Ch. 3

Jeffrey Jones was nicknamed "Semi" because when he sets a pick or someone takes a charge, it apparently feels like you are getting hit by a semi-truck. When we came back on the court, Jeffrey had this look that I knew all too well. It just said that give me the dam ball and get out of the way.

It appeared they changed their entire game plan because they had everyone outside the three-point line except for Jeffrey. James brought up the ball and I decided to pressure him. James coughed it up and passed it to the wing number 26 who tossed it into Jeffrey. We got so comfortable to their pick-n-roll, we forgot about how big Jeffrey was and we only had Connor guarding him. As soon as Jeffrey got the ball, he backed Connor down under the basket and dunked it. Connor inbounded the ball and passed it to Brandon. He brought it up and was picked up by the slowest guy on the team 37. He dribbled it between his legs and drove into the left lane for a layup. There was one problem though. Jeffrey was waiting for him in the paint and Brandon tried to float the ball in. Except Jeffrey saw it coming and timed his block perfectly. It was so perfect that it was basically a pass to James who raced away to the other basket on a fast break.

Brandon didn't want to make the same mistake, so he drove into the right lane and do a reverse layup. He saw that Jeffrey was too big, so he tried to pass it to Kyle by wrapping it around Jeffrey. However, Jeffrey somehow read Brandon's eyes and caught it. He stole the ball and led the fast break up the court. He did something he hadn't done all game. He pulled up five feet beyond the arc. The crowd could tell the team was making a comeback and started to get louder.

I heard some shouting and looked over my right shoulder. I saw Dennis getting right up into Brandon and shouting at him. Just another thing we need, have our point guard lose more confidence.

Dennis demanded the ball and brought it up. He asked for Connor to give him a screen on the right. He led his man right into the screen and pulled up from the arc. Swish, nothing but net.

Jeffrey inbounded the ball and chucked it all the way down the court to James who was cherry-picking. Brandon went to inbound the ball to Dennis, but James anticipated the whole thing and stole the ball. He passed it to 26 who shot a three-pointer. The score went from fifteen point difference to eight points at 59-67. Coach Kevin called a timeout.

Coach Kevin stated, "Brandon, I'm pulling you out. Terry, get in there at the center and don't foul out. Jackson, you are taking point."

Brandon argued, "Coach, don't do this. Leave me in, I can handle this. I just screwed up. Give me another chance."

He responded, "You turned over the ball twice in less than a minute and you're rattled. I can't trust you with the ball. Jeffrey is in your head. I can't have the ball in the hands of a point guard who cannot execute a simple play."

Brandon stammered, "But Coach-"

Coach Kevin declared, "Sit down Brandon and stop arguing. Jackson, can I trust you?"

I looked at both of them and answered, "Yes Coach."

Coach Kevin stated, "Good. I need you to run Green Noodles. You hear that Terry?"

Terry gulped and answered, "Uh, yes sir. I understand."

Coach Kevin continued, "We are gonna need to double team. Terry, you front him. Connor, you get behind. You two suffocate him. We are gonna switch to man-to-man defense and lay off 15."

Dennis felt excluded and said, "Coach, what about me? I have thirty points already, I can get a bucket anywhere."

Coach Kevin just smiled and responded, "I'll let you know Dennis. Alright, get back on the court."

Terry is 6'11, but he is all skin and bones. He is a sophomore and is still learning how to play. But he is really athletic and has a huge vert of 35 inches. So, he is great for shot-blocking and lobs.

I yelled, "Green Noodle, Green Noodle!"

I saw Terry spin out of Jeffrey and jumped. I passed him the perfect lob and Terry slammed it down hard. Got one minute to hold the lead.

"Terry, front him. Connor, stay in the key," yelled Coach Kevin.

I shouted, "I got ball, I got ball!"

