"Neat," Oscar said with a customary scowl as he eyed his iPad.

The team had moved to the locker room to prepare a game plan before going out for their first ever warmups. Oscar had decided to look on the camp website to see if the team they faced had already posted their starting lineup and indeed they had.

As expected, their team; the Yellowstone Wolves consisted of all four stars and one five star. The five-star rated player was Malachi Hinds and although he didn't get as much media coverage as the other five stars, the guy's game had no weaknesses, in Derrick's opinion.

Malachi was a forward who wouldn't show up as the league leader in any one category, but it would be no surprise to see him in the top 10 of each one.

However, he wasn't the name that made Derrick worry the most.

At the shooting guard position was Jaylen Thomas. The reason he felt like more of a problem than Malachi at the moment was the fact he was one of, and according to his many fans - the best isolation scorer in the whole camp. In a game like this where both sides were lacking chemistry, his ability to score by his own play was bound to be a game-changer.

Derrick voiced his concerns.

"Don't worry about him three-star," Oscar said with a smile and jabbed a finger at his own chest, "I'll handle him."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Leo asked. "Malachi may dominate with another defender on him."

"Derrick made a good point," Kyle said. "Jaylen is their best scoring threat so Oscar's defense is our best shot. As for Malachi, I'll guard him..." he looked to Leo, "but I'll definitely need your help on the boards or if he posts me up."

Leo nodded, an easy smile gracing his features. "Sounds like a plan."

The Court Kings ended up with a starting lineup of Derrick at point guard, Kyle at shooting guard, Oscar at small forward, a muscular big named Leon at power forward, and Leo at center.

As the team warmed up on their side of the court, Derrick made sure to make mental notes about each player. Kyle didn't have the confidence of a natural three-point shooter and it showed in the results, but his mid-range shot seemed very solid. Oscar was indeed as athletic as he looked on YouTube and Leo was as good in the post as advertised.

What surprised Derrick and the others the most though, was the second three-star on the team which Oscar had started calling 'white boy' since he was the only one on the team. Laine Williams could shoot the hell out of the rock.

He had to have the quickest one-motion jump shot Derrick had ever seen. It was like he jumped a bit and then just chucked the ball at the rim without a follow-through, but despite the questionable mechanics, the ball fulfilled his intentions more often than not.

Leo whistled as they stopped to watch Laine bang home his fifth straight three. "Can three stars usually shoot like that?"

Derrick shrugged. "I sure can't," he said honestly.

Even Oscar couldn't deny the results. "White boy may be useful after all," he said before looking at Derrick, "take notes three-star."

Despite the impressive display, Derrick was well aware the fact he was rated three stars with a shot like that meant that was probably the only notable part of his game. Or maybe it was too quick to judge.

Either way, Laine could be useful indeed.

There were separate stands on either side of the court. One was for players who wanted to watch the game and the other was for spectators and scouts alike. The separation was needed so that scouts and the players wouldn't be seen mingling and breaking NCAA rules, though Derrick suspected plenty of that would be going on in the camp.

The Court Kings vs Yellowstone Wolves match wasn't the only opener game going on, yet it still drew a sizeable crowd compared to the other court. Derrick figured this was because people wanted to see the Malachi and Jaylen team up, especially considering Jaylen was beloved in the basketball community.

The way the schedule was set up was that on Day 1s, four teams were scheduled to play in the morning session and four in the evening session. On the following day which was called Day 2s, four teams were scheduled to play in the morning session and only two teams in the evening session. This allowed all teams to play once every two days in this format, with Sunday being an off day.

Today was a Day 1 and considering it was the opener, the player stands were packed with interested faces. Some were more recognizable than others, but all looked for a weakness in their future opponents.

Derrick couldn't help but smile at the atmosphere it created.

The referee carried the ball to center court and threw the ball up for a jump ball which Leo won.

Gametime.

The game started out just as Derrick predicted. Neither team had any chemistry to speak of, which created a lot of one-on-one situations. Both coaches had gone through basic plays that every player knew so it wasn't purely isolation ball, but even as the players robotically filled the spots and ran the plays, there was a bit of disorientation as they tried to feel out their teammates.

True to form, Jaylen flourished in the awkward style of play. Oscar was doing a great job on him defensively, even surprising Derrick with the discipline he showed but Jaylen still ended the first quarter with 15 of his team's 27 points.

Court Kings found themselves down 12.

"I hope you guys aren't thinking that this game doesn't count because of the unfortunate timing of it all," Alex said calmly in the team huddle. He made sure to look into everyone's eyes. "In a tournament like this where only six teams advance to the elimination rounds, every single game is crucial. Unless, of course, you guys have decided you can't make the elimination rounds and I'm wasting my breath right now?"

"No sir," the Court Kings chorused.

"Didn't quite catch that."

"NO SIR!"

