Stardom

3

Rasheed hops down the bleachers surrounding the court, his eye on Brooks, who is shooting around with Jason Aldridge, the sixth man for the freshman team from a year ago. Reaching the court, he strides purposefully towards Brooks and grabs his Bosseigh High t-shirt, pulling him towards the bench. He bends over and starts to lace up his black and white Kobe Nines. Brooks, along with the rest of the team, is wholly jealous of these shoes as well as Rasheed's sneaker collection in general, but now is not the time for Rasheed to gloat.
"So what do you think of this guy?" Rasheed asks eagerly.
"Ok first of all, those shoes are fresh," Brooks says.
"Brooks-"
"Yeah ok I got it. But honestly, I don't really know what to think of him. I mean he looks intimidating enough, with the dreads and all, but he was just messing around with Aidan a minute ago and he's been laughing with some other guys, so I guess I don't really know. But he has to know what he's doing right, or else they wouldn't have brought him in to replace Coach Mills; from what I've heard, Mills' teams were always pretty solid."
"Yeah, that's true I guess. Well, we'll find out soon enough," Rasheed says as he straightens up and grabs a ball from the rack.
"Yes, we will," Brooks snatches the ball from his grasp and pops a three on the spot, holding the pose with mock cockiness. Rasheed grins at this and runs to retrieve the ball.
          Just as Rasheed completes his routine dribbling warmups, Coach Ellis' authoritative voice resounds through the gym, calling the players to half court, supposedly for informal introductions. Standing 5'11, with shoulder-length dreadlocks and numerous tattoos lining his triceps, Jay Ellis carries an electric presence that unfailingly earns the immediate attention of those surrounding him. The attention of these fourteen sophomores, though, is not attained just due to this presence; his fashion sense is the origin of their immediate respect. With his gray, worn down Converse, loose white basketball shorts, and a retro Virginia Tech jacket, he is quite the sight to the boys.
          "Chemistry and cooperation. That is how we are going to win basketball games, boys. Baseline," Coach Ellis says, slapping the ball in his hands and turning to walk towards the sidelines.
          Skeptical, the players exchange questioning looks as they hesitantly gravitate towards the baseline. Brooks, eyebrows raised, looks around at his teammates, a quizzical inquiry etched upon his face.
"He's for real?" Brooks mouths to Rasheed.
Rasheed nods his head and ever so slightly raises his shoulders in response and strides purposefully towards the baseline, eager to get himself on Coach's good side.
Abruptly, Coach Ellis turns and spreads his hands in a question at the range of players spread across the floor.
"Would you like a map?" He asks sarcastically.
This shakes everyone from their faltering trance and, with a few grins, the Bosseigh High sophomores make their way to the baseline, where Rasheed stands, hands on hips, awaiting them. A grin plays around his lips as he watches his teammates join him.
"Nice of you to join me," Rasheed mutters under his breath as Brooks walks to stand next to him.
Wisely, Brooks remains oblivious to this remark, pursing his lips and standing tense as Coach Ellis grabs two basketballs from the rack and tosses them in the direction of the players.
"Five man weave. Make it happen, let's go!" He says, clapping his hands to spark action among his players.
Quickly, five short lines are formed, spread across the baseline. Rasheed, standing at the front of the middle line, grabs the ball and flicks it to Oliver Hastings, who is standing directly to his left. Rasheed cuts behind Oliver as he moves forward, passing the ball to Matthew Bowen. Collin, standing on the far left, runs in front of Rasheed, leaving him on the far left. Players cut every which way, the ball flying between them as the drill is executed with disciplined order.
Throughout the whole process, Coach Ellis' face remained devoid of emotion, making it impossible for Rasheed to tell his opinion.
But after several rounds through, Ellis calls everyone together, nodding his head, satisfied so far.
"Alright not bad, not bad at all. You keep this up, and I might have a slight chance of making something out of y'all..." He says with a grin on his face, lightening the mood greatly.
At this, Brooks executes a curt bow, drawing laughs all around, even from Ellis. Smiling slightly, Jay continues.
"Ok, I need two lines, one on each side of the floor at half court," he instructs, walking towards the middle of the court, "and two defenders under the hoop."
          The drill is a fairly simple one; the players at the head of each line will drive down the court, aiming to score on the two defenders. The kicker, as Coach Jay put it, is that the players with the ball can't stop moving. They are required to keep a steady movement and flow or else the drill will restart.
Appreciative of this drill, Rasheed and fellow point guard, Kendrick Stewart, succeeded thoroughly. Under the perceptive eyes of Coach Ellis, the two leaders made sure to give him what he wanted: decisive, smart passes and plenty of hustle.
          Throughout freshman year, Rasheed and Kendrick had connected not only through their similarities on the basketball court, but also through their shared family issues; Kendrick, like Rasheed, lived with only one guardian, his widowed grandmother. Both of Kendrick's parents had been killed in a shooting when he was 9. As soon as the news reached Kendrick and his sisters, their grandma, Minnie, had taken them in. Though Minnie is legally responsible for them now, it often feels as though Kendrick, Shauna, and Zoe are the ones looking after her, rather than the other way around.
          Despite the obvious issues with Kendrick's personal life, he chooses to shine in the midst of his problems. Rasheed rarely sees Kendrick without that smile stretching from ear to ear. He constantly socializes with others; his joyous, piercing voice is now very familiar to those at Leland Bosseigh High. Personally, Rasheed believes that Kendrick is attempting to cover his angst and worries about his Grandma Minnie and sisters by hiding behind constant smiles and jokes. Wisely, though, Rasheed chooses to keep this insight to himself.
Largely thanks to their shared social attitude, Brooks and Kendrick automatically took to each other. Friendly bickering and jokes immediately ensue when Brooks and Kendrick get together. As freshman year progressed, the three teammates– Brooks, Kendrick, and Rasheed –formed a bond, and soon, they were rarely seen without one another.
About halfway through the practice, Coach Ellis begins to push the sophomores harder. He does not lose his joking attitude, but he certainly isn't messing around. Yelling firm instructions as well as encouragement, Jay stretches his team as far as they can go. It is clear to the boys that he is making a point, setting the bar for the rest of the season. As Rasheed pushes through his sprints, nearing the end, his lungs burning, legs aching, he glances over at Ellis, who reclines easily on the bleachers. Ellis's focus is wholly on Rasheed. His green eyes pierce him; a hawk eyeing its prey. Rasheed tries to look away, he tries to focus on his sets and get them over with. But his eyes drift back to Ellis every time. After what seems like hours, Rasheed finishes his last length, breathing heavily, and Brooks and Kendrick follow suit behind him. Doubled over with exhaustion, Rasheed anticipates that he will need the both of them throughout the coming season.