Slam Dunk Page 6

  Coach had his head on a swivel and he saw me coming before anyone else. He walked straight toward me and met me at the edge of the court. He was wearing an official-looking red shirt, with a name tag hanging around his neck alongside a whistle. I thought I might be in trouble.

  “How’s the eye?” he said.

  That’s when I remembered: The last time he’d seen me was when he took me to the hospital.

  “Good,” I told him. “Doesn’t hurt at all anymore, and I can see fine. Just supposed to wear these.” I reached up and tapped my goggles.

  “Glad to hear it,” he said. “You had me worried there.”

  I could hear the relief in his voice.

  “I’m ready to play, Coach,” I said. I wondered if he could hear the relief in my voice, too.

  “Well, hustle over,” he said. “Enough of you are here early that we can sneak in a quick practice.”

  I headed straight for the court. There were six other kids there, and every single one of them was looking at me. I’d gotten so used to my goggles that it took me a while to realize that that’s what they were staring at.

  “You got something on your face, Pee-wee,” I heard. The voice and the comment were both low. The last time I’d seen Monster, he’d just poked me in the eye and sent me to the hospital. I guess he wasn’t big on apologies.

  “Shut up, man,” said Jammer. “Those look cool.”

  “Looks like a windshield,” said Monster, not shutting up. “Do bugs splatter on ’em during fast breaks?”

  A few of the other kids laughed, but they stopped when Khalid asked: “How’s the eye?”

  “Feels good,” I said.

  “Cool,” said Khalid.

  “Take some shots,” said Jammer. “I’ll rebound for you.”

  Daniel, the other point guard, bounced a ball my way. I spent a few minutes warming up and finding the range on my jump shot.

  Coach was waiting for another guy to show up so he could divide us into fours. He was probably waiting for another big, too, so Monster could pick on someone close to his own size. The next guy who showed up was Tevin. He’d been the center on my team at practice, so that killed two birds with one large stone.

  Monster gave him a vicious look, but Tevin ignored him. He came over to me and asked me how I was doing, and if I was cleared to play.

  “Yeah,” I said, “definitely.”

  “Those things bother you?” he said, nodding toward my goggles.

  “Nah,” I said. “Half the time I forget I have them on.”

  “Cool,” he said. “Thinking about getting myself a pair. I have to battle some real jerks down low, you know?”

  We both looked over at Monster. “Oh, I know,” I said.

  Coach blew the whistle and started dividing us up.

  “We’re going to run with the same teams as the real game,” he said. “Once everyone is here, we’ll have seven a side. That’s a short bench and it’s a full game. Don’t get crazy, especially now. We’re just going to warm up, get the juices flowing.”

  It was called a tournament, but it was really an exhibition. It was the best kids in the area divided up into two teams and going at it for forty minutes. But most of these kids were in seventh and eighth grade, almost ready for big-time high school hoops. That’s why the crowd was already filing in. That’s why the light on top of the TV camera courtside flashed on as soon as we started dividing up.

  Overall, I felt really good about my team. Khalid was on the other squad, but Daniel was good, too. And Tevin was on my team again, instead of Monster. Most importantly, Jammer was on my side. We bumped fists as Coach called his name.

  “We’re going to rock this,” he said.

  “No doubt.”

  “Okay, ten minutes or so,” said Coach. “Nice and easy.”

  Jammer won the opening tip, and we were off and running. Nice and easy went out the window with the first hard pick. Everyone was ready for today and on their game. Man, these guys were fast — and good! No disrespect to Team Specs or anything, but these guys were on a different level. For the first few possessions, I mostly just tried to keep up.

  Once both teams had scored a few times, I started feeling better. I was matched up with a long, lean dude named Delmon. Wayne, the guy I’d matched up with at the first practice, had turned his ankle the week before. It must have been pretty bad, because he was still out and people were still talking about it. I felt bad for him, but now I had to size up this new guy.