The Court Kings opened the second quarter with a bit more energy. On a rare Jaylen miss, which was a large part because of Oscar's great contest on his jumper; Derrick sneaked in between Leo and the opposing center to grab the short rebound. The center tried to sneakily steal the ball but Derrick drifted past him with a behind-the-back dribble and looked upcourt.

Oscar had sprinted down the floor after his defensive efforts and was now closing in on the three-point line downcourt. Derrick could see that he had already given up the thought of getting the ball and would start jogging and space out to the corner any second now.

He didn't think Derrick was capable of making such a deep pass, especially with Jaylen now tracking him from behind. It would need to be too perfect.

He thought wrong.

Without hesitation, Derrick winded up like a quarterback, taking one more step to build momentum before flinging the ball downcourt. Oscar's eyes widened in disbelief at the attempt and they widened into saucers as he realized the pass was directly on the money. He didn't even have to break stride as he caught the ball and finished the open transition layup.

As he came back down he gave Derrick a nod. "Damn good pass, three-star."

That play started a bit of a run for the Court Kings which was largely because they realized just how helpless the opposing center was when Leo got the ball in the post. Leo was simply too skilled, combining drop steps, post spins, and perfectly timed hooks to ignite a 10-0 run.

The coach of the Yellowstone Wolves wasn't stupid, however, and quickly demanded his squad to double-team Leo in the post and suddenly, the offense struggled to be productive again. The problem wasn't Leo, who had no problem passing out of the double team, but the fact that the Court Kings lacked consistent three-point shooters outside of Laine.

After going back down twelve, Derrick decided to make an adjustment of his own. As Leo kicked it out to him, Derrick turned as if he was going to pass it to Kyle as usual, but faked it instead. His defender had been lazily expecting the routine and was easily blown by as Derrick pushed the ball forward.

The defense scrambled to cover Derrick's passing options, already accustomed to him being overly passive thus far. This time though, Derrick drove straight to the rim, and finally, as he jumped in the air as if to lay up the ball, the opposing center came over and leaped to block it. Derrick extended the ball forward mid-air and pulled off a savvy wrap-around pass back to a surprised Leo who found himself wide open and dunked it down.

With Derrick now attacking the closeouts, the game's formula changed and Kyle got more comfortable shots. Leo even showed off some playmaking of his own a few times, finding Oscar streaming down the lane for a layup.

Despite their momentum rising, Malachi had started to mesh with Jaylen. The two started running pick-and-roll plays together, forcing the defense to overreact to either one and giving the other the chance to make a play. Jaylen was a bit of a black hole, in terms of his willingness to pass the ball but when it came to Malachi he was eager to find him.

With the time ticking down on the second quarter, Leo turned into a double team in the post and kicked it out to Oscar who swung it immediately to Derrick on the wing. Derrick snaked past the defender who attempted to close out and Malachi stepped up, trying to strip the ball from behind. A quick glance up revealed Kyle turning to set a screen for Laine on the other wing and Derrick wildly flung the ball over his shoulder to where Laine would be coming off the screen.

Laine had missed his first two three-point shots but you wouldn't know it from the way he confidently stepped into this one, releasing the ball just as the buzzer went off and the sound of the ball sailing through the net coming just a second later.

Still, the Court Kings found themselves down ten at the end of the first half.

Jaylen led all scorers with 24, though Malachi also had a claim for player of the half with 14 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists.

"We need a way to score way more efficiently than we are now," Leo said in the locker room. He had 10 rebounds already and a respectable 18 points to go along with it. Despite Derrick's annoyance at losing, he couldn't help but feel grateful for the big man.

"And stop those two," Kyle said. He didn't need to point out which two he meant.

"I can't play as physically as I want to on Jaylen," Oscar grumbled. "If I foul out we'll only have one sub."

Derrick sighed, closing his eyes as a headache threatened to make its presence known. He had barely gotten subbed out and when he had, the offense had looked even more stagnant than before. He was accustomed to being the star point guard back in Illinois but this felt like more responsibility by a landslide.

"Ok, listen up," Alex announced, getting the troubled players' attention. He had been drawing on the provided chalkboard on the wall and finally showed his work. On it, Xs showed their team and the ball seemed to be in the post, presumably with Leo.

"This is what we've been doing all game. Playing through Leo in the post. It worked like a charm at first, but simple double-teams have left us scrambling to keep our makes flowing. Why is that?" The silence lengthened as they waited for him to continue. "Because that's not how we're built. Inside-out post play is good for Leo but we don't have the shooting personnel to support that playstyle. Instead, I believe we should be letting Derrick be the primary playmaker on the floor."

Derrick's heart skipped a beat. He already had six assists and frankly could've had more if Kyle was a more consistent three-point shooter.

"I don't have an issue with that," Leo said immediately.

The others nodded their agreement except for Oscar. When he realized everyone was looking at him, he shrugged. "I guess we can see how that works out."

