Real Hoops by Fred Bowen Read Free Book Online Page A

court. Logan pulled Ben out of the circle as the rest of the team jumped up and down together. “Now Coach has
got
to start Hud,” he said.

Chapter 12
    B en glanced at the clock on the gym wall: 4:40.
Only twenty minutes left of practice
, he thought.
Is Coach ever going to let us scrimmage?
    Coach George had not been happy with the Robinson game, even though the Raiders had won. So he was drilling them extra-hard during practice.
    Layup drills.
    Passing drills.
    Rebounding drills.
    But this time they were even more grueling than ever.
    Logan leaned against the wall to catch his breath. “Guess we’re not going to scrimmage,” he said to Ben.
    “Guess not,” Ben said. He was watching Hud cover Levon in a one-on-one defense drill. Coach George was right on top of Hud, shouting instructions. “Come on, Hudson. Keep your legs moving. Get your rear end down. Move your feet, don’t reach with your hands.”
    Ben leaned toward Logan. “Just think what practice would have been like if Hud had
missed
that last shot.”
    Tweeeet!
    Coach George blew his whistle. The whole team looked up, still hoping for a scrimmage. “Fast-break drill,” Coach George snapped. He pointed around the gym. “Give me three lines. I want good, crisp chest-passes. Right on the numbers. I don’t want to see that ball touch the floor.”
    Ben spied Hud across the gym. His friend caught his eye and shook his head.
    The Roosevelt players weaved back and forth across the gym, running and passing at top speed. Luckily, the ball never touched the floor.
    Tweeeeet!
    Coach George blew his whistle again. Ben checked the clock: 4:50.
    “All right, we’ve still got ten minutes,” the coach announced. “Let’s have a quick scrimmage. He grabbed a handful of bright yellow mesh jerseys out of a bag and began tossing them to the starters.
    Logan …
    Jordan …
    Andrew …
    Ben …
    Coach George paused for a second, then tossed the final yellow shirt to Levon.
    Ben glanced at Hud again. His jaw was clenched and his eyes were blazing.
    “Hey, Coach,” Logan said, “when are you going to let Hud run with us?”
    “When he learns how to run the plays the way I plan them,” Coach George answered without a hint of a smile. “Listen up, all of you. We have to run the plays the way I draw them up in the huddle. That gives us the best chance to win.” He stood with the ball on his hip and looked from player to player until his eyes settled on Hud. “Wegot lucky last game with Hudson’s shot. But we don’t want to be lucky. We want to be good.”
    He scooped the ball to Hud. “Okay, Hudson, your team’s ball.”
    Hud played as if he was angry at the whole world and had something to prove. He dribbled furiously downcourt, fast-breaking past Levon to the basket, pulling up for jump shots, and passing to teammates from every possible angle.
    But this time the first-string team was determined not to lose. They kept the score tied with baskets by Ben and Logan.
    “One minute to go,” Coach George announced. “Next basket wins.”
    Hud dribbled to the right, trying to get by Levon. But Levon played tough defense and cut off his path to the basket. Sensing that Hud was going to try to win the game all by himself, Ben left his man and snuck up behind him. Hud suddenly reversed direction and ran up against Ben, who knocked the ball loose. Ben scrambled after the ball, with Hud trailing and pulling at him.
    Ben finally grabbed the ball near the sideline and looked upcourt. He tossed a pass to Levon, who was wide open. Levon laid the ball into the basket.
    “That’s game,” Coach George called. “We don’t have time for the losers to run wind sprints now. They’ll run next practice.”
    Ben saw that Hud was already moving toward the locker room even though the coach was still talking. “See you tomorrow at three o’clock sharp. We’re playing Wilson. They’re undefeated, too, so be ready to play your best.”
    “Good game,” Logan told Ben as they