Bay Area O

Yesterday was my first day of work.

That still feels kind of weird to say.

I woke up around 7:30 that morning for classes, knowing that later that afternoon I would actually be going to work for the first time. My shift was from 3:30 to 5:10, and I drove myself there wearing my black UPBasketball shirt. I wasn’t really nervous, but there was definitely something different about knowing I was about to walk into an elementary school and actually be the coach instead of being one of the kids.

I already knew one of the coaches I was working with from some of my previous workouts at the main UPBasketball facility in Burlingame, so that made things feel a little more comfortable. Once we got started, everything was pretty simple. We worked with kids from kindergarten through fifth grade and ran some basic basketball drills like partner passing, shooting, and finishing.

Honestly, the job was easy. It was also really fun.

We had a good group of kids and the coaches were fun to work with, which made the whole afternoon go by pretty quickly. There were definitely some moments where I had to remind myself that these kids were, well… kids.

One thing that genuinely surprised me was how many kids were wearing shoes with laces but didn’t know how to tie them. I swear like 80% of them didn’t know how. I wasn’t expecting that at all.

And then there was the brainrot.

At different points I had kids yelling things like, “WHO’S THAT GUY?” and “ARE YOU NEW HERE?” and, of course, screaming six seven. Just completely random stuff. Some of them were also already trying to diss me, which I guess is part of being a coach now.

But honestly, those moments were funny because they reminded me of what it was like to be their age.

On the way home, I started thinking about something I hadn’t really thought about before. When I was younger, I used to look up to the older kids. I thought they were so cool. They seemed bigger, older, more experienced, and like they knew what they were doing.

And now I’m that older kid.

That’s probably the weirdest part about my first day.

I was standing there looking at these kids and realizing that a few years ago, I was basically them. I was the kid getting excited about basketball, looking up to older players, and thinking about how cool it would be to have a job doing something I actually enjoyed.

Now I’m getting that opportunity.

I’m still learning, though. I don’t suddenly know everything about coaching just because I have a UPBasketball shirt on. I’m still figuring out what kids actually want to do, how to keep them interested, and how to make a drill that might normally be boring feel fun and engaging.

I think that’s going to be one of the biggest things I learn from this job. Basketball isn’t always about making the perfect shot or running the hardest workout. When you’re working with younger kids, you have to make them actually want to be there. You have to make them excited to play.

And I think that’s something I’m going to get better at with time.

On the drive home, I decided to celebrate a good first day with some Raising Cane’s. Because why not?

It was a pretty normal afternoon on the outside. I drove to an elementary school, helped some kids play basketball, got made fun of by a bunch of elementary schoolers, and then went home and got food.

But for me, it felt like the beginning of something new.

My first job. My first time being the older kid that younger kids might look up to. And my first real experience getting to work around something I already love.

I’m still figuring it all out, but honestly, I’m excited to see where everything goes.