From the Streets to the Court by Joe D

“Everyone quiet down, Mr. Crane is going to talk to you for a little while,” said the YMCA director to the kids from the ages of 8-12.

“Thank you Miss Swanson, I think I’ve got it from here,” said Tyler Crane. “How are all of you doing today?”

“Good,” replied the high pitched voices.

“I have a story to tell you all and I hope you are willing to listen to what I have to say because it’s very important,” said Tyler. “Let me start from when I was about 14 years old, only a little bit older then a few of you guys. I grew up in the streets of Harlem, New York, not far from here, actually just a couple of blocks. I would always come here, to this very YMCA, and play basketball. Be it by myself or with a few of my buddies. I would stay here for hours at a time every day shooting around, lifting weights, swimming, but mostly playing b-ball. And don’t you think for one minute that if I did all of this I must not have done my homework, because school was a huge priority and I would make sure I got it done before I came here. I stayed here so long because I didn’t look forward to going home. My apartment was not the nicest of places, especially the location it was in. I never knew my dad and my mom worked nights at the local laundry mat. I had an older brother but he was in and out of jail most of my life, but he didn’t have any influence on me.”

“That sounds really scary,” said a voice from below him.

“It was, but I learned to get through it and life was okay,” replied Tyler. “When I got into high school life got better. I signed up for basketball tryouts hoping to find something to do while I am out of school. Tryouts were really tough but I thought I would at least make JV. I was devastated when I got my letter stating that I was cut from all of the teams and had to play DARE instead. But that didn’t stop me one bit, that event just made me work harder toward being a great basketball player. I came back next winter and I got a starting position on the Varsity squad. It felt great to receive that letter and I didn’t let the team down. The players gave me the nickname ‘T-Crane’ because I was such a stellar player. Our record was 18-0 going into the playoffs but we lost in the 2^nd round. The same exact thing happened the next year and our coach knew that the team would crush under the pressure of a huge crowd. But we over came our fear and made it to the championship game during my senior year. I was number one in scoring, rebounding, and assists in the history of my school. I hadn’t got a championship yet, and I wasn’t about to give this game up. We crushed our opponents, never letting up on them even when we were up by 35 in the 4^th quarter. It was a great feeling to get that win but I had another thing to focus on that year, college. I sent in a few letters to different universities around New York, and it devastated me to get those letters of rejection back. But I didn’t give up hope yet, and neither should any of you, even when the going gets tough. Instead of applying to New York schools, I decided to apply to the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. I thought it would be a waste of money to send the application, but it wasn’t. I received a letter in the spring saying I was accepted into UNC. I was so thrilled to be accepted, and my mom almost fainted. Not only did I get accepted, I got an all expenses paid tuition to the college also.”

“Congratulations Mr. Crane, I never knew that about you,” said the YMCA lady.

“Thanks, but I haven’t even gotten to the best part yet,” replied T-Crane. “At UNC I played all four years, but the same thing happened in high school, we didn’t make it to the championship game until I was a senior. Our team cruised through the Sweet Sixteen, Elite Eight, and Final four like a hot knife through butter. But I am not going to lie and say that the championship was a piece of cake, because we had to take on Adam Morrison and the intimidating Gonzaga Bull Dogs. We were up by 3 at the half but trailed 77-75 with 10 seconds left in the game. I had 4 fouls and I needed to steal the ball without fouling. Adam threw an extremely long pass and I saw it about to sail over me, but I jumped with all my might and snatched the ball from the air and landed on the half court line. This was my moment to show the scouts and the NBA that I wouldn’t crush under pressure and that I was clutch. I glanced up at the clock and it said 3.2 seconds, I took one dribble, jumped off my right foot, and tossed the rock into the air. If I make it we win, if I don’t we lose. It felt like the longest time for the ball to reach the hoop. I heard the buzzer go off and the greatest sound of my life, the swish of a perfect shot, sliding through the net.”

“Great job Mr.” said the 9 year old to Tyler.

“Why thank you,” responded Mr. Crane. “I went on to be drafted by the Boston Celtics, where I play now, and look how far I’ve come. Do any of you know why I had this talk with you guys today? Yes, the gentleman in the blue shirt.”

“Maybe you want us to work hard and never give up, no matter what,” said Jake.

“Exactly!” proclaimed T-Crane. “No matter what life throws at you or whenever the going gets tough, almost too tough. You should also keep striving to reach your goals.”