Wheel Wizards (7 page)

“Listen up!” snapped Wes. “We've worked hard, so let's make that work pay off. I know there have been times when you've been
hating my guts. … Probably most of you do right now.”

Several players laughed, and Seth suddenly felt a little better.

“The team you'll be playing against today has a full year of experience. Only four of them are as new to this game as all
of you are. The Tiger coach emphasizes defense. They'll switch from zone D to man-to-man and back again; try to recognize
which they're using. They play aggressively, so keep your cool.

“If they're using a zone, try to flood the zone —move a few guys into one area so they have to scramble. When they play man
defense, look to set picks and switches.

“When they have the ball, I'll signal what defense you should use. Move the ball on offense, keep your passes sharp, and
talk
to each other, on offense and defense. Help each other out wherever you can. Keep your heads on swivels, keep your eyes on
the ball, and give it a hundred percent. If you play your best, then you're doing a good job, win or lose. And, win or lose,
this game will be a valuable learning experience for you all.

“Let's have your hands.” All the Wizards stuck their hands into the middle of the huddle, and Wes covered their hands with
his. “Are you ready?”

“
YEAH!
” they shouted.

Wes named the starters, including Seth and Pete, and assured everyone that they'd get plenty of playing time. “You'll get
breathers, and you'll need them, I promise you.”

“You bet you will,” echoed Con, with a smile.

“Remember what you've been working on,” Danny urged, as the teams took the court. The two
referees had the team members shake hands. One ref tossed a coin to see who would get the ball, and Pete called, “Tails.”

The coin came up tails, and Pete inbounded the ball from under the Wizards' basket. He threw a bounce pass to Seth, who headed
toward midcourt, dribbling and checking to see what defense the Tigers were using. Suddenly, a hand reached in and whipped
the ball away. A Tiger had come up on Seth's blind side for the steal. Two Wizards were racing downcourt, unaware of the turnover.

“
Hey!
” Pete yelled, moving toward the man with the ball, who flipped it to a teammate waiting under the Wizards' basket. The man
put in the easy shot, and the Tigers led, 2–0.

“
Watch the hall!
” bellowed Wes.

The Wizards brought the ball upcourt again, and Seth saw Pete unguarded twelve feet from the basket. As he fired a pass, two
Tigers converged on Pete and had him trapped in the corner. Pete searched desperately for someone to pass to, and James Jacks
wheeled toward him, waving an arm. Pete hurled a baseball-style pass in James's direction, but James couldn't control the
ball, which rolled out of bounds.
The ref whistled the ball dead, and the Tigers put it in play.

Seth glanced at his family and Lou in the stands as he raced back on defense. A Tiger player with awesome biceps sped past
Seth, and he tried to catch up. Looking back over his shoulder, he saw a pass headed toward the Tiger, who was intent on an
easy fast-break basket. He gave his wheels a hard pump and lunged forward, reaching out a hand and deflecting the ball out
of bounds, foiling the easy basket. On the sideline, the other Wizard players clapped.

“Good D!” called Con. As the Tigers put the ball in play, a muscular Tiger forced his way next to the key, just to the side
of the basket. When a teammate's shot went off the rim, he tipped the ball out to another Tiger. Seth tried to muscle him
away from his spot, but the guy was too big and strong. The Tiger rebounded another shot and bounced the ball to a player
on the baseline, who sank it despite being rammed by Pete. The ref called Pete for a foul, and the Tiger hit the free throw.
It was 5–0. Wes signaled for a time-out.

Seth felt stunned as the Wizards huddled around
their coaches. “Welcome to the world of wheelchair basketball,” said Con.

Pete scowled and muttered, “These guys are too much for us.”

Seth snapped, “What are you talking about? We're going to get better!” He suddenly felt a competitive anger he hadn't felt
since before his accident.

“Quiet, everybody!” Wes said. “We've only played a couple of minutes, so don't panic. I called time so you wouldn't lose your
heads out there. Remember, these guys are veterans, and this is your first time. Remember your prepared plays and stick to
them. We'll play a half-court game for now, no fast breaks, just move the ball around and be alert.

