Top Recruit
You could see the college scouts look down at their clipboards and scribble little notes every time I entered the game. I would score and they’d do nothing, but when I would make a nice pass for an assist, they’d go to work. I looked over at one point and saw Coach K and Jim Boeheim in attendance. I could not believe my eyes. They’re two of the best college coaches and they were here to watch me.
I am Jamal Battle. My whole life I had been under the spotlight and my whole life I hadn’t let anybody down. In fact, I had exceeded expectations. I had grown to be about 6’5” with a 6’11” wingspan and the hands a farmer would love. The best part is, I was just fourteen years old! I was meant to play basketball.
I had short, black trimmed hair. I had dark brown eyes and a faded mustache. I had been trying to grow it for a while since I hit puberty a little earlier than most. I started out with a big mustache, but shaved it because I was embarrassed. Now-a-days, though, I wanted it even more because I thought it would intimidate my opponents. Plus, it would earn me a lot of respect if I had a mustache in the eighth grade!
My mom is one of the most important people in my life, if not the most important. I love her so much and am so thankful for everything she does for me. I live with her in our home in Oakland, California. She is one of the hardest working people I know. She puts clothes on my back and food on the table. Since there is no man in our life, she has to do all the work. I try to pitch in a couple dollars every once in a while, but it doesn’t do much good seeing as how much everything costs these days. She is a secretary for a local dentist office during the day and a waitress at Denny’s at night. She does all she can for me and our small family. She has given me so much and I know that one day I will be able to give everything back to her. That one day will be the day I am drafted into the NBA (National Basketball Association).
Whenever I am slacking off in school or on the basketball court, she would be right there to get into my face and tell me to pick it up. I liked it when she did that to me because then I didn’t feel like I was missing out. All the players on my team had dads who yelled at them when they missed a shot or turned the ball over. Not me. I had my mom for that. She was louder than all of them, too. Sometimes she stood up and did her, “Oh know you didn’t” move. She was often yelled at by the other parents to tone it down, but she never did. I love my mom so much that I didn’t care if she yelled at me. The day she stopped yelling at me would be the day she stopped caring about me.
“Hurry up J! You are going to miss the van!” my mom yelled through my bedroom door.
“Oh s***! I’m coming Mom, don’t worry. I will make it on time.”
“Don’t you dare cuss in this house Jamal Anthony Battle! You know my rule and yet you still do it!”
“I’m sorry I won’t do it again,” I mumbled as I jumped into the car.
One weekend I had an AAU tournament in Long Beach, California. I played for a team called Team Cal Stars which included some of the top talent in the West. We were a very close knit group because we’d grown up playing ball with each other since we could remember and we all had fun together. That is what makes basketball so much fun. However, we hadn’t had a close game all spring and the competition wasn’t getting much better which wasn’t too much fun either. The tournament was another showcase which meant college coaches could attend and scout players. I had always looked forward to these tournaments because I was the best and I liked to prove it. During the weekend, I had several games where I shined and then I had moments where I made my teammates look like stars. The college coaches seemed to be impressed with what I had to offer.
I received my first two recruiting letters from UCLA and UC-Riverside in the summer. This entire experience has been a dream come true for my mom and I. Obviously, it was a dream come true for me, but my mom loved to see me succeed and enjoyed when I had a big smile on my face. Through this whole process I had learned to love every moment of it because you never know when something might happen to change a positive situation.
August 2010
My first day of high school was almost here. I thought this day would never come. My entire life all I had wanted to do was play for Gary McKnight at Mater Dei High School. Even though I had lived in Oakland for what seemed like forever, my mom and I thought I would get the best exposure and competition in Southern California.
On a hot day back in June, I kissed my mom on the cheek, gave her a hug goodbye and started a new chapter in my life. I moved into my Aunt Karen’s home in Santa Ana, California. This was an easy transition for me and made the situation even easier for my mom because I’d be living with her sister with whom she is very close to. My mom would have easy access to me and would be able to keep tabs on me, as well.
I had visited So Cal a lot and I loved the sandy beaches, the sexy girls and of course the millions of open basketball courts. Mater Dei was my calling and I was well prepared for what was next to come. The coach had a historic track record and the number of players to come out of there and play college ball was astounding.
My first couple weeks of school had been pretty fun so far because basketball had just started up. I had been practicing with varsity, even as a freshman, and was hoping to stay on this squad. I was embracing the competition on varsity. All of the players wanted a starting spot, so the practices were a lot tougher and more competitive. Just like in games, if you took a play off in practice you got exposed and you paid for it. So far, however, I had been able to hold my own with the bigger and faster upper classmen. Although I hadn’t been piling up the numbers like I normally would, I didn’t exactly need to because I was just a freshman.
