Playing With One Hand-Damba Koroma

“I feel like a real Titan now,” TC junior Damba Koroma said about making the JV basketball team last week. After hours spent at open gym and three-day tryouts, Damba can finally breathe for a moment. Overcoming the odds, Koroma made the Junior Varsity basketball team at TC with one hand.

Born in Sierra Leone during a brutal civil war, Koroma suffered a violent tragedy at age five. Rebels came to her village and amputated her hand. Now a junior at TC, she decided to try out for basketball. “I really like basketball and wanted to play a sport,” Koroma said. She says her friend inspired her to give it a shot despite her physical handicap.

Koroma’s decision to try out for basketball has many people talking. “She’s a role model,” said sophomore Cashmire Norfleet, one of Koroma’s JV teammates. “She proves you can be on a team no matter your situation.” Varsity girls’ coach Cavanaugh Hagen loves talking about Koroma’s effort. “I praise her,” Hagen said. “I tell other coaches that I have a girl playing for me with one hand. I’ve told all the teachers. They’re really excited.”
Koroma is taking on the battle of playing basketball with only one hand. “She’s not letting her past affect her future,” Coach Hagen said. “She’s taking on the challenge. It shows the fight that she has inside.”

To prepare for tryouts, Koroma attended a two-day workout and spent two days playing basketball. “She came to me about open gym,” said Hagen. “I could tell she really wanted to play.” According to Hagen, Koroma put in the commitment, dedication, and hard work it takes to make a sports team. Although she did not know all the drills, she gave 110 percent in everything the coaches asked her to do. “She never complained about not being able to do a drill,” said Hagen.

Koroma is at a disadvantage playing basketball with one hand, she does not let that get her down. She says that she forgets about having one hand while on the court. “Being on the court makes me feel completely whole,” Koroma said. “I don’t feel like I have one hand.”

The other girls on the team are very accepting of Koroma. They do not pass her the ball any easier or play softer defense. They are supportive and are inspired by her. “I would be scared to try out if I was in her situation,” said Norfleet. “But she proves that if you work hard and do your best, you can achieve anything.” Hagen said she should be an inspiration to everyone. “She’s amazing.”

“While I was playing, since I’ve been coaching, or that I’ve heard of, no one in Damba’s situation has played before,” Hagen said.

However, Hagen encourages anyone, no matter his or her situation, to try out. “My motto is if you don’t try out you’ll never know if you can make it. Coaches don’t just look at skill. Dedication, motivation, and commitment are factors too. My thing is I can teach you the skills you need to play but I can’t teach hard work.”

“It feels good to have played a sport,” Koroma said. Through all the adversity, Koroma has faced during her life, she is not letting any of that affect her life. “I’m positive she made the team,” Coach Hagen said, and Koroma did just that.