Athletic Growth Quotes

The key about playing internationally is the confidence that you gain. Not only do you train with some of the best players in the NBA, but you compete against some of the best players in the world.

Basketball was always my sport. It just took me until my second year of college for me to realize that I was a better baseball player than a basketball player. But basketball was always my number one love. Finally found out I was better at baseball and chose to pursue that route.

I feel like I have grown with the sport.

Playing the quarterback position, there are so many things you need to master that improvement ends up taking place on graduated levels.

I'm never going to be satisfied with where I am as a player.

I just want to keep improving in every game.

That's what the offseason is for, to work on your game.

I love watching players improve - even as a Little League coach.

I need more time to develop as a player and as a person.

I think as a central defender you grow as a player.

That's how fighters get better. They watch film, and they work on what they need to work on.

That's the problem with our industry: patience. People want instant NBA stars, and that's not going to happen.

Everyone knows quarterback is a position where it takes a while to really start playing well.

I had teammates like Chris Davis. Manny Machado was really young and such a good kid. Seeing his development, it's ridiculous. He's going to get bigger. He's going to get stronger. He's going to get even better.

Eleventh grade is when I grew into my body. My athleticism and speed took off.

I'm Ross Barkley and I've got to create a better version of the player I am and show what I can do, not try to be like someone else. That's part of what I hope I can achieve here, to make people aware of who I am as a player and show everyone what I can do.

I think just by the nature of getting older, I hope that I'm a smarter basketball player than I was at 23.

I'm still growing each and every day. I'm trying to become a better person, a better player and an all-time better QB.

What defines 'success' - answering that question - is so important when you're growing up as an athlete. Success for one kid is different than for another kid.

When I first came into the league, I was with Tim Dwight in San Diego, and a guy named Eric Parker, who really showed me the work ethic it takes to be an NFL receiver, and I've really tried to keep that with me.

First of all, in any sport where you can measure distance, height speed and all of that, you see how athletes have changed their sport and made it better. I believe, with every generation, the sport has improved. Certainly, in the men's game, that has been the case. I think that I played Pete [Sampras] at his best, I played Roger [Federer] at his best.. I believe wholeheartedly that Roger and [Rafael] Nadal have pushed the game much further than myself or Pete ever did. Their options on the tennis court are considerably more than ours.

Playing at Kentucky, before 24,000 people, you have to learn how to grow real fast and play under pressure and playing on ESPN with millions of people watching. Right away, you learn how to play under control.

Sometimes with these big long guys who are really athletic, you don't know when they're going to stop growing.

I've really grown as a player, becoming versatile, able to do multiple things offensively.

Look at the NBA players back when Magic and Kareem played in the early 80's with the short shorts, look at what Michael looked like when he first came in the league compared to when he left. Every sport evolves. Every sport gets bigger and more athletic, and you have to keep up.