Dear Basketball,

Thank you for being a constant in my life from the time I was three years old. Some of my earliest memories are of shooting around in a red barn with concrete floors my dad built in our backyard. You have been my safe haven and a way to escape reality for the last 18 years of life.

Basketball has taken me more places that I ever thought a small-town girl from Maine would be able to go. I have learned some of life's greatest lessons through basketball. You made me realize that everything is earned, not given.

I wouldn't have met my best friends if it wasn't for you and I am so grateful for the memories I have, both on and off the court. I am forever grateful for the second family that basketball has brought me.

Thank you for reaching me how to be a leader, I wouldn't be the person I am today without you. I will never forget my time as a Terrier.

Thank you for everything,

Nia Irving // #20