Undergraduate / 'Basketball and feeling of regret' - Common App Essay [6]

I just need some criticism on this, for my transfer application. Needed to be 1000 characters and I'm at 934. I think it's a good use of the 1000 characters.

That feeling of regret; something you did in the past and wish you could've made a better choice. We've all felt that and sulk in disappointment. I wished I had never stopped playing for high school basketball. My dreams of playing in college had followed me since I was eight, since the first time I scored a basket. All my free time was consumed by AAU all-star and JV basketball, until intimidation crept up. I left the team after my freshman year, and by junior year I was too old to continue playing. How would I ever make a college team? My dreams slipped through my hand like sand. Gone.

True passion never runs dry. That wasn't the path I thought I'd take to get to my dreams, but opportunity arose again. I began playing for my community college and realized the passion never left. The path imagined isn't the only trail leading to your dreams. I'm reminded that nothing is impossible even when it seems out of reach.