Bouncing Back
A few months ago before the championships, you were a nobody and quite frankly, you still are a nobody. You're on the North Carolina Tar Heels as a freshman third string point guard who has barely seen any game time in the regular season, and you've found yourself in the lineup with the time of the game winding down with ten seconds left to go.
Unfortunately, the game has to be a nail biter in the second half of the game. Uconn has 80 and your Tar Heels have 78. After a timeout, you attempt to pass the ball to Wayne Ellington, but the ball gets deflected off of a Huskies guard. Bewildered out of your mind, you dive after the ball in what seems to be the defining moment of the rest of your playing career here at North Carolina. With what seems to be the only good luck you've ever received, you remember that your team has one timeout left, so you decide to take that final time out of the game. Better to take it than have to go into a jump ball which you know you'd end up losing.
When you go to the bench, Coach compliments you for making a good dive, but berates you heavily for such a terrible pass. He sees that you're the only one on the team who isn't dead tired because you haven't gotten much playing time.
"Everybody, listen up!" he has to yell loudly, because the noise the crowd's making is like nothing you've heard in your life. They're stomping on the feet and they're chanting for their respected schools. You can't help but gulp.
"There's only five seconds left to hand out the ball, but that's still enough time to win the game."
"I want to make this perfectly clear. I trust each and every one of you 100% in taking the last shot, but I know that all of you are incredibly fatigued at the moment."
The whole team (except for you) nod at this, and Coach continues and places a hand on your shoulder. You can tell you're not going to like where this will go at all.
"Jack, (you mumble that your name's Jake, but of course, Coach can hardly hear your name over the booming crowd) you had an awful pass, but that's okay. I saw how you dived for the ball and immediately signaled for the time out. I like that. The pass sucked, but you redeemed yourself there. Are you ready to redeem yourself in front of your school?"
"No," you squeak out, but again nobody hears you since the volume of the crowd is ear popping.
"Kipperton, I want you to be the one who inbounds the ball this play, and all of you, get the ball to Jack here (you decide telling Coach your name isn't Jack is a lost cause at the moment). And Jack, I want you to take that three. Did you guys get all that?" he yells. Everybody nods.
"On three, Tar Heels!"
"TAR HEELS!" your team yells. Before going on the court, Sam gives you an acknowledging pat on the back and without saying anything. You gulp once again as you see Ty Lawson's glare from the bench.
It's when you get on the court when you start to realize what this moment really means. The roar of the crowd is deafening as sweat continues to drip down your entire body, with the basketball in your hands. This here is a make or break moment for you, as Sam (who's a senior) is heading to the NBA draft this year, and you've hear rumors around campus that Ty Lawson's going to head out for the draft as well. This means that this could be your final break to get some game time for the next season, and even possibly be the starting point guard. And of course, this means that this entire Championship game is riding on you. Lucky you.
The ball is handed to the Kipperton kid as he instinctively passes you the ball.
You're counting down in your head while dodging guards so you'll know when to shoot that open three. Once you get to two in your head and see that you've somehow managed to elude the men who were on you. So far your luck has seemed to change, but will it change at this moment?
You've got to find out as you finally release that basketball and close your eyes, praying the ball will find the hoop.
Remember all those sports movies where everything at that moment freezes as the player looks at the ball moving so slowly that all time seems to stop? Those movies prove to be a lie as you hear a loud CLANK and the opposing team cheering. It all happened so fast, and you find yourself in disbelief as you drop your face to the cold floor beneath you with your hands over it. You really felt that this was your moment, but all that was lost in two seconds, and now you've found yourself here: crying in front of national television as you've letdown not just the whole school, but also your best friend.
Unfortunately, the game has to be a nail biter in the second half of the game. Uconn has 80 and your Tar Heels have 78. After a timeout, you attempt to pass the ball to Wayne Ellington, but the ball gets deflected off of a Huskies guard. Bewildered out of your mind, you dive after the ball in what seems to be the defining moment of the rest of your playing career here at North Carolina. With what seems to be the only good luck you've ever received, you remember that your team has one timeout left, so you decide to take that final time out of the game. Better to take it than have to go into a jump ball which you know you'd end up losing.
When you go to the bench, Coach compliments you for making a good dive, but berates you heavily for such a terrible pass. He sees that you're the only one on the team who isn't dead tired because you haven't gotten much playing time.
"Everybody, listen up!" he has to yell loudly, because the noise the crowd's making is like nothing you've heard in your life. They're stomping on the feet and they're chanting for their respected schools. You can't help but gulp.
"There's only five seconds left to hand out the ball, but that's still enough time to win the game."
"I want to make this perfectly clear. I trust each and every one of you 100% in taking the last shot, but I know that all of you are incredibly fatigued at the moment."
The whole team (except for you) nod at this, and Coach continues and places a hand on your shoulder. You can tell you're not going to like where this will go at all.
"Jack, (you mumble that your name's Jake, but of course, Coach can hardly hear your name over the booming crowd) you had an awful pass, but that's okay. I saw how you dived for the ball and immediately signaled for the time out. I like that. The pass sucked, but you redeemed yourself there. Are you ready to redeem yourself in front of your school?"
"No," you squeak out, but again nobody hears you since the volume of the crowd is ear popping.
"Kipperton, I want you to be the one who inbounds the ball this play, and all of you, get the ball to Jack here (you decide telling Coach your name isn't Jack is a lost cause at the moment). And Jack, I want you to take that three. Did you guys get all that?" he yells. Everybody nods.
"On three, Tar Heels!"
"TAR HEELS!" your team yells. Before going on the court, Sam gives you an acknowledging pat on the back and without saying anything. You gulp once again as you see Ty Lawson's glare from the bench.
It's when you get on the court when you start to realize what this moment really means. The roar of the crowd is deafening as sweat continues to drip down your entire body, with the basketball in your hands. This here is a make or break moment for you, as Sam (who's a senior) is heading to the NBA draft this year, and you've hear rumors around campus that Ty Lawson's going to head out for the draft as well. This means that this could be your final break to get some game time for the next season, and even possibly be the starting point guard. And of course, this means that this entire Championship game is riding on you. Lucky you.
The ball is handed to the Kipperton kid as he instinctively passes you the ball.
You're counting down in your head while dodging guards so you'll know when to shoot that open three. Once you get to two in your head and see that you've somehow managed to elude the men who were on you. So far your luck has seemed to change, but will it change at this moment?
You've got to find out as you finally release that basketball and close your eyes, praying the ball will find the hoop.
Remember all those sports movies where everything at that moment freezes as the player looks at the ball moving so slowly that all time seems to stop? Those movies prove to be a lie as you hear a loud CLANK and the opposing team cheering. It all happened so fast, and you find yourself in disbelief as you drop your face to the cold floor beneath you with your hands over it. You really felt that this was your moment, but all that was lost in two seconds, and now you've found yourself here: crying in front of national television as you've letdown not just the whole school, but also your best friend.