I'm about to take a big step in my life. I would like your opinion.
david927: Don't do it; you'll regret it.  Listen, you're not the only one that's gone through this.  Everyone who invested his/her early years obtaining hard skills (such as technical skills) at the expense of soft skills (such as being comfortable in a group and around the opposite sex) has this problem.  You're not broken or defective.  You're just starting to play basketball for the first time among a group that's done nothing -but- play basketball.  Don't expect it to come naturally; it will take time, and that's ok.  Again, there's nothing wrong with you.  I don't know anything about you, but I've known 1000 people, including myself, who have gone through this, and I'll happily bet you one million dollars that in months from now you'll look back at this like so many things in our lives: painful and normal.So do you want to play basketball?  Don't hire a pro for an hour.  Just play.  Get on dating sites and date.  The hardest thing about dating is the fear of rejection.  So here's what you do: you get rejected.  Plan on it.  And pat yourself that you even got on the court to play at all -- it's a very scary thing to do.
You should know that if you can get through 20 rejections, you'll get someone.  It can happen earlier, but this is probably the outside chance.  So with each rejection (and it happens to EVERYONE, trust me) remind yourself that you're one step closer to meeting someone.Just remember that you've got friends here, so don't be shy to ask anything else. And good luck.