I have always enjoyed watching high school sports.  The quality of play is high enough that you get to see some excellent performances while, at the same time, there can be miscues that make for some interesting twists and turns in the action.  

My brother is four years older and was an excellent all-around athlete as a kid, so he was an inspiration for me—and I very much enjoyed watching his games.

In any case, talking about inspirations, I had the good fortune—when I was in 7th grade—of watching Calvin Murphy play as a high school senior.  He scored over 50 points against my local high school (and this was in the era before the 3-point shot).  He was short—5’9”—and I was way below normal height in 7th grade, so he really inspired me with his sensational performance.  I became an instant fan and then followed his college career at Niagara and his NBA career with the rockets.  

One memory in particular stands out: the ref blew the whistle to stop play and a split-second later Calvin decided to launch a jump shot from what would be now regarded as deep Steph Curry territory.  He drained it and he made it seem so effortless—almost as if it were a routine shot.

By the way, his 50+ points did not come in a rout.  The game was pretty close and his squad needed all of his points.