Ed.’s note: Two weeks ago, Springfield Armor guard Tre Whitted joined the blogging corps with his debut post giving us a candid look at a trying weekend in the D-League world. Today, Tre returns for his second installment of insights on life in the D-League. Tre, the floor is yours…
Success in basketball does not always come in the win column. I’ve learned that a lot this season but even more so in the last two weeks. Two great things happened in the Armor organization since the last blog: First, we had our first winning streak. Second, we had our first call-up.
JamesOn Curry was called up to the Los Angeles Clippers on a 10-day contract. As a team, we were all happy for him. We have all witnessed his growth and maturity as a player this year. I have watched him personally deal with the pressures of being the organization’s first pick in the draft and also being asked to lead the team from the point guard position. His call-up lit a fire under the whole organization because we all believe more than ever that it can happen to us, too.
My whole life I have been taught that God puts us into uncomfortable situations to help us grow. While JamesOn was gone, I was put into an uncomfortable situation: I had to play backup point guard. Not only that, but it was my first time returning to the court after what I call my horrible games that I wrote about in the last blog. Did I mention it was my first time playing point guard since high school? I smiled and said to God, “Are You really going to put me out there like this?”
I didn’t dwell on my doubts and fears too long. I’ve learned in my years of playing that doubt leads to fear. When you are afraid, it’s almost like your body is immobilized. When that happens, you no longer play off instinct: You’re playing out of fear of failure, over-thinking everything, and that causes you to react half a step slower. The same thing applies to life.
I had to have a ‘change of thought’. I reminded myself that I have the most powerful force in the universe – God Himself – pushing behind me. If He is for me, then who or what can be against me? I also told myself, “I can do all things through Christ, who gives me strength.” If God could raise Christ from the dead, then surely he could give me the tools I needed to play point, right?
Right! I played pretty well at my secondary position. In one game, I scored my D-League career-high 23 points in a losing effort against Austin, in a game we once led by 19. Again, success does not always come in the win column. The D-League is about development. It is about learning life lessons to use long after we hang up our sneakers. I am looking forward to the continued learning process of how to be comfortable in uncomfortable situations. I believe that is a true sign of growth.
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