Okay, before you all go on and criticize me for not capitalizing some of the letters in this title, let me explain. I’m merely inferring that the majority of people have read, seen, or at least heard of Mitch Albom’s The Five People You Meet In Heaven. Honestly, this post will not have anything to do with that novel, it was just the mere title that inspired me to write about twelve fabulous people I met in November. By the way, if you happen to be one of those people that I know but did not mention below, please don’t be offended. These aren’t the only ones in my life that are special. Everyone, no matter if I met them online, at school, in my neighborhood, or even in the library, are a special person to me, but I really want to point out the following twelve people:
1. Most Valuable Player: Staci S.
She was one of the captains of our basketball team. I seriously don’t know how we would have done anything without her. She always knew what to do: when to call out the exact play during our games, when to text us all at night (reminding us not to forget our uniforms, money, passports, etc…), and lastly, she was aware of our feelings before and after the game. She, along with Alice, relentlessly poured out inspiring quotes just when we needed it as a TEAM. Staci was one of the best point guards on our team, making some of the most phenomenal lay-ups (Remember our last game?). She has probably played basketball the longest on our team and her passion towards it is unbelievable. She knows so much about basketball and is always giving us good critique on how to improve! Without doubt, most valuable player goes to Staci!
2. Best Leadership: Alice A.
She was another one of our captains and she did a wonderful job carrying out her duty as one. As if she was our “Mom,” Alice always looked after each and every one of us. Without fail, she would always be next to us if we got injured during practices or games. Additionally, she always made sure that we would start our practices at exactly 3 P.M., not a minute less or more; making sure that all twelve heads were present and running our usual laps. On the team, she was a strong center who made many attempts with free throws and rebounds. She made sure that no one made it to our beloved key. Also, she is one of the many players who has improved tremendously in running. In Seventeens, she has become much faster compared to the first time that we ran. Good job Alice! That’s the way to improve!
3. Most Free Throws: Yena S.
Now, here is a girl who is just amazing when it comes to basketball. I would have to say that she is one of the many members on our team who has unbelievably improved. Never hesitating to throw her body for the ball, she has bruises and scars that literally cover her knees (She began to wear knees pads during the middle of the season). She has also contributed a lot to our team’s winning streak (well..you know what I mean). Her free throws almost 99.% of the time goes in. Need I mention that she was also the person who decorated our first goal at YISS? As a power forward, her charisma during the game even got the boys scared. You go girl!
4. Most Versatile: Megan (Ghee) S.
She literally played ALL of the positions, beginning from the point guard to shooting guard to small forward and even as a power forward (Okay…maybe she didn’t play the center). She never complained about how long she was in the games, or how many different positions she played. Always trying her best on court, she knew how to successfully carry out each position. Her original position was a shooting guard, but Megan is a multi-player, who the coach always calls out for during the game. It I rare that you will see her on the bench for more than a minute. This cute player is a pretty fast runner to, always being one of the top ones to finish our daily runs of Seventeens. Not only that, she has great form and accuracy when doing lay-ups, even with her left hand! (Now, that is hard to do, since we are all righties!) Way to go Ghee!
5. Best Attitude: Eungi C.
Both a cross-country varsity runner and a basketball player, Eungi is one of those people who seem to be good at everything. She is one of the fastest runners and has very accurate shooting skills, especially with her free throws. Never complaining about our practices, not even about our Seventeens, she always has a shining smile upon her face. This gives the rest of our team members strength and reminds us to have FUN with basketball. Her position as a shooting guard is just the right position for both her running and shooting skills. Eungi, we don’t know what we would do without you! (there would be no one to follow during warm-ups, you are the one who sets the limit! )
6. Best Team Spirit: Ann Y.
Ann is our team’s other power forward, standing out on the court with her bright brownish-orangish hair. She has incredible strength, once you get a pass from her, you will never look at her in the same way. Usually shy, yet aggressive when it comes to basketball; be prepared to be astonished by her power on the court during games. Also, this power can be seen when the basketball swishes through the net, producing a clean shot that some people envy. She does a fantastic job in defense as well, as she holds the other team away from reaching our net.
