motivated me a little bit that I can accomplish anything I work hard at or put my mind to.

Although Kobe is not playing right now due to recovering from a torn rotator cuff, I know he is mentally preparing for his return. One thing that amazes me about him is that through every injury or setback or personal life battle he has studied every aspect of the game, which I think sets him apart from everyone and has allowed him to play for the last 19 years. In my personal life from watching Kobe since the 2000’s on forward, I have learned and grown to love to never let anything or anyone stand in your way of becoming great. Once he retires, Kobe will be missed, I don’t think there will be another one like the Black Mamba, and I hope to enjoy him as much as I can before he says goodbye.

To Kobe,

Thank-You for being a inspiration, role-model, a comforter in times of need, You will be remembered for all the great moves, clutch shots, game winners, smiles, laughs, fun interviews, serious interviews and just the will to WIN . I admire you.Continue to recover and Kick Butt in rehab..See you Soon.

Love a fan :),

Mariah

In the basketball world, the number 23 is significant. It represents a particular player who was a genius, hard worker, & had a tremendous love for the game. Who am I talking about you ask? None other than Michael Jordan. 🙂 Michael’s impact on my life from a basketball standpoint is that he fueled my love for the game. I was born during the Bulls Era in 1992 but couldn’t really experience the greatness of Jordan until I was older and old replays and youtube became available. In 2003, and right before Lebron James came on the scene, Jordan had one more stint in the NBA playing for the Washington Wizards (my current favorite team) and I got to see him….he didn’t play in this game however but the fact he was in the building supporting his team showed his true leadership. Jordan is an inspiration to me because through adversity and people discouraging him he never let up. He let his actions speak for him. From personal experience, my junior year in high school I dealt with a very hard teacher. It was so bad to the point that my parents had to get involved over a grade mind you. The teacher I dealt with was very rude,belligerent, and disrespectful. However, I on the other remained respectful and continued to do the required work for the course with no complaint while this situation was being handled. At times during my junior year I felt like I was going to crack and not be able to overcome this advanced class ( which I had also taken the year prior with same teacher). To hear a teacher say “you have caused me hell” or ” your parents shouldn’t be advocating for you” really hurt and tore me down on the inside but I never let it show. I eventually was able to get switched out and into a better class. I overcame my adversity and the harsh words my former teacher said to me during my big state exam. I ended up scoring a 596/600 which was a passed advanced and almost a perfect score and proved to her and not only myself that I was capable of doing advanced classwork. I said all that to say this sometimes you don’t have to say much, your work will silence your doubters. Throughout history, Jordan silenced his doubters from being cut from his high school team to becoming one of the wealthiest men in the country right now. Actions speak louder than words, and whatever adversity you may face; keep your head up and push through! You will be victorious in the end. Michael is one of my favorites because he was innovative and creative from a clothing line to his Jordan shoe brand, which are still very popular today even though they are older models re-released. lol Michael has been a role model for me and to properly understand and recognize a true lover of the game. We should all want to aspire to overcome our adversities and follow our dreams. You never know where life may take you. Jordan retired in 2003, a 6- time NBA Champion, Hall of Famer, and one of the greatest players ever to play the game of basketball..Who is your #23?

Thanks for reading my blog for this week..share with your friends/family and be sure to check next week:)