After a grueling week of practice and tryouts, I finally received my jersey and was officially a member of the varsity team! It was a dream come true for me, but the dream wasn’t complete yet. My dream was to play college ball and then to play professional basketball somewhere. Whether it is in the NBA or somewhere overseas, I wanted to play professional basketball.
Five weeks had gone by and our first game was in two days against Centennial High School. They were a very well rounded basketball team with an extremely fast and shifty point guard. He averaged about 20 points per game and 6 assists last year as a sophomore. It had been said that he was the best point guard on the west coast.
It was finally the day of the first game against Centennial High. “Man, I can’t wait any longer! These next four hours are going to go by so slow.” I said to my friend Drumarcus.
“Oh my god! I know, right? I didn’t sleep at all last night because I was so excited for today,” he replied.
The next couple of hours did seem to drag on forever. I had English first period and it was so mind-numbing. We learned about the differences between past tense and future tense. I was about to fall asleep in the class because I thought I already knew everything there was to know. I failed English in eighth grade because I never tried, but I knew everything. This year I had to retake it and I had an A+ in the class. I had math second period and that too was extremely tedious. It was basically an hour of note taking and tests. My final class of the day was Spanish 2. I actually liked that class because I liked to learn about different cultures.
Game time finally arrived and I was wearing my favorite Air Jordan Cool Grey 11’s. I slipped on my new jersey over my tight Nike Pro Combat undershirt. The number I wore was 0 because of where I grew up. Since I was born and raised in Oakland, I wear the number 0 for the O in Oakland. I have worn this number my entire life and I am lucky enough to still be wearing it.
The game was about to begin. The team and I ran out of the tunnel onto the court for pre-game warm-ups. I belonged. It was more than just being tall, thin, and talented, I was part of something that I had been working towards for so long. The game was about to start and I saw the opposing point guard for the first time. He was an athletic specimen who just looked like a stud.
The game started and by the end of the first quarter, we were already losing 24-19. It was a miserable quarter. We missed most of our shots and the other team couldn’t miss. We were lucky, however, because Centennial committed an unforced turnover at the end of the quarter. We grabbed the turnover and shot a half court three pointer and made it.
I entered the game at the beginning of the second quarter and looked up and realized I stood in front of a few hundred fans screaming and cheering. I couldn’t believe my time had come and I couldn’t believe I got the chance to do what I loved at such a high level. We had all the momentum from the shot at the end of the quarter and I received the ball at the sideline and dribbled over to call out a play. I called a simple play, but attacked instead of passing it. I easily got by my defender and had an easy layup. 24-21. I ran back on defense and picked up my guy at the half court line. I was guarding their best player, the point guard. He did a lot of fancy moves, but I didn’t flinch. I was with him step for step.
The point guard tried to force a tough contested three, but he missed and we secured the rebound. I got the outlet pass and rushed up the court and found the open guy in the corner for a three pointer. Swish. 24-24. Just like that, the game was tied. I had sparked this 5-0 run. Now we were back in the game and in control.
By the time I came out of the game, I had helped us gain a ten-point lead. I had 6 points and 4 assists while doing so. At halftime, we were blowing Centennial out. I couldn’t believe how well I had played in the first half. I had done so much better than I had in practice.
The coach came into the team room and started to explain what we needed to do to stop their point guard. “Guys we need to clamp down on him. We know he is going to shoot most of their team’s shots and we know he is going to be their ‘go to’ guy. I don’t know what else you need to know about him. We know he likes to shoot threes and we know he will try his crazy moves to get by his defender. The only person who seemed to be able to stop him was Jamal. He did a great job of not biting on any of his moves or jumping on any of his pump fakes. So I tip my cap to you Jamal, good job.” He continued to talk about our defensive game plan while we rested to prepare for the second half.
In the second half, I continued to play well and also dominated my opponent while on defense. At one point in the game, we were winning by 25 points, but by that time we put all the subs in and Centennial went on a mini-run. We beat Centennial 76-62 and I totaled 16 points and 7 assists while playing just 18 minutes off the bench. It was a great first game for the team, but especially for me.
Several games went by and I was still impressing the coach. I became a starter after four games because I was so dominant on the defensive end. I could stop any opposing player that I wanted and I could score any time too. I was averaging about nineteen points a game and six assists through just fifteen games.
