Many people think confidence in basketball is loud. They see the and-1 celebrations, trash talk or someone pulling up for a deep 3 without hesitation. But the truth is, real confidence in basketball is built quietly. It’s created during the hours when nobody is watching; early mornings in an empty gym, personal ball handling workouts at 9 p.m., the repetition of the same shot over and over.
I know this because I used to struggle with confidence. For a long time, I doubted myself on the court and didn’t believe in myself. I would catch the ball and hesitate. I was worried about missing shots, turning the ball over or making the wrong decision. I was playing to not get subbed out. Instead of just playing, I was overthinking everything.
What nobody tells you is how much outside factors can influence your confidence. Coaches and teammates shape how players see themselves. Some coaches build confidence by putting their trust in you. Others create second guessing through favoritism or politics behind the scenes. Anyone who has played sports knows this side of it: the rotation, the expectations and the decision about who gets the opportunities. When you feel like the system isn’t fair, it’s easy to disengage and stop investing because why pour everything if the ceiling’s already been decided for you. I felt that before. But I’ve also learned that waiting for something to change is a losing game. The only thing you can control is what you do on your own.
Over time I realized something key; confidence shouldn’t come from coaches, playing time or recognition from others. It comes from the work. The same drills and footwork until it becomes automatic. Confidence isn’t something you can wait for. It’s something you have to build rep by rep until doubt can’t exist anymore.
And then there are referees. A bad call at the start of the game can flip the entire energy of a player. What makes this really irritating is that it’s completely out of your hands. But, over time, I’ve learned that the players who check out after a bad call are giving away something more valuable than the possession. They’re giving away their focus. Refs are going to miss calls, for it’s apart of the game, but the only response that helps you is the one that bring you back to the next possession, not the one still concerned and shaken on the last one.
And some games do go wrong. There are some nights when nothing falls, the gym feels like a fever dream and you dribble the ball off your leg. Those types of games feel endless, but I have held on to a quote that my mom told me growing up: “It can’t rain forever.” Every slump breaks, every bad game ends and shots will fall eventually. The question is whether you can take the lows.
I’m still learning all of this. I’ll have more bad games. There will be nights I walk off the court and wonder why I even play. But to me, that’s the point. The love has to be bigger than the doubt. I have to keep going no matter what setback happens. If you’re in the middle of your own slump, in basketball, academics or anything, just know that the rain is real, but there will always be brighter days.
