Keaira Pryor
The Ball Hog
“I really wish I would get to handle the ball more.”
The whispers and complaints of my teammates rang out around me as we approached the first tip off of our final game. I
blocked out the waves and cheers of family and friends as I hastily entered into game-mode. My expression remained unchanged
as all the girls on my team lined up to pick their defender, I stood around and let everyone else choose first and at last went and
stood across from the opposing teams point guard. I did a quick stretch to relieve the slight tension I felt in my legs and neck
then all too soon the whistle sounded and the ball was tossed into the air. I pivoted off of my left foot and planted my right onto
the cool, squeaky floor as I patiently waited for the ball to come to me; and that it did.
I had never been the type to trash talk because I liked to let my skills do the talking. Besides, since I played for an “anyone
can play” type school league it probably would not have been very acceptable anyhow. One of the things that made me such a good
team leader was my ability to remain calm and laid back even when faced with a challenge. You know those boring talks and
lessons parents and adults were constantly trying to teach you as a child? Well the talks that I received taught me to always remain humble and to keep a level head. But I, not even being thirteen yet did not understand that the principle of having character
applied to many more things than just your words.
The ball was in my possession, it felt good against my fingertips almost as if it was meant to be there. I loved the feel of the
ball beneath me, each time I dribbled it I knew that it would soon come back to its home in my hand as I gracefully ran across
the court. I made an abrupt stop and passed the ball over to a teammate and immediately called back for it as I dodged my way
around a defender and went in for the layup. My team and I did a small cheer alongside my coach but we did not let ourselves
get distracted in the process. Now, the opposing team had gotten the ball and passed it amongst each player as they made their
way to the other side of the court. By the time each team reached the other side I swiftly swept in and completed my signature
move allowing me to steal the ball and take it back the other way. The opposing team chased after me but it was no use, in the
blink of an eye I had made my way in the opposite direction and scored the layup putting my team up by ten points.
I quickly jogged over to my seat and grabbed my chilled grape Gatorade and took a long sip. The grape flavor tasted heavenly
against the walls of my dry mouth but I was careful to not drink so much that I would get a stomach-ache. Right as I began to
get comfortable and plop down into my seat my coach called me over into the huddle.
“You can play another quarter right?”
Between pants I answered, “Of course I can!”
Shortly after one of my teammates rolled her eyes and another seemed to be upset about something but I did not understand the
source of their attitudes, we were winning after all right?
The second quarter quickly played out as the opposing team began to close in on us. I was especially tired because I had not
gotten a chance to sit out like many of the other girls from the first quarter had. I stole a quick glance over to my coach while
crossing over to the other side of the court and he could see in my eyes that I was tired. He called a quick timeout and drew out a
play on his white board. I was tired but I did not want to let my team down so I executed the play just as practiced and made the
scoring shot just shy of the key. Immediately following, my coach finally allowed me to sit out as I watched the last two minutes
of the second quarter unravel before me.
It was now finally halftime and each team had a ten minute break to rest and practice plays. I now finally had the chance to
catch my breath. I then used the time to go to the bathroom, get a drink of water, and practice my shot. With the last few moments winding down I set my ball on the rack and made my way over towards the huddle. Unexpectedly however, I was stopped
by a few of my closest friends on the team.
“You should really pass the ball more; we feel like we barely ever get to play.”
“Really? I’m sorry I never realized I wasn’t passing it enough but I promise I’ll start to pass it more.”
“I’m sure it probably is hard to notice when you get to play so much.”