The Game

They start with a stretch. Their shoes squeak on the gym floor.  “Move your knees! High! High! High! Keep them up. Now, kick the butt. All the way there then back. Good, next big step and twist, big step and twist. Good, on the line. Face this way. Quick feet up and down. Go! When I say sprint, we sprint. Fast there. Fast back. Got it! Sprint!”

“All right, nice job1 Bring it in. All of you in!. Let’s go!”

The boys take a knee. Coach lays out the way the day is going to go. They get in their teams: Red, Blue, Green and Gold.

“Green plays Red. Blue plays plays Gold. You know where to go. Let’s have some fun!”

They bounce the ball fast, up the court and then down.  Jump shot from the top of the key. Hit the rim. Bounce out of bounds. At the far end of the court, the Green team sets a pick. The guard opts not to use and drives to basket. He scores!

Blue team takes the ball up the floor. “Here, here, here!” yell the boys in the blue bibs. They wave their arms high and fast, hands spread wide. A pass. Chest height. Then one more to low post. A kid who is pound for pound one of the best on the floor but too short or any kind of real ball.

Gold bounce then hold then bounce ball once more. Can’t do that. Ref blows the play dead.

Time for Blue to put the ball back into play. A steal at mid court. Gold finds his man, a kid who can score, he does – points on the board.

Green takes it down court. Try a field goal. He makes it! All the folks nod at the good work. The kid and the coach high five as he walks back to the his bench. To sit and catch his breath and watch his team try and close the point spread. The game still well within reach. A good shot and few more and they could win this game.

A bounce pass too low to catch. Blue gets to put in the ball. The loud smack of skin on skin. Foul! One shot!

There are the ones who are made to do this. The ones who are built for this game at their core. These boys were born with this game in their blood. They have the gift. Where it came form no one knows. They shoot the the ball with so much ease, with what seems like no thought at all. They know where they are, where the rest of their team is, and where the net is all at the same time, all the time. They deak in and out of the key. They keep their head up when they are close to the net. They make the right pass. They jump and twirl and block and run and pick and move with no seams, no gaps at all. They are the ones who move quick and smooth; the ones who let the ball fly and turn to play D when it is still on route to the net, sure it will go in.

The rest of the boys have to grind. They miss shots. Call for the pass in the wrong spot. Get rid of the ball too soon. Hold the ball for too long. Trip on their feet. Fail to see the play. Are not sure where to be.  Give the ball up to the other team. Sit on the bench. Wish they were some place, any place else.