  I was staying with Delmon without too much trouble, but I was pretty sure he wasn’t showing me everything he had. That’s okay, I wasn’t showing him everything I had, either. This was just a “nice and easy” mini-practice, after all. And there was a good chance we’d end up guarding each other in the real game.

  Pretty soon a couple more kids showed up, and we were running five on five. One of the assistant coaches started barking out plays for the other team. Then the other one showed up and started running the show for ours. Coach Dunn mostly played ref and kept things from getting too rough.

  By the time the last kids showed up, they just had to take a seat and watch. Our ten minutes had turned to twenty, and there wasn’t much point in subbing in now. Daniel drove the lane and set me up with a no-look pass. I did my part, knocking down a ten-footer. A minute later, Delmon launched a fade-away jumper. He created a lot of space quickly, and all I could do was wave at it and hope he missed. He didn’t.

  Delmon was starting to dial it up as the practice went on. He was an inch or two taller than me with long arms. I was getting a little worried that his length was going to be a problem for me in the game. He got off a floater in the lane on his team’s next possession. I turned around to try to box him out, but he kind of muscled his way in beside me. We both watched the ball clank off the front of the rim. Our legs coiled underneath us, and we launched ourselves up toward the rim.

  We were so close together that I saw four hands headed up toward the ball. But then something amazing happened. Two of those hands stopped and two of them — mine! — kept going. I grabbed the ball just below the rim and ripped down the rebound.

  I passed the ball out to Daniel and sprinted up court with a smile on my face. I’d never jumped that high for a rebound before. Delmon was taller than me, with longer arms, but I’d out-jumped him.

  A minute later, Coach blew his whistle and called us in. He gave us some last-minute instructions, and somewhere behind us an air horn sounded. Game on. By the time he sent us over to our benches, the bleachers were full, and I was one hundred percent ready to play.

  Unfortunately, it wasn’t up to me.

  I started the game on the bench. I guess I shouldn’t have been too surprised. I was the youngest player on either team, and I’d missed those practices. I was disappointed, but when I looked down my team’s bench, I didn’t have to look far. There was just one other player, a guy named Harris. After him came a few feet of empty bench and Assistant Coach Perez, who was in charge of our half of things. With a bench that short, it wouldn’t be too long before I got my shot.

  Out on the court, the game was just getting started. Coach Dunn was acting as referee and head cheerleader. Delmon set a moving screen that just about floored Daniel. That gave Khalid all the space he needed to rocket to the hoop for a layup. The crowd cheered. Instead of blowing his whistle for the foul, Coach shouted, “There you go!”

  On the next possession, Daniel got bumped a little on the way to the hoop for his own layup. It wasn’t much contact, but Coach blew his whistle. It was part make-up call and part crowd-pleaser. Everyone loved an and-one. Right then, I knew that Coach wanted two things today: a good game and a fair one — in that order!

  I looked over to see if Coach Perez had noticed. A little smile flashed across his face, telling me he had. He sat back and looked down the bench at his two reserves. I straightened out my legs in front of me and reached down and touched my toes. I wanted him to know that I was warmed up and ready to go in at
any moment. He smiled again: He’d seen it all before.

  I leaned back and looked up into the stands. This was the biggest gym I’d ever been in, and it was full. It took me a while to find Junior — even though he wasn’t exactly a small guy. Once I did, I saw Mike and Deuce right next to him. I glanced over at Coach Perez. Once I was sure he wasn’t looking, I gave them all a quick wave.

  Junior was watching the game, but Mike saw me and waved back. Then he nudged Deuce, who did the same. I waved one more time, so I wouldn’t leave Deuce hanging.

  “Head in the game,” I heard from the end of the bench.

  I groaned. Two waves was one wave too many. “Yes, Coach,” I said.

  I felt a little bad about getting caught, but more than that I felt embarrassed to be on the bench. My brother and friends had come to watch me play, and here I was riding the pine. Then I remembered all those days Mike and Deuce had spent helping me get ready, and I felt even worse. All I could do was lean forward and get my “head in the game.”

