By Collin Welp

Happy Father's Day everyone! I hope you guys are getting to spend time with your loved ones. On this day, I like to spend time reflecting on the impact that my Dad had on my life and the things that he taught me. So let me tell you about my Dad.

A lot of people know my Dad as the basketball player. PAC-10 Freshman of the Year at the University of Washington, three-time first team All-PAC-10 selection, 1986 PAC-10 Player of the Year, all-time leading scorer in the history of the program as well as other records. He went on to play in the NBA for a few years and continued his career in Europe, winning championships along the way. He played basketball at the highest levels and succeeded in ways that people only dream of succeeding. And while he would downplay his accomplishments and tell you that basketball didn't define his life, these things made him my superhero.

I grew up playing different sports like baseball and football, but I always knew I was a basketball player, and I knew that I wanted to be just like my dad when I grew up. I remember walking around recess in elementary school stopping anyone I could to show them my Dad's 1990 Philadelphia 76ers trading card. I thought I had the coolest Dad in the world, and you couldn't tell me any different.

He was my first coach and my first role model. I wanted to do everything like him. I've worn number 40 like he did in college for as long as I can remember. He taught me everything he knew about the game from moves, footwork, reading defenders, you name it. We spent a lot of time in random gyms near my house and it seemed inconsequential and unimportant at the time, but looking back at it those are some of my favorite memories. Between drills he would tell me stories about hanging out with Charles Barkley in Philadelphia or when he scored 40 on Reggie Miller and UCLA his senior year at Pauley Pavilion. He was always hard on me, and it bothered me because I thought I was being treated unfairly, but that helped me become the player and person I am today. The tough love he showed me made me want to constantly strive for perfection and keep working until I got it. He stayed on me, and as I got older, I got better. I didn't really start taking basketball seriously until I got to high school. I had some really good coaches, hit my growth spurt and got to 6'9, and I just took off from there.

My sophomore year of high school, my Dad unexpectedly passed away on March 1st, 2015. For a little while the world kind of just stopped for me. I just couldn't understand how this could happen to my family and me. The person I had looked up to and idolized my entire life just ripped away from me. I didn't know how to deal with the sadness, anger, and guilt that I felt so I did the only thing that I knew how to do, and that was literally and figuratively lock myself in the gym. I had a lot of help and support from my family and friends getting through that time but when I needed a place to escape and just clear my mind for a little while, I picked up my ball and went to the gym. The gym is the place where I feel closest to my dad. The memories and times we shared in the gym kept me going in times when I just wanted to give up.

But this isn't entirely a sad story. I like to think more about the things that my Dad taught me even since he passed. I learned that the greatest teacher in life for me was through the game of basketball. For a long time, I was too young to understand the things he was teaching and instilling in me. Things like the difference between discipline and motivation. Everyone is motivated occasionally, but it is a fleeting feeling and having discipline is being able to decide between what you want the most and what you might want right now. He taught me how to be observant and always willing to absorb knowledge even on things you think you might know about because true wisdom is in knowing that you know nothing. He taught and showed me how to work hard and have grit. Everyone works hard but he was always asking me how I could separate myself from other people doing the exact same thing as me. But I think the most important lesson he taught me directly was to enjoy the little things. My Dad loved basketball, but he also loved to fish and be outdoors. He enjoyed spending time with his friends watching a big game. Basketball is important, but you can't get caught up and miss celebrating and enjoying little things both within and outside the game as well.

I carry little pieces of my dad with me everywhere I go. When I was growing up, I was a lanky kid, and I grew faster than what my body could keep up with. So, when I got to middle school, my coordination was really lacking. I would trip over myself, or I couldn't get certain footwork down when I was hooping, and it was really frustrating for me at times. My dad would watch me and laugh or tease me that I'd "never be able to walk and chew gum at the same time." Now every time I suit up to play in a game, I never forget to keep some gum on me to chew while I play. I wear number 40 just like him. A lot of my teammates and closest friends all call me "40" instead of Collin. It sounds obvious because it's the number I wear but to me it's so much more. It's a reminder of everything my Dad is to me, a reminder of everything he taught me, and it's a reminder of my family who I do everything in my life for.

Even though my Dad is no longer with us, the lessons he taught me and impact he had on my life will stay with me the rest of my life. I have failed many times in my life and gotten up and kept going because I know that's what my Dad would have wanted for me. I appreciate you guys reading my story, such is life.

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