James did a double crossover, but I stayed in front of him. He tried to go behind his back and drive left, but I cut him and forced him to pick up his dribble. He may have the dribbling skill, but he doesn't have the quickness to drive by me. He was wide-eyed and had no clue what to do. He threw up a prayer and it hit the rim. Dennis grabbed the rebound and I sprinted down the court. Dennis zipped the ball between two defenders and right into my hands. I felt James on my right, so I pumped fake with my right. James fell for it and jumped. While James was in midair, I switched the ball to my left and did a reverse lay-up. The seconds were waning down and they fed the ball to Jeffrey to get a bucket. Terry timed it perfectly and caught mid-air. He passed the ball to me and I just dribbled out the clock.

I took a deep breath and just realized how exhausted I was. After shaking hands and heading into the locker room, I just collapsed.

"Listen up guys, this game should have been a blowout. We made too many mistakes in the fourth quarter. Too many turnovers and too many blown defensive assignments. I'll send you guys the film later tonight. Just get some rest tonight," stated Coach Kevin. "Tomorrow, we are gonna do some conditioning because guys make mistakes when they are tired. So, we are going to make sure you guys have the stamina to stay in the whole game. Pack your stuff up and get on the bus."

Coach Kevin likes to keep his lectures short because he knows we lose interest after like five minutes. Especially after games since we are all tired and just want to go home. As I was packing my stuff, I was watching Brandon and noticed he was just crushed.

I walked over and told him, "Aye, chin up, bro. You will get the next one."

He answered, "You don't understand Perce, I needed this game. Coach trusted me, and I blew it."

I responded, "Hey, this place was hella loud. Jeffrey is super big and intimidating. Any of us could have screwed up."

Dennis butted in and countered, "Ya, Jackson, you're right. Except, none of us screwed up as bad as little man over."

I saw Brandon's face just fall like his dog was run over by an actual semi-truck and the player Semi at the same time.

"Dennis lay off man. You ain't making it any better," I said.

"Look, Jackson," replied Dennis. "I can't trust a man who keeps giving the ball to the other team. Cuz look, he folded under the pressure when we were up by 15 points. If he can't handle the responsibility of passing me the ball when we are up, how will he play when we are down by five in the last minute. Tell me, Jackson, do you trust Brandon to make the right play in that situation? Cuz I sure don't."

I looked at Brandon and thought about it. I mean he does provide a point. But I've seen Brandon play and I know he's got some dog in him.

I answered, "Yeah, I trust Brandon."

Dennis looked at me shocked and asked, "The ball in his hands, ten seconds left, we need a three-pointer to win. You trust him with your life?"

I answered immediately, "Yeah, one hundred percent."

I looked over at Brandon and saw the relief in his face. He stood up straighter as if he found some pride in my answer.

Dennis just shook his head and stated, "Dude, you are too nice and trustworthy. When the chips are down and we need a bucket, give me the ball. Don't screw up like you did earlier today Jackson. Yeah, you thought I forgot that? Trust me, I don't forget. If we are gonna win state, the ball needs to be in my hands." After that, he just walked away onto the bus.

I walked onto the bus and sat down towards the back. I was about to put in my headphones when I heard someone sit down next to me. I looked over and saw it was Brandon.

He said, "Hey, thanks for standing up for me."

"No prob, dude. I always gotta stick up for my teammate. Besides, Dennis was just annoyed I shot the ball and was being a jerk," I answered.

I hesitated and continued, "Although, he does have a point."

"About him taking the last shot?" Brandon questioned.

"No, no, no. Not that. I meant about you being nervous and choking. We need to fix that," I responded.

Brandon sighed and commented, "Ya, I know man. I don't know what happened. I just kept messing up."

I looked at him and stated, "Bro, it was your first that you started. It's just the nerves. I've seen you play, and you can ball. Look, let's watch the film tomorrow during lunch and we'll figure out what you did wrong."

He looked at me and nodded. After a few minutes of silence, I looked over and saw him knocked out. Man, I wish sleeping was that peaceful I thought.