7. The Best Defense: Lisa K.
One of the small forwards, Lisa is also one team member who has improved immensely throughout the season. Her passes are full of power and most of her shots go in with a “swoosh!” In fact, she was one of the few players who put in a free throw and stopped the endless relay of wall-sits that we did. A valuable team player, especially on defense, she makes sure that the other team doesn’t roam around her territory. She presses them and has one of the most effective defense skills; the other team can barely get passed through her incredible defense without being fouled. Our Lisa, always with her bangs cutely tied up into a ponytail, contributes deeply to our team.
8. Best Improved: Jeemin H.
Another one of our point guards, Jeemin is always running at full speed to across the court, giving instructions on what to do and leading the team. She is always cheerful and smiling, however, when you see her on the court, you can’t find this sweet Jeemin anywhere. She becomes solemn and takes the game seriously. You can always see her trying to beat the other team to the ball and making some of the best passes. Despite her small figure, Jeemin gets a lot of rebounds because she boxes out. If you don’t know what “boxing out” is, it means sticking your gluteus maximus out and pressing it against the opponent’s body to prevent them from getting closer to the net and ultimately, shooting a goal. Jeemin rocks at this!
9. Most Blocked Shots: Jenn N.
Besides Alice, Jenn also is the center. She is the tallest amongst our team and the thinnest as well. However, do not look down on her because of her thin figure, Jenn has this hidden power beneath all that skin. She has greatly improved as well and even made a couple of points at our last game. We were all awestruck by her improvement and can count on Jenn to make a few goals. Jenn uses her super long legs to jump and that hidden strength to swish the ball into the net. Jenn is also the photographer of our team. In fact, all of these photos on this post were taken by her. She has her camera with her 24/7 and has now provided us with memories that we will treasure throughout our highschool year. Thanks Jenn!
10. Jane Y.
As it happens to be my position also, Jane is a small forward. She carries out the duty of this position very well, trapping the other team and making sure that they cannot get passed her awesome defense. Jane’s passes are the most strongest passes that you wil ever receive. It is just enough for you to break your finger if you fail to catch it properly. The basketball goes past you in a flash with speed and power. Sometimes, I am afraid to recieve this girl’s pass, afraid that the ball might break my finger. This is not the only good point of Jane. She also has incredibly accurate shooting skills. She has earned us many points in our games with her long shots and precise free throws. No one can shoot like Jane can.
11. Suzie K.
She is always running with all her might up and down the court following the ball, before anyone else. The fastest runner on our team, we are proud of Suzie. She even beat all of the varsity girls’ basketball players with Seventeens, therefore, she is the fastest. Another member who is aggressive during games, we can always count on her to steal the ball from the other team. In fact, she always made us laugh with her love for the basketball. It is just impossible to steal the ball from Suzie, once she has a hold of it, she will never let go until the referee or coach says so. Our speedy shooting guard, we will definitely never forget your passion for the ball.
12. The Best Manager Ever: Last but not least, The person who helped all of these people out, even me. The person who managed to tame (?) the team, a person none other than Jenny P. She would always have our water bottles ready to go, despite the fact that she was busy with scoring and recording. She never missed any of our games or practices and always rooted us on. Being a loyal manager, she never abandoned our team and although she didn’t get to play this year, next year, she will most definitely become one of us. However, even as a manager, Jenny is an significant member of our team.
And this concludes the members of KIS Girls’ Junior Varsity Team of 2008-09. I miss all of you guys. And remember that we’ll always meet in the month of November, on top of a glossy basketball court. Until then, hope that you all are happy and are thinking about us as….the team of 2008. ♥
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Photo credits to Jenn N.
