Personal Statement
My name is Javien Miguel Gonzalez. I have so much love and passion for basketball. As a kid, I grew up playing baseball. I remember dreaming of going to the MLB when I grew up. Never did I think I could have felt that same love for another sport. At 12 years old, and after 8 years of baseball, I decided I wanted to try something new. Most of my friends were playing basketball so I asked my parents if I could try it too. As cliche as it might sound, I just can't explain the feeling I had the very first time that ball went through the net. It was a feeling I had never experienced before. Every time I laced up my shoes and stepped on a court from that moment on I knew I had found my home. The place I felt the realest version of myself. Since that day my life has gone through many hard times. I have experienced watching my father go to prison, my mother having to work 3 jobs to provide for myself and my siblings, and the loss of my favorite person in the world, my grandfather. Basketball has not just been a game to me. Basketball has saved me. To this day, no matter what life throws at me, it all seems a little more bearable when I get on a court. I love that after all these years of being on a court, that same feeling I had the first time I picked up a ball is still just as strong as ever. Because of everything basketball has given me, I made a promise to give it everything I have every chance I get to play.
For the past five years, I have continued to improve my game physically and mentally.. I'm never going to be the tallest or maybe even the most talented player you will ever watch play but I can promise you that no one is going to outwork me. I don't care how big they are, they are going to have to really work to score on me, or stop me. I bring energy, intensity and motivation. I not only push myself but my teammates as well. I am coachable, I know how to lead both on and off the court with positivity. I am a team player 100% and I believe that there is always ways to grow and develop and I will never be content staying where I am as a player. I just want the opportunity to make a difference and be a part of a team/family that feels the same way and to continue being able to do what I love most. Thank you for your time and consideration.