“Always know where your opponents are and where the ball is. On that first play, some of you rushed downcourt without bothering
to make sure the ball was coming with you.
Keep an eye on the ball!
Otherwise, you're in for hard times. Now, take your time, look for good shots. Remember your basic plays: pick-and-roll,
give-and-go, all that stuff. When you have the ball, find an open man. When you don't have the ball,
get
open.

“All right! Let's show this team that they can't just roll over us!”

Seth took the inbound pass, tossed to James, and got the ball back at midcourt. Sensing movement on his left, he yanked the
ball away just before a Tiger defender could snatch it. The Tigers were in a tight man-to-man defense. Suddenly, Pete made
a quick pivot, and Seth whipped him the ball. Pete lofted a twelve-footer that went in off the glass to make the score 5–2.

During the next few minutes, Seth and his teammates realized that the Tigers, while more experienced, weren't supermen. At
one point, James made a steal and Seth converted a fast-break layup. Seth's arms were aching, though, when Wes sent in subs
for him and Pete with three minutes left in the first quarter.

Con came over as Seth caught his breath. “Good move on the fast break!”

Seth wiped his face with a towel. “We
can!
play with these guys!
Way to go, James
”

The wiry James had just drawn a charging foul by getting into the lane and holding his position against a Tiger who was trying
a layup. When the Wizards
scored on a slick give-and-go, the score was 9–6; the Wizards were only three down.

At the end of the quarter, however, the Tigers led, 11–6. During the second quarter, Seth was all over the court. He made
steals, assists, and an outstanding defensive play when he lunged to knock a Tiger pass out of bounds and fell out of his
chair in the process. He waved away offers of assistance and got back in the chair, while even Tiger fans applauded. Pete
made some great moves with his chair and shook loose for a few shots. As a team, the Wizards showed that they, too, could
play tough defense. At halftime, the Tiger lead was only 22–20.

Wes didn't actually smile during halftime, but he admitted that the team had had some good moments. When he said this, Seth
winked at Pete, who grinned.

“In the second half,” said Wes, “let's try a full-court press on them, see if that rattles their brains. Also, if you see
a fast-break chance, go for it. We might catch them by surprise. And keep up the D—no easy baskets.” He looked around. “Danny,
Con? Anything to add?”

Con said, “Their guy in the black headband loves
shooting from downtown. Give him room and let him bomb away — he's not as good as he thinks he is.”

“All right!” Wes leaned forward. “This is your game to win? Go out and fight!”

Early in the third quarter, the Wizard full-court press created two turnovers that Jed to easy baskets, and the Wizards were
in the lead, 24–22! The teams exchanged baskets for a few minutes before the Tiger coach called time to make adjustments.
Later in the quarter, the Tigers took the lead back, and the period ended with the Wizards down, 32–28.

Looking around between quarters, Seth realized that the Wizards were tired; the extra Tiger players kept them fresher.

With the Wizards down by four at the start of the fourth quarter, Wes sent Seth and James back into the game. Seth felt rested
and sank a shot off a beautiful pass from Pete, cutting the Tiger lead to two.

But that was as close as the Wizards could get. The Tigers tired the Wizards out, and, even though there were no serious defensive
goofs, the Tigers pulled away to win, 43–34.

Afterward, several Tiger players came over and
congratulated Seth on his play. One said, “I figured this game would be a laugher, but I was wrong.”

Seth's family came up and praised his play. Phyllis hugged her brother. “I am
so proud
of you!”

Lou nodded, smiling. “You guys are going to win some games, I
know
it!”

Wes called the team together. “As far as I'm concerned,” he said, “this was a
win
. You did a great job, and you're going to get better. We'll work more on conditioning, so you don't run out of gas late in
the games.”

While Mr. Pender drove the Penders and Lou for some ice cream, Lou asked Seth, “Are you down about losing the game?”

Seth thought for a second and grinned. “No way! This is only the beginning! You wait and see!”

I
don't know,” Lou said, as he and Seth left school on a sunny afternoon. “Can
you
understand what we were taught in math today?
I
don't get it, that's for sure.”

Seth grinned. “I think I'm going to ask Phyllis for a little help tonight. She's the math whiz. Come over if you want.”