  The good news: Coach made his first sub right after that. The bad news: It was Harris. The other team had taken Monster out for a breather, and our coach took the opportunity to give Tevin a quick rest, too. Those two had been battling like a pair of angry rhinos in the paint.

  Tevin sat down next to me. He was already sweaty five minutes in, and the bench creaked under his weight.

  “You’re doing great out there,” I said.

  “Thanks, that guy’s a beast,” he said, nodding over toward Monster on the other bench.

  “You are too,” I said. “It’s like two beasts in a box when you guys go for a rebound.”

  Tevin laughed. “Beasts in a box,” he said. “I like that.”

  A shadow fell over us while we were talking. We looked up and saw the TV cameraman standing over us. The camera was on his shoulder and pointed down at Tevin. I guess they wanted footage of a real live (real sweaty) beast. Tevin did his part, flashing them a smile and a peace sign.

  “Think this is live?” I asked, once the camera guy moved on.

  “Nah, they’re just going to chop it up into a little piece for the news,” he said. “They’ll show some highlights and maybe interview a few of the players.”

  I nodded, trying to act like it wouldn’t be my first time on TV. Not that I’d be in any highlights if our coach didn’t put me in. A minute later, I got my chance. Harris made a turnover under our own basket, leading to two quick points for the other team. I looked up at the scoreboard: They were ahead 20–17.

  Coach Perez shot to his feet and put his hands on both sides of his mouth. “No, no, no!” he shouted. “We can’t give them cheap buckets — squeeze that thing!” Then he turned to me. “Go get him!” he said.

  He meant to sub in for Harris at the next whistle, and he didn’t have to tell me twice. I was up off the bench and headed for the scorer’s table in an eyeblink. Finally!

  The ball flew out of bounds on the far side, and the whistle blew. I shot a quick look back at Junior, Mike, and Deuce and gave them a quick nod. Then I sprinted out onto the court, readjusting my goggles one last time as I went.

  I let Harris know he was out and let Daniel know I was in. Jammer saw me and we bumped forearms. A few possessions went by, and the teams traded buckets. Khalid scored on a floater for them, and Braylon scored on a jumper for us.

  Braylon was the guy who’d guarded Jammer at the first practice. He had a nice midrange game, and I was glad he was on our team this time.

  “Nice shot, Braylon!” I called.

  He gave me that little pistol-point with his index finger as we all hustled back on defense. I was on Delmon again, and I had to work hard to stay with him. He was pretty fast and liked to weave in and out of traffic. I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised at what happened next.

  Delmon had the ball and was going at top speed up near the free throw line. I was sprinting to stay with him. At one point, I was almost close enough to take a swipe at the ball. I took a swipe at it anyway. I saw my fingers come up a few inches short, and then everything went dark.

  The next thing I saw: stars. I was sitting down on the court and checking to see if I still had all my parts. I moved my feet and hands, so they were still there. I looked up, so my neck still worked. And there was Monster.

  TWEEEEET!

  Coach blew his whistle for the moving screen. It felt more like a pick play in football. Jammer and Braylon reached down and helped me up. I reached up to my face. My nose stung a little where the goggles had been smashed back into it, but I was glad they were in one piece.

  “Think I got goggle prints on my chest,” said Monster as he walked away. A few of his teammates laughed.

  We got the ball back for the offensive foul, and Daniel told me to be ready. I inbounded the ball to him and took off down the court.

  I think Delmon was a little afraid my team was going to knock him down or run him into Tevin as payback. He was playing a little off me and looking around the whole time. Daniel noticed. He waited until Delmon was a few feet away, then fired a chest-high, two-handed pass right to me.

  Delmon tried to make up the ground by leaping at me. I shaded off to the side and got the shot off right before he landed on me. The shot banked off the backboard and in as Delmon crashed down on me. I didn’t mind ending up on the ground again. I knew my teammates would help me up — and I knew I’d be going to the line. Coach blew his whistle: Everyone loved an and-one.

