had ten players to the Wizards' eight.
A handful of Wizard supporters clapped and cheered as they hit the floor; Danny spotted his family and Lou, and Lou flashed
him a thumbs-up sign, There were more Tiger rooters, however, a few with signs and banners. Pete wheeled himself next to Seth.
“They look tough,” he whispered. “Look at the guy with the black headband! He just hit a twenty-footer!”
Wes clapped his hands sharply, and the Wizards huddled around him. Seth thought that Wes looked nervous, which made him feel
even more uptight.
“Listen up!” snapped Wes. “We've worked hard, so let's make that work pay off. I know there have been times when you've been
hating my guts. … Probably most of you do right now.”
Several players laughed, and Seth suddenly felt a little better.
“The team you'll be playing against today has a full year of experience. Only four of them are as new to this game as all
of you are. The Tiger coach emphasizes defense. They'll switch from zone D to man-to-man and back again; try to recognize
which they're using. They play aggressively, so keep your cool.
“If they're using a zone, try to flood the zone —move a few guys into one area so they have to scramble. When they play man
defense, look to set picks and switches.
“When they have the ball, I'll signal what defense you should use. Move the ball on offense, keep your passes sharp, and
talk
to each other, on offense and defense. Help each other out wherever you can. Keep your heads on swivels, keep your eyes on
the ball, and give it a hundred percent. If you play your best, then you're doing a good job, win or lose. And, win or lose,
this game will be a valuable learning experience for you all.
“Let's have your hands.” All the Wizards stuck their hands into the middle of the huddle, and Wes covered their hands with
his. “Are you ready?”
“
YEAH!
” they shouted.
Wes named the starters, including Seth and Pete, and assured everyone that they'd get plenty of playing time. “You'll get
breathers, and you'll need them, I promise you.”
“You bet you will,” echoed Con, with a smile.
“Remember what you've been working on,” Danny urged, as the teams took the court. The tworeferees had the team members shake hands. One ref tossed a coin to see who would get the ball, and Pete called, “Tails.”
The coin came up tails, and Pete inbounded the ball from under the Wizards' basket. He threw a bounce pass to Seth, who headed
toward midcourt, dribbling and checking to see what defense the Tigers were using. Suddenly, a hand reached in and whipped
the ball away. A Tiger had come up on Seth's blind side for the steal. Two Wizards were racing downcourt, unaware of the turnover.
“
Hey!
” Pete yelled, moving toward the man with the ball, who flipped it to a teammate waiting under the Wizards' basket. The man
put in the easy shot, and the Tigers led, 2–0.
“
Watch the hall!
” bellowed Wes.
The Wizards brought the ball upcourt again, and Seth saw Pete unguarded twelve feet from the basket. As he fired a pass, two
Tigers converged on Pete and had him trapped in the corner. Pete searched desperately for someone to pass to, and James Jacks
wheeled toward him, waving an arm. Pete hurled a baseball-style pass in James's direction, but James couldn't control the
ball, which rolled out of bounds.The ref whistled the ball dead, and the Tigers put it in play.
Seth glanced at his family and Lou in the stands as he raced back on defense. A Tiger player with awesome biceps sped past
Seth, and he tried to catch up. Looking back over his shoulder, he saw a pass headed toward the Tiger, who was intent on an
easy fast-break basket. He gave his wheels a hard pump and lunged forward, reaching out a hand and deflecting the ball out
of bounds, foiling the easy basket. On the sideline, the other Wizard players clapped.
“Good D!” called Con. As the Tigers put the ball in play, a
A handful of Wizard supporters clapped and cheered as they hit the floor; Danny spotted his family and Lou, and Lou flashed
him a thumbs-up sign, There were more Tiger rooters, however, a few with signs and banners. Pete wheeled himself next to Seth.
“They look tough,” he whispered. “Look at the guy with the black headband! He just hit a twenty-footer!”
Wes clapped his hands sharply, and the Wizards huddled around him. Seth thought that Wes looked nervous, which made him feel
even more uptight.
“Listen up!” snapped Wes. “We've worked hard, so let's make that work pay off. I know there have been times when you've been
hating my guts. … Probably most of you do right now.”
Several players laughed, and Seth suddenly felt a little better.
“The team you'll be playing against today has a full year of experience. Only four of them are as new to this game as all
of you are. The Tiger coach emphasizes defense. They'll switch from zone D to man-to-man and back again; try to recognize
which they're using. They play aggressively, so keep your cool.
“If they're using a zone, try to flood the zone —move a few guys into one area so they have to scramble. When they play man
defense, look to set picks and switches.
“When they have the ball, I'll signal what defense you should use. Move the ball on offense, keep your passes sharp, and
talk
to each other, on offense and defense. Help each other out wherever you can. Keep your heads on swivels, keep your eyes on
the ball, and give it a hundred percent. If you play your best, then you're doing a good job, win or lose. And, win or lose,
this game will be a valuable learning experience for you all.
“Let's have your hands.” All the Wizards stuck their hands into the middle of the huddle, and Wes covered their hands with
his. “Are you ready?”
“
YEAH!
” they shouted.
Wes named the starters, including Seth and Pete, and assured everyone that they'd get plenty of playing time. “You'll get
breathers, and you'll need them, I promise you.”
“You bet you will,” echoed Con, with a smile.
“Remember what you've been working on,” Danny urged, as the teams took the court. The tworeferees had the team members shake hands. One ref tossed a coin to see who would get the ball, and Pete called, “Tails.”
The coin came up tails, and Pete inbounded the ball from under the Wizards' basket. He threw a bounce pass to Seth, who headed
toward midcourt, dribbling and checking to see what defense the Tigers were using. Suddenly, a hand reached in and whipped
the ball away. A Tiger had come up on Seth's blind side for the steal. Two Wizards were racing downcourt, unaware of the turnover.
“
Hey!
” Pete yelled, moving toward the man with the ball, who flipped it to a teammate waiting under the Wizards' basket. The man
put in the easy shot, and the Tigers led, 2–0.
“
Watch the hall!
” bellowed Wes.
The Wizards brought the ball upcourt again, and Seth saw Pete unguarded twelve feet from the basket. As he fired a pass, two
Tigers converged on Pete and had him trapped in the corner. Pete searched desperately for someone to pass to, and James Jacks
wheeled toward him, waving an arm. Pete hurled a baseball-style pass in James's direction, but James couldn't control the
ball, which rolled out of bounds.The ref whistled the ball dead, and the Tigers put it in play.
Seth glanced at his family and Lou in the stands as he raced back on defense. A Tiger player with awesome biceps sped past
Seth, and he tried to catch up. Looking back over his shoulder, he saw a pass headed toward the Tiger, who was intent on an
easy fast-break basket. He gave his wheels a hard pump and lunged forward, reaching out a hand and deflecting the ball out
of bounds, foiling the easy basket. On the sideline, the other Wizard players clapped.
“Good D!” called Con. As the Tigers put the ball in play, a
Similar Books
