As boys in the neighborhood we played basketball—not just ordinary basketball—we made up our own games; played when we wanted; when we didn’t like it one way, we changed the rules and did it another. It was easy, no commitment, the only bad thing is we really never got very good and weren’t able to compete well with others because we just did it our way.

In high school I joined the junior varsity team. Practices were scheduled as a group and they were almost every day. There were all sorts of exercises and endless running. We memorized the plays and strategies until they became second nature. When we put on the uniform for competition there was an excitement, because we knew we were participating in something bigger than just ourselves.
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