Second-String Center by Rich Wallace Read Free Book Online Page A

continued. “Dunk and Louie, you heard Coach—you gotta come up big.”
    Dunk looked down at his size-twelve sneakers. “Yep,” he said softly. He’d wanted a bigger role on this team, and the time was right now. He knew he’d be playing a lot in the second half.
    The Hornets started Jared at center, Dunk and Fiorelli at forward, and Willie and Spencer at guard. Fiorelli continued to shoot well, hitting a couple of jumpers, but the Hornets couldn’t make a dent in the lead.
    The pace was quick, and Dunk was out of breath as the Hornets raced back on defense midway through the quarter. Dunk’s man was out in front of him, streaking toward the basket with the ball. Only Jared stood between him and an easy layup.
    The guy drove to the hoop as Jared darted over. He made a pump-fake in the air and flipped the ball to the player Jared had been covering. Jared was off balance, but he turned and tried to block the shot. The shot missed, but Jared had picked up his fourth foul. One more and he’d be gone.
    The horn blew for a sub, and Lamont came running onto the court. Jared started to walk off, but Lamont shook his head and said, “Coach says you’re staying in.” He pointed to Dunk. “You’re out.”
    “Quick breather,” Coach said, rising from the bench to pat Dunk on the shoulder.
    “Jared’s got four fouls,” Dunk said.
    “I know. But we need him out there.”
    Dunk wiped his face with a towel and looked under the bench for his water bottle. His chest was heaving as he tried to catch his breath. He’d been burned badly on the last fast break, and it had cost Jared another foul.
    Dunk’s memory flashed back to the previous summer, when he’d been inserted at a crucial time during that tournament semifinal. Hudson City had been beating Camden—the best team in the state. Dunk went in on the theory that he’d get fouled and that would result in some automatic points down the stretch. But it hadn’t worked out that way. Dunk had missed three shots out of four while Camden made an amazing comeback.
    But today might be different. Just as things were looking bad for the Hornets, the offense came to life. Jared scored on a put-back after Spencer’s miss, and Willie stole the inbounds pass and fed Lamont for a layup.
    “Dunk!” Coach called. Dunk stuck his head forward and looked at Coach. “Report in for Jared. Cover their center. Let’s go!”
    A little over a minute remained in the third quarter when Dunk finally got in, and Lincoln held a 47-41 lead. The Lincoln center was four inches taller than Dunk and had strong arms and shoulders. He nodded at Dunk and gave a half-smile as the two players set up under the Lincoln basket. “Get me the ball!” he called to the point guard as Lincoln got set to inbound.
    Dunk felt a tap on his shoulder. Lamont was leaning toward him. “My guy can’t shoot,” he said softly. “I’ll be helping you out if the ball comes in.”
    So Dunk knew he could overplay his man a bit on his right. The Lincoln guards passed the ball back and forth deliberately, looking for an opening.
    Dunk clung close to the center, but the guy got loose and the ball came to him just outside the key. Dunk took the chance and blocked the right side. When the center pivoted toward the middle, Lamont was right in his face.
    The center shifted back, but Dunk was in his path. He knocked the ball away and Spencer grabbed it. Dunk sprinted up the court.
    “Last shot!” came a call from the bench.
    Dunk glanced at the clock as it hit twenty seconds. No sense hurrying a shot and giving Lincoln another chance to score before the end of the quarter. Plenty of time to be patient.
    But the Lincoln defenders were having none of it, scrambling to make a steal. Spencer’s deft ball-handling kept it safe, but he was still outside the arc with eight seconds remaining.
    The ball went to Willie in the corner, but a defender was right on him. Willie stepped left then scooted along the baseline. The Lincoln