And work out it did. With Derrick running the offense, the Kings turned into a different team altogether. The biggest revelation was how dangerous a Derrick and Leo pick and roll was. Derrick's ability to change speeds led to a lot of defensive scrambling after Leo set the screen and he was able to consistently make the right play.

By the fourth quarter, the score was 68-63 and the crowd was enjoying the show. A big reason that the Yellowstone Wolves had slowed down was Leon grabbing rebounds as if he was fresh and hadn't played almost the whole game. The guy's endurance was insane and allowed him to out-hustle the opposition when he hadn't been able to before.

Derrick sat out the start of the fourth quarter and by the time he came back in the lead had ballooned to nine despite heroics from Leo. Alex called a timeout with the clock reading seven minutes remaining.

"It's now or never. This is where we set the tone for this whole tournament on what type of team we will be. When facing adversary, will we hope the other team cools off or will we make sure our fire is hotter? Give it everything you've got and then more." Derrick looked around and saw determined glares from everyone. Even the normally deadpan Kyle seemed to have a slither of passion in his eyes. "I'm going to put in Laine for you Oscar, just for now. Anytime Jaylen touches the ball inside halfcourt, I want him double-teamed until Oscar is back in."

Derrick noticed Oscar didn't look pleased but he kept his trap shut. Alex looked over at Laine. "Laine."

"Yes, coach?"

"Do you consider yourself a good shooter?"

Laine's usual timid demeanor melted away. "Certainly."

"Prove it."

As they walked back out to the court Laine tapped Derrick on his shoulder. "Trust me."

And trust him Derrick did, finding Laine as their whole offensive focus changed to trying to get the boy open, and as he started to laser in threes the crowd came alive.

A three-star shooting like that? Derrick could already imagine the scouts putting an asterisk next to Laine's name.

Despite the shooting onslaught, double-teaming Jaylen didn't completely stop the Wolves from scoring, of course, and after three minutes, Oscar was subbed back in for Laine.

The crowd of players and spectators alike gave him a standing applause as he walked back to the bench with his head held high.

The deficit was now only two points.

The next three minutes were a hard-fought hell for both sides on the battlefield. Jaylen had decided that life would be easier without Oscar guarding him and had started trying to force switches. If the defenders refused to switch, he dumped it into Malachi who drove to the rim and either finished or found a teammate wide open.

On the Kings' end, Kyle had finally awoken. He had been shooting a bad percentage but now, he attacked his defender with calm precision, finding openings and rising up for difficult mid-range shots that scored all the same. If he missed, Leo or Leon was there to clean it up.

With a minute left and the score locked at 80-80, the ball was once again in Kyle's hands. The right side was cleared out for the Kyle isolation and he started his move, pulling out a double cross to get an angle toward the rim. Malachi flashed toward him as if he was coming to double team and Kyle got rid of it, the ball barely making it past Malachi's outstretched arms to find Derrick at the top of the key. He briefly considered shooting but then saw Oscar make a masterful cut and instinctively threw an alley-oop to him.

Oscar seemed to levitate as he fought gravity, launching into the air like a rocket, but he wasn't the only one. Malachi, who wasn't nearly as athletic as Oscar, timed his jump so that he reached the ball on its way up before Oscar and swatted it away.

The ball fell to Jaylen who immediately exploded downcourt toward his basket. He weaved around futile steal attempts, not slowing down even while he changed directions. As he reached halfcourt, only one person stood in his way.

Derrick.

Jaylen drove hard as Derrick backpedaled, conscious of attempting a steal that would allow Jaylen to skip past and get a free layup. Instead, Derrick timed his attempt right under the free-throw line, but just as he turned, Jaylen lowered his shoulder and slammed it into Derrick's chest, sending Derrick sprawling backward as he twisted in the air to lay the ball up in one motion.

Derrick hit the ground so hard that he almost rolled completely over. Derrick vaguely heard the referee's shrill whistle as he tried to remember how breathing worked.

Leo's comforting figure appeared over him and offered a hand which Derrick gratefully took. "Does he think we're trying out for the NFL?" Derrick hissed.

His attention shifted to Alex who was currently giving the referee an earful. Derrick realized that the referee had called the foul on him!

Derrick was usually of the mindset that the play was gone and arguing with the referee was useless and did more harm than good, but being on the wrong side of such an atrocious call made him take a step to join Alex.

Leo barred his way, however, and shook his head.

It wasn't worth it.

Alex eventually earned himself a technical foul and now, with the made layup, Jaylen had a chance for four points with the added technical free-throw.

Jaylen made both and all of a sudden, the Court Kings found themselves down four. After a rushed hook-shot attempt from Leo that barely grazed rim, the Wolves started to slow it down and waste time, the win all but secured.

The final buzzer sounded soon after and Derrick shook his head in disgust as he reluctantly joined the somber handshake line.

The Court Kings had lost their first game.

Chapter Three

0 Comments