For athletes worldwide, their lives revolve around their sports. How they perform can alter their self confidence, drastically affecting their play and their personal lives. High school athletes especially struggle with self confidence, as junior basketball player Keylin Tillman has noticed.
“It dictates my whole mood throughout the day,” said Tillman. “If I’m not playing well, I’m mad the rest of the day. When I’m playing good, I’m good.”
Tillman played basketball for the junior varsity team and has also played for the Michigan Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) team. He has been playing basketball ever since he was young. Tillman has had his ups and downs. Last season, he got injured and was out for a while.
Confidence influences Tilman’s game performance and lifts his mood after good performances. Tillman believes his best game was an AAU match in which he scored 39 points. This game served as a confidence booster and showed him how much he had improved in a short time. This newfound confidence also caused him to perform better in his upcoming games.
“I fell in love with the game a couple of years ago and put as much work into it as I can,” Tillman said. “I want to play in college. That is the goal, so I am working towards that goal.”
Like most other athletes, Tillman is very serious about his sport and passionate about playing in college. Basketball is an important part of Tillman’s life, and he plans to keep working hard every day to achieve his goal.
“Honestly, it really took over my life,” Tillman continued. “I don’t do much else.”
In a study performed by Trine University, researchers compared two different soccer teams and found that the winners showed higher confidence and less anxiety the day before the game than the losing team. The losing team’s lack of confidence and high anxiety caused them to doubt themselves before they even stepped foot on the field.
Freshman basketball player Graham Sleper’s confidence has also had a major impact on how he has played. Last year, when Sleper was playing for the eighth grade basketball team at Maple Street, he struggled with his confidence and scoring.
“Last year I was afraid to shoot, but now my team needs me, so I have to shoot. I’m more confident,” said Sleper.
Sleper has had an exponentially better season than his eighth grade year. During eighth grade, Sleper would average less than 10 minutes a game, averaging around four points a game. This year, he has been scoring more points and gets more rebounds every game, averaging a double-double, with his points and rebounds in the double digits every game. He has also been named team captain. Sleper credits these stellar performances to his newfound confidence in his basketball skills. He hopes to keep his confidence and continue to improve next year
“Next year, I’m going to become a better all-around player, not just scoring,” said Sleper.
