Column by Carly Grenfell

Less than one month until tip-off. Basketball season is officially in the air. Can you feel it? We sure can.

The start of every basketball season is just as exciting as the last one. As athletes putting in work during the offseason, you can’t help but eagerly await the real deal. There is just something about the first practice of the year. It’s the perfect combination of anxiety, nerves and excitement that create one energized atmosphere.

However, come find us when the countdown reaches one week … five days … two days … and one day until game day. Our energy increases exponentially. While hump day is one of my favorite days since the Geico commercial, game day is hands down the best of the best.

Excitement is something derived from the things we enjoy doing most. Excitement is also something that can wane with the roller coaster of emotions that comes with being a college athlete. Although, now that I only have two seasons left, excitement means more to me today than it ever has.

While there are ups and downs that come with every season, it’s the ups that make everything worth it. There are times I think about being completely done with basketball. Some days, it doesn’t bug me. But nine times out of 10, I wonder how hard it will be to hang it all up.

Anyone playing a college sport understands how much blood, sweat and tears we invest into the game we love. And to think that one day it will all be over is not an easy thing to grasp. That’s where we remind ourselves that we are in fact living our dream, that we are in fact doing what we love. This type of excitement is something that does not last forever.

The solution? Take the bad days with a grain of salt. Remember that four years fly by in the blink of an eye. And never forget why you play the game in the first place: because you love it.

There should be one common denominator in every person’s journey, whether a college athlete or not. In three simple words: Make it count.