On every team, no matter the sport, we all need a teammate that would go to war for you, sacrifice themselves, do whatever it takes, and most importantly do all of “any & everything” that would give the team the best shot at a Dub (that’s short for “W” or “win” – just making sure we’re all on the same page). For many reasons, Annie Mako is that teammate.
She doesn’t know, and I don’t think I’ve ever even told her (until now of course) that I’ve been a fan of Annie Mako even before I was privileged enough to get the opportunity to train her. From afar, she seemed to be a kid that makes the best of her opportunities. The thing I enjoyed most was watching her energy. As I watched games, even when she wasn’t in the game, Annie seemed to bring an energy and enthusiasm that would light up any gym. Some kids go through the motions of getting excited for their teammates when they did something worthy of excitement but watching Annie, she seemed to genuinely enjoy seeing her teammates do well. Then, when her opportunities came, Annie showed passion in doing things that tend to not garner the attention of most basketball fans – defending, making the extra pass, getting on the floor, boxing out, or simply making the right play.
I’ll never forget the day I first started working with Annie because I was so overwhelmed by her allowing me to be a part of her journey and I saw firsthand her energy. Annie went so hard on every skill that we worked on. She’d shoot, run to get her rebound, then run back to start again. This continued for the first part of the training and I finally had to say, “Damn Annie, love the energy you’re bringing BUT relax. (Laugh) Pace yourself between reps.”
Garry & Annie Mako
A couple times a week, we’d attack skill after skill. Learning, growing, building on her handle, building on her confidence. With each session, our trainer/player trust grew and our mission to attack the Live period this past summer will always be engrained in my basketball memories. In that time, I’ve learned so much from Annie in terms of training and preparation that has shaped the way that I help others prepare for similar moments.
As time passed and games were played, I’d get Annie’s texts/calls about, “Hey Garry, I did…” or “Hey Garry, I struggled with…do you think we can work on that next time.” There were times when things weren’t so positive and the conversations weren’t necessarily what she wanted to hear but what needed to be said. And she probably doesn’t realize it, but in those moments Annie was doing what Annie does…bringing energy. Without knowing, she was giving me the energy to keep pushing her forward. I was feeding off of her energy, wanting to do everything that I could to help her reach her goals. Watching game film, finding flaws, going back to the drawing board & revisiting any struggles.
[blockquote text=”Yooo…I just committed.” text_color=”” width=”” line_height=”undefined” background_color=”” border_color=”” show_quote_icon=”yes” quote_icon_color=””]
Ultimately, through it all, the day would come when Annie would reach out utter the words I won’t forget: “Yooo…I just committed”
Truth be told, as I’m sure any of her teammates would say, I too am forever grateful for Annie Mako. Not only for allowing me on her journey but not many know that it’s because of Annie Mako that so many doors have opened for me.
We all need A Mako. Thank you for everything and proud of you. Montclair is getting a gem.
