Howdy,
#NaNoWriMo (550) — Day 11
(Unedited, or only slightly)
Continued …
Michelle had tossed it in to him. The first play inbounds. To Jake Jones.
Jake snatched the pass with both hands, pulled it in; he surveyed the court, holding the ball in triple threat.
Being early in the school year, Jake hadn’t played ball with any of the other five kids on the court with him. It wouldn’t take him long to tell which could play and who couldn’t. He burned to show them he could.
Michelle had given him a chance right off the bat, or, in more apropos sports vernacular, right from the tip, in getting him the ball first.
Still holding before dribbling, he looked at Mike closer to the basket, working for position against CJ. At the outset CJ seemed to be holding his own, not giving any edge that Jake could see.
Jose guarded Michelle. He seemed to be sagging off, dropped down a few steps from where Michelle stood high at the top of the key after throwing it in to Jake.
Jake made a mental note to watch for why Jose hung back, giving Michelle space. Was it because she was the only girl on the court that Jose would seek to give her space? If so, Michelle’s team could use that to their advantage; Jake could get her a good shot if she moved closer to the basket for an easier, and open, shot. Or was that it; did Jose know something he didn’t know — that she couldn’t shoot, and he cheated off her to gain a step toward rebounds or to dare her to shoot, trick her team, trick Jake, to feed the ball to her for a shot?
Jake would have to learn about his teammates. He didn’t even know the last name of any of the kids on the court with him.
But he learned something about Marcus Whatever-His-Name-Was right away.
Marcus didn’t sagged back.
Super aggressively, its own dare, Marcus defended Jake tightly. Right handed, Jake’s triple threat position had the basketball on the side of his right hip, pulled back further than he tended to as practiced routine to protected from Marcus’ up-close show of defense. Besides coming up tight, Marcus overplayed the ball handler hard to the right side, gambling that the Jones kid would want to go right. Apparently really want to go right, the way Marcus chose his style of defensive stance.
Jake’s man was playing D. But he was also overplaying it.
From the right side, Jake swung the ball through to the left with a quick and strong movement, and, as part of the same motion, put the ball on the floor left handed. A very fundamental and skilled move. It gained Jake a step on Marcus, putting his defender on his own right hip. Beat. Since Jake had position and his whole body between Marcus on his right and the basketball at his left.
Now Jake only had to decide how far to push the play: all the way to the bucket on his own or to a certain spot for an efficient pass?
Another couple dribbles while Jake was deciding took him to the middle of the court; and into the paint.
His defender still behind him, it looked like he’d be going all the way to the hole …
To be continued …
—Billy
Reading. Writing. Living.
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