บท 15: Chapter 15 Mustangs Trials (2)

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[Middelburg high school, Basketball gym, August 12th 14:00]

Coach Garcia blew his whistle sharply, signalling the start for the first group. We were starting with Suicide Sprints as he probably wanted to test our speed and agility. I was part of the second group so I had a little extra time to take this whole thing in.

They sprinted to various lines on the court marked by orange cones at the side running back and forth. All in all, there were four cones excluding the starting one that led to the other end of the hall. Coach held a stopwatch and clipboard, carefully watching as the first group went through the drill. A chubby guy in a tracksuit who seemed to be the trainer also held one in his hands taking down notes as he talked with him.

The first group finished around the 30-second mark signalling our start as soon as they crossed the line. We all launched into motion sprinting to the free throw line and back, then to the half-court line and back. By the time I was sprinting to the far free throw line and back, I was locked in feeling the cool air brushing my face.

Finally, the opposite baseline was in sight taking a sharp turn like I've done so many times this summer I pushed myself forward. Head down for the first 3 strides and then I was in full sprint reaching the starting line the next moment. I felt good about my performance but I didn't dwell on it and merely focussed on the next round.

He made us all do 3 rounds of this with most dropping in performance and output by the last round. Only a few guys managed to keep their performance consistent having stayed in form over the summer. They probably played some sort of sports over the summer staying in shape.

"Take a quick breather. Next up is the Shuttle Run," he said with a hard-to-read expression as he went on to talk with his assistant coach. I didn't bother with them anymore going to my bag to take a sip of my Gatorade.

My flavour of the day is cool blue which is by far one of my favourite during a workout. Almost no one talked during the break with only the few who were friends talking to each other. Luckily the break wasn't too long before coach called us in to start the next drill.

"Pair up! We're setting up for the Shuttle Run," he instructed, pointing to the cones already placed 20 feet apart. "One of you runs while the other times. I want to see quick, explosive movements." Coach Garcia stated randomly pairing us up whilst handing us a stopwatch and a small note-pad.

I got paired up with a white kid called Jason standing at a height of 5'8 with a buzz cut straight out of the military. He wasn't talkative so I didn't bother with it and simply got set for the exercise. At the sound of the whistle, the first group sprinted from one cone to the other, touching the ground at each end before sprinting back.

The process repeated, with me going next testing trying my best to test my agility and quickness. Coach continued to shout encouragement from the sidelines but I mostly blurred it out. I was much more focused on trying to beat my previous time and staying ahead of my partner. Despite being shorter than me I was surprisingly more agile than him which made him frown.

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[Middelburg high school, Basketball gym, August 12th 15:10]

Sitting in the bleachers with a towel over my head I was doing my best to catch my breath. We spent a full hour going through various drills trying to showcase our best sides to coach. After the shuttle runs we moved on to the T-Test which not only tested our agility and speed but also our fine motor skills. Running around the paint got annoying after a while especially when some started tripping over their own feet.

Lane agility drills, Vertical Jump, Standing Broad Jump, and Medicine Ball Throw were some of the physical exercises he had us do. It felt like a mini combine with how serious he and those spectating were acting. Safe to say it took a lot out of all our tanks by the time we were done, some were even puking throughout the process.

However, none of the coaches and spectators said anything since they sprinted out the opened doors and puked outside. The crazy thing is the fact they simply took a drink and went back to taking tests. Sit and reach and shoulder flexibility tests were the last ones we had to do before we finally got a chance to rest.

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"Alright, I know you're all tired but it's time to see what you can do with the ball," Coach Garcia said with a smile not willing to let the boys rest any longer urging them to get a move on. He was eager to get these tests out of the way so he could start building his team.

"Let's get into Ball Handling Drills!" he announced. "Grab a ball and find a spot on the court." The players scrambled to retrieve basketballs from the basket standing next to the gym wall. The room quickly filled with the sound of bouncing balls as everyone settled into their spots, spaced evenly across the court.

"First drill: Stationary Dribbling. I want to see control and rhythm," Coach instructed with a stern expression slowly observing everyone on the court. "Start with your right hand, then switch to your left. Keep your eyes up and your knees bent." The players began dribbling, following his instructions as the rhythmic thump of the balls echoed in the gym.

Coach Garcia walked among them, observing closely trying to see flaws in their technique. "Keep that ball low, c'mon you can go faster than that, and keep your heads up," he stated as he stopped in front of a few kids who were going a little slow still trying to catch their breath.

After a round one minute of the boys just bouncing the ball he blew his whistle again. "Now, crossovers! Right to left, left to right. Quick and controlled." The players shifted seamlessly into crossovers, the intensity of their dribbling increasing. Coach Garcia nodded in approval but remained vigilant, correcting form where needed.

However, some players were just hopeless losing control of the ball before he even had the chance to help them. Once the players had warmed up sufficiently, Coach Garcia moved them on to the real drill. He wanted to give them a chance to warm up their hands which is why he went through this small exercise.

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Coach Garcia set up a series of cones in a zigzag pattern across the court. We moved quickly with our ball lining up at the 3 stations, eager to demonstrate our skills with the ball. Although his weird drill from earlier allowed us to show him we were comfortable on the ball it's not the same as when you're actually moving with the ball.

"This drill is all about hand-eye coordination and dribbling skills. You'll weave through the cones as quickly as you can without losing control of the ball. Ready?"

At his whistle, the first 3 players took off dribbling through the cones with quick, controlled movements. Coach watched the closely making notes on his clipboard. When it was my turn, I focused on keeping my dribble low and tight, shifting the ball from hand to hand as I manoeuvred through the obstacles.

Other than a few convenient between the legs and a spin move to get past a mannequin I kept it simple. Feeling the cool air brushing my skin whenever I go as fast as possible is an amazing feeling. I managed to get the second-best time of 6.213 seconds only falling short by a millisecond. The dude that beat me was way shorter than me standing around 5'7 so I wasn't upset instead felt relived.

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Check out my other 2 novels if you want more of my writing Master of Flow will take you on a rollercoaster ride of the glam and shadows of the Rap world. Basketball King follows the rise of a you prospect in trying to achieve his dreams and so much more.

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