By now, I was known as a top player in all of California. I had earned a hard reputation to keep up. If I took a play off and didn’t score, I was booed. I am not going to lie, it was really difficult playing like that. I didn’t let up and still played amazing, but I just had a lot more pressure to deal with now.
The season had been stressful. I had been pressured into deciding which college to attend even though I was just a freshman! I couldn’t make a decision just yet. I would always have my favorite colleges, which included Syracuse, UCLA, USC and Arizona, but they may not be the best choices from a basketball stand point.
February 2011
The last game of the season had arrived and it was against Los Lopes Litle High School. They were not very good and we were going to easily blow them out. I was looking to go into the game and get some easy buckets and rest on the bench. I entered the pre-game warm up the same way I always did, wearing my track suit and Nike flip-flops.
The game was about to start and my teammates wanted to have some fun so they had me do the jump-ball. The referee walked up and said, “Let’s have a good game boys.” Then he threw the ball up and I don’t remember what happened next. I was told I jumped up for the ball, but the other player’s arm hit me and I fell on my neck.
The paramedics came and carried me off on a stretcher. I couldn’t get up when I tried to move. I knew I would be out for a really long time and I didn’t want to think about that. I had to persevere through this and get better fast.
July 2012
I couldn’t believe it had already been a year since the accident. The past months had been extremely tough for me to withstand. I hadn’t been allowed to try to walk because the doctors were afraid I might injure myself worse and I hadn’t been able to even leave the hospital. I was told I shattered my spine and I didn’t ask any more questions after that. I knew it was going to be a miracle if I was able to play basketball ever again. Heck, I knew it would be a miracle if I was ever able to walk again. I continued to pray. I don’t think I had ever prayed so much in my life.
The next few weeks were going to be the ones where the doctors determined whether or not I was going to be able to walk again! I had two upcoming surgeries that would determine my prognosis. The doctors were still unsure if I was going to be paralyzed or if I would need a few years of rehabilitation.
November 2012
After the surgeries and the resulting diagnosis of being paralyzed, my life took a turn for the worst. I became depressed and resorted to drugs. My basketball friends were playing basketball while I had nowhere to go. I would normally sit in my house by myself for most of the day. I had a full time nurse with me, but she wasn’t very friendly. I lost many of my friends because I wasn’t the ‘big shot’ I used to be. I hated my new life and had nothing better to do than smoke weed.
This part of my life carried on for many months and I had accomplished nothing. I never looked forward to anything except the day my new shipment of marijuana came. One day I looked at myself in the mirror and was disgusted with what I saw. I knew I would have to make a change in my life and I would have to start something different. I had been miserable for such a long time and it was time to make a change.
I traveled to Oakland to live with my mother even though it was so hard for her to see me this way. I had let her down in so many more ways than one. She was disgusted with the person who I became. Not for getting injured, but for using drugs and generally not being happy. When I arrived in Oakland, I felt like I was home again. All I could do was cry.
When I got home, the house looked different than I had remembered it. It still had its faded yellow paint, banged up door, and the rusted security bars across the windows. I looked down at the steps, but there were none. My mom had changed them and put in a ramp so I could roll up to the door. I started to cry again and this was why I had come back. To experience all the good times I used to have with my mom. I rolled up to the door in my wheel chair and rung the door bell.
My mom opened the door and smiled. “Hi J.”
“Hey mom,” I replied back while I was wiping my nose. She started to tear up, but she was trying so hard to hold it back. I loved my mom so much and was so glad to be back home with her. If anybody was going to be able to fix me, it would be her.
“Come on in son. I just started making dinner. Hope you are hungry because I’m making my famous chili,” she said while wiping the tears away from her face. I was hungry, in fact, and was happy she was making dinner instead of my nurse making me some stupid Hot Pockets. It was good to be home.
July 2013 (Present Day)
Since moving in with my mom I have been the happiest I have been in a long, long time. I have enrolled in the local community college in hopes of going to a four year university afterwards. I started going to the gym to work out and shoot some baskets. After my diagnosis, I began having feeling in my arms and torso. The doctors said there might be a chance I would only be paralyzed from the waist down and they were right. I had full mobility in my arms and chest. Thank goodness I had use of my arms because at the local YMCA, they had wheelchair basketball. I signed up without hesitation.
Now I have learned to embrace every day, because I now know it can evaporate with the snap of a finger. It took me a long to time to realize that life is my gift, not just being able to play basketball. I had a lot to offer… not just my abilities.