  I drained the free throw to complete the three-point play. The score was tied at 22 all, and I was on the board. I settled into the flow of the game after that. There were a few times, waiting for the play to start or the ball to be inbounded, when I noticed what was going on around us. I saw the crowd and the light on top of the TV camera and all that. I admit it was a little weird to be out there in front of so many strangers with the goggles on. But most of the time, I was too busy to give it a second thought.

  The game stayed tight for the rest of the half, and the pace stayed fast. I scored twice — once inside and once outside — and Delmon scored once. Jammer was doing most of the damage for our team. I got an assist on an above-the-rim alley-oop pass to him.

  “I didn’t know he could go that high,” said Daniel.

  “I’ve played with him before,” I said with a shrug.

  A little later, Daniel fed him with a perfect alley-oop of his own. After Jammer powered it home, Daniel pointed one finger at him and one at me. I thought that was pretty cool.

  All those dunks made me want to get in on the action. I kept looking for a chance to try one of my own. But I still needed a clear path to the hoop — some runway for my takeoff — and those opportunities didn’t exactly grow on trees. As tight as the game was, it seemed more important to play good D and smart offense.

  Khalid was getting the job done for the other team. He was using his speed and Monster’s size to create mismatches. Toward the end of the half, I found myself in a tangle of bodies down low. We switched and switched again, trying to keep everyone covered.

  Suddenly, I was on Monster, and Khalid had the ball. Khalid was my friend, but I knew that he wouldn’t hesitate to take advantage of the size mismatch. I heard Coach Perez shouting from the bench: “Front him! Front him!”

  I used every bit of speed I had to slip out from behind Monster. Then I lunged forward and shot my hand out as far as it would go.

  BAPPP!

  I got a piece of the ball. It was just enough to deflect the pass and keep it out of Monster’s hands. The clock ran out as everyone was scrambling for the loose ball. I looked up at the scoreboard. It was a flat-footed tie: 48–48.

  Dad arrived at halftime. I took a quick look up into the stands while our coach was telling us about some changes we needed to make on defense. I saw Junior scooching over and Dad settling in between him and my friends. I looked up a little later and saw Junior giving him a quick recap. He was reaching his hand all the way out in front of him to show Dad how I’d deflected
the pass away from Monster.

  Coach Perez started talking about some offensive plays and then looked over at me. I sat up a little straighter. “Amar’e, I want to get you a little more involved in the scoring,” he said. Sounds good to me! I thought. “I think you can take your guy. And a few buckets from you will make it harder for them to keep double-teaming Jammer.”

  I nodded. Jammer extended his hand and we fist-bumped. I was happy that I wouldn’t be starting this half on the bench. Coach Perez seemed to have his rotation set now, and I was a big part of it.

  We all took a few last drinks of water and then headed back onto the court. Coach Dunn was standing in the center with his whistle in his mouth and a big smile stretching out on either side of it. He wanted a good game, and he was getting one.

  The second half stayed tight, and I was definitely getting my hands on the ball more now. Almost every time we were on offense, it came my way. Sometimes it was just to pass it around the outside or something like that. But a few times, I got it down low or Daniel hit me with a pass as I was cutting to the hoop. Then I could do some work!

  I was a little faster than Delmon: not enough to blow by him, but enough to get my shot off. I burned him with a jumper for my first hoop of the half. A few minutes later, when he was looking for the jumper, I slipped past him with an up-and-under move.

  “Lucky,” said Delmon. The way he spat out the word, I knew he was mad. I wasn’t surprised when he tried to run me into another Monster-size pick on the other end. I just ducked under it and picked him up on the other side.

  “I’m gonna eat those goggles,” said Monster as I passed.

  Eat my goggles? That didn’t even make any sense. But I knew one thing: If the other team is mad at you, you’re doing something right. I just shook my head and stayed on Delmon until he had to give up the ball.