Underdog (12 page)

“Individual stats are for ball hogs and losers. What matters is the team. How many points you get means nothing unless your team is winning,” Jamal said.

“What game are you watching?” Ashton questioned. “We're winning by almost thirty points!”

“And we'd be up by more if you'd hit the open man occasionally rather than trying to impress everybody. This isn't the street!” Jamal snapped.

“I know it isn't the street.”

“I'm not sure you know anything sometimes, but I'm going to help you learn something. I'm going to teach you exactly where you're going to be spending some time.” Jamal pointed to the bench. “Sit. Maybe it'll give you a chance to think. Who knows, it might start a trend.”

Ashton muttered something under his breath but walked over and plopped down beside me. He pulled up his jersey to wipe the sweat off his face and then took a big drink from his bottle.

“Have I thanked you yet?” Ashton asked.

“Thanked me for what?”

“For suggesting that my brother should become the assistant coach on this team.”

“That's okay, I just figured he'd make a great coach and—”

“I was joking,” Ashton said, cutting me off.

“You mean you wish he wasn't coaching us?” Kia asked.

“That's the general idea.”

“But he's a great coach. He really knows
basketball and he and Coach Barkley get along well and—”

“And he rides me even harder than Coach Barkley ever did. I think they should put a saddle on me ‘cause I feel like a horse—a horse with two people riding me.”

“Come on, Ashton. Are you sure you're not just a little bit happy your brother is involved with our team?”

“Do I look happy?” Ashton questioned.

“Come on. Aren't you just a little bit happy about it?” Kia pressed.

“Well…maybe just a little, but only when he's giving somebody else a hard time. Why are they always so hard on me?”

“Do you really want me to give you an answer?” I asked.

“I guess not really.”

“Nick! Ashton! Get ready to go in,” Coach Barkley ordered.

I put down my water bottle and got up. Ashton got to his feet as well.

“Guys,” Coach Jamal said, calling us over. “I want you two guys to run a little pick-and-roll action, okay?”

“Sure,” I said and Ashton nodded.

“Nick, you set the pick on the left, high post, and Ashton, you make the pass when he rolls off for the net.”

We walked over and stood by the scorer's table. The other team put up a basket that dropped, and Coach called for subs. The ref stopped the play.

“Jamie and D.J. out!” Coach Barkley yelled.

We jogged onto the court.

“Ashton, you put the ball in play,” I said. “Pass it in to Tristan. Let him bring it up and we'll set.”

Ashton tossed the ball to Tristan and he started to dribble. The other team was pressing, but Tristan broke through easily. He sent the ball up to Ashton and I set the pick for his man. My man jumped up to try to cut him off, and I spun around and headed for the net. Ashton lobbed a nice ball over their heads, right into my hands, and I put it up for two points!

Both of the coaches and most of our team jumped off the bench and began cheering. I

knew they weren't cheering my shot, but the pass that put me in for the shot. As I started back up court, I gave Ashton a pat on the back and a smile. He smiled back.

“Check out the bench,” I said as we ran by. He looked over in time to see the two coaches exchanging a high five.

“You know,” I said as we settled into our zone, “keep making passes like that and you could end up getting a lot of assists.”

“That's right,” he said. “Ten points and ten assists would get me a double double.”

“It could mean a lot more than that,” I said.

“What do you mean?”

“Look at the way the coaches and the other players reacted,” I said.

“Yeah?”

“It gets you more court time. And it gets you respect. And it makes you something more important. It makes you part of a team.”

“I am part of the team,” Ashton said.

I wasn't going to argue. He was part of the team.

Three on Three
Full Court Press
Hoop Crazy
Long Shot
Off Season
Road Trip

War of the Eagles
(Ruth Schwartz Award)

Caged Eagles
(UNESCO Honorable Mention)

Book 6 in the Eric Walters'
basketball series

Basketball season may be over, but Nick and Kia are about to experience the adventure of a lifetime when they visit Nick's cousin Ned during their summer vacation.

Though Ned is still more interested in bugs than basketball, his hoop skills are improving since he and his father built a court near their wilderness home. Nick and Kia are just beginning to appreciate the different life that Ned lives when disaster strikes.

Book 3 in the Eric Walters'
basketball series

Nick and Ned are cousins but about as different as two boys born on the same day can be. And they don't get along. Nick cares mostly about sports, and basketball is his passion. Ned is crazy about bugs and lives in a national park, three hours' drive from the nearest basketball court. As far as Nick is concerned, Ned is a nerd.

But when Nick and his pal Kia lose their teammates for the three-on-three hoop tournament they're entered in, they must quickly find a way to make Ned a part of the team. This turns out to be easier said than done.

Book 4 in the Eric Walters'
basketball series

When Nick and Kia try out for the rep team they played for the previous year, they assume they will make the grade. That is, until they meet the new coach. Suddenly all their assumptions are thrown out the window. Coach Barkley, a former college star who missed out on a pro career due to injury, is a strict disciplinarian, and his aggressive coaching techniques are a new experience for the kids.

The new coach expects near perfection and does not deal well with anything less. When he matches them up against a team of older players and then refuses to accept their loss, the kids begin to wonder if they even want to make this team.

Long Shot
is about the courage and leadership it takes to make difficult choices.

Book 5 in the Eric Walters'
basketball series

Nick, Kia and their teammates are on the road, heading to an elite hoop tournament in the Midwest. Feeling outmatched by many of the high-profile teams that have been invited from all over the world, the kids are still looking forward to a good time—hanging out and swimming in the hotel pool between games. However, Coach Barkley, who played his college ball in the area and is still regarded as a hero, has other ideas. As usual, nothing but winning will be good enough for the coach.