“Hey, thanks. Maybe she can tell me what
x
is and why it keeps changing all the time.” Lou scratched his head. “It was so much easier in eighth grade.” Seth and Lou
had both turned fourteen the previous month.

They were at an intersection, waiting for a green light, when a car pulled up near them and Danny Detweiler stuck his head
out of the driver's-side window

“Yo, Seth! Hey Lou! I
thought
it was you two I saw!”

Seth was delighted to see Danny, whom he hadn't heard from in several months. The Junior Wizard team on which he'd played
had wound up having a decent season, winning three games and losing three. Seth had improved with each game, ending up with
an eight-point-per-game scoring average. His friend Pete Gould had led the team in assists, and Pete had stayed friendly with
Seth and Lou through summer vacation, spending time with them and their friends.

“How are you doing?” asked Seth. “Hey, cool car, by the way!”

Danny grinned. “I just got it last week! It's got hand controls for the gas and brakes. I have some big news!”

“What's up?” Lou asked.

Danny held up a letter and waved it toward them. “I just heard I've won a college scholarship! I'll be going in the fall.
This college has a fantastic wheelchair athletic program, one of the best in the country!”

“All
right!
” Seth yelled, stretching out a hand and pumping Danny's.

“That's really great!” added Lou. “Will you be playing basketball there?”

“Absolutely!” Danny nodded happily. “I have to really train, starting now. They're always among the top-rated teams nationwide.
And I'm aiming at the Paralympics a few years down the road.”

Seth felt happy for his friend, but he had to admit that he also felt sad that Danny would be headed elsewhere soon — out
of his life, for the most part. He hoped his dismay didn't show.

“The other news is for Seth,” Danny went on. “You'll be getting a call in the next few days from a guy named Howard Sturgis.
He's the coach of my old team — you know, the
real
Wizards. They want you to come to practice when they start up.”

Lou turned to Seth and slapped him on the back. “Hey,
fantastic!
You'll make it, too!”

“That's what Wes and I told Howard,” said Danny, looking closely at Seth. “You look like you're not so sure. What's the problem?
I figured you'd be happy about this.”

“Huh? Oh,
sure
I'm happy,” Seth said. “I … What about Pete? Could he come, too?”

Danny nodded. “We recommended him. Both of you guys can help that team. Seth? You don't look like a man who just heard a piece
of very good news. How come?”

Seth shook his head. “No, no, I know it's good. Really. I guess I just hope I don't let you down, that's all. Plus, I'm going
to miss you when you go away.”

Danny looked up at Lou, and back to Seth. “Well, first of all, I don't think for a second that you'll let me down. I know
you sometimes aren't sure of what you can do, but
I
know, and so does my man, Lou here. Right?”

“Absolutely,” Lou replied. “Seth can do whatever he has a mind to.”

“And Wes knows, too,” Danny went on. “He had you spotted as a corner from day one, last year. Why do you think he gave you
such a hard time? He didn't want you to sell yourself short, was all. And you didn't.

“As for me going away, that isn't going to be until the fall. I'll be around for months, playing ball with
another team. I'll be checking out your practices and seeing your games, too. You're not getting rid of me yet.”

“You can sit with us, in our rooting section,” said Lou. “I plan on seeing every Wizards game, me and our buddies. We know
that Seth is going to do the job.”

Danny smiled at Lou, but his expression turned more serious as his eyes met Seth's. “Understand, you're going to have to work
hard with these new guys. Just the way you did last year. It's a new challenge. But you can meet it. Just remember, the toughest
tests are the ones you want to pass the most. That's the way it ought to be. That's what life is all about: taking on challenges
and meeting them. Right?”

Seth stared into Danny's eyes and nodded. “Right.”

“Okay!” Danny looked at his watch. “I have to get going. Listen, I'll be seeing you soon. You all right with this?”

“Fine,” Seth answered. “And that's great about the scholarship.”

Danny smiled. “Lou, save a seat for me in the rooting section. Take it easy, guys.”

As he drove away, Lou turned back to Seth. “You
are
all right with it, aren't you? Danny's right. You're ready. You'll make the team.”