The Ryan Lee Story - A “Hoop Dream” Comes True
Have you ever had a dream or a passion for something but didn’t quite know how to achieve it? Did you think it was too late to start? Why do some people succeed while others fail? This is the story of how one boy turned his dream into reality.
Ryan Lee loved the game of basketball. His dream was to play on his High School team although he had never played organized ball before. However, Ryan was already in the 8th grade and High School was just around the corner. Ryan’s Mom took action and signed him up for lessons with Hoop Dreamz.
During our first workout I realized that Ryan’s passion for the game was evident. One thing that really stood out was his ability to comprehend and execute the details of the drills he was asked to perform. At the conclusion of our first practice I remember telling Ryan that it would be a lot of work, but he would have a chance of making his high school team if he dedicated himself over the next several months to becoming the best player he could possibly be.
Ryan definitely heard me! Over the next 7 months he worked and practiced daily never missing a single day. He continued his weekly training sessions with me, practiced the drills I gave him at home every day and played in my leagues to get real game experience. Ryan made great progress in a short period of time.
As time grew closer to his tryout Ryan trained with me several times a week. On days he was not scheduled for a lesson he would personally call me and ask if I was going to be at the gym so that he could use the other side of the court to practice. He would stay at the gym for as long as I was there training other kids. Most days leading up to the tryouts he would be there from 4pm to 9pm straight.
After 7 months of hard training Ryan had arrived at his high school tryouts with 60 other freshmen who had hopes of making the team. Three days later he called me… Ryan made the team! Remember, this is someone who NEVER played basketball before, trained with me for only 7 months and made the High School team.
Ryan’s story is a great example of how hard work and determination coupled with the right training can pay off. The secret to success is working hard on a consistent basis. Your daily activities determine how far you will go. Whether your goal is to play High School basketball or any other aspiration you must ask yourself - “Is what I am doing on a daily basis bringing me closer or farther away from my goal?” It’s that simple. We can all learn a lesson from Ryan’s story and that is anything is possible when you work hard and commit yourself to doing everything and anything to achieve your “dreamz”.
Congratulations Ryan and good luck this season.