Rebound: A 2nd Chance

Billy tried his best to focus on the game but his curiosity ended up getting the best of him as he caved in.

"Alright Troy. What's your new infor?" Troy chuckled "I knew you wouldn't be able to resist. Anyways word on the streets is that old coach Butler is trying to recruit Jason."

Billy was surprised to hear that familiar name "Coach Butler? As in KeyShawn Butler?" Troy nodded his head.

Billy paused for a second "I am actually surprised that he even tried. He has to know how bad of a reputation Beach Side Academy has for their basketball program.

They haven't had one athlete make it to a division one college in the years that he's been coaching there."

Troy smiled "Well I don't think he really has a shot of recruiting Jason. He's only been playing for a few months and he already has the attention of 2nd and 3rd rate programs.

I'm sure that by the time he finishes middle school he'll have the attention of other tier one programs like mine."

Billy rolled his eyes 'And there it is. He had to slip in a brag somehow. It's not even your program! You're an assistant coach!'

Troy didn't seem to notice Billy's irritation as he continued "Like I said, I don't think that Butler has any chance at recruiting Jason.

The only thing he has is that they are both from this shit hole city. But that ain't much of a leg to stand on.

The real competition we have to watch out for isn't him. I've been hearing whispers that there are some real interest with a few tier one programs."

Billy raised his eyebrow "Are you going to say more or did you just want to show off that you have info?"

Troy chuckled as he clapped his hands "Calm down Billy. I was just having fun. A little teasing never killed anybody right?

Anyways from what I've been hearing Gonzaga Prep, Mater Dei, Chino Hills, and Sierra Canyon have some real interest in Jason.

They are just waiting to see him on a bigger stage. They want to see how well he does under some brighter lights and against tougher competition."

After hearing what Troy had to say Billy's face went red and he almost threw his camera at the floor.

'God Damn it! I thought we had a chance at recruiting Jason because he wasn't a flashy player that attracts that much attention.

But now that the tier one programs are eyeing him it's going to be close to impossible to steal him away from them.'

Troy started laughing after seeing Billy's reaction "Hahaha I know exactly what you're thinking. You really need to work on your poker face man.

Anyways, just thought I would let you know. I would hate for you to get your hopes up thinking that you had a chance at recruiting Jason hahaha."

- - -

There were only three minutes left in the first quarter as Jefferson sat in front with a comfortable lead.

The score was 18-6. Jason was on the bench as he had subbed out earlier on in the quarter to better conserve his strength.

'Alright, that should have been enough time for a quick rest.' He tapped Ms. Yuller on the shoulder.

"Hey Ms. Yuller I think it's time for me to get back into the game." Jason had to ask Ms. Yuller to call the timeout because only players on the court or the coach could call for a timeout.

Ms. Yuller looked at Jason before getting up "Sure thing Jason." She then started shouting at the referee.

"Hello there, the gentlemen in the stripes. I would like to call for an intermission. One of my boys would like to get back into the game."

The referee had his whistle in his mouth as he just looked at Ms. Yuller with a confused expression.

Jason facepalmed 'Shit! I forgot that she doesn't know anything about sports.' He went up to Ms. Yuller.

"Ms. yuller just cross your arms like this. And it's called a timeout not an intermission." Jason showed her the gesture for a timeout.

Ms. Yuller chuckled "Ah I see." She then crossed her arms the way that Jason had showed her. After which the referee called for a timeout.

DJ went back to the bench as Jason went out to the court. As they passed by they high fived each other.

Kyle inbounded the ball to Jason. After catching the ball he made his way down the court. After crossing halfcourt Jason passed the ball to Matt on the wing.

After catching the ball Matt then tossed the ball to Udonis who was down in the post. As soon as he caught the ball Udonis went to work.

He started backing down his defender and making his way into the paint. The other Big on the team saw that his teammate was being overwhelmed so he made his way over.

Udonis saw the double team coming. He waited until he pulled the other defender a little bit closer to him before throwing the ball over his shoulder.

Both of the defenders turned their neck to see where the ball would go. What they saw was Kyle as he jumped into the air.

Kyle caught the ball with both of his hands before slamming it into the basket. Kyle hung on to the rim for a second before coming back down.

Udonis ran over to Kyle and the two of them bumped their sides as they jumped into the air. Even though Kyle was taller than Udonis his skinny body almost fell to the floor from the impact.

Udonis laughed as he helped him to stay balanced "Nice one bro! That dunk was crazy." Kyle smiled "That was a hell of a pass too UD. I thought you were Jaya for a second."

Udonis chuckled before slapping Kyle on the back as the two of them made their way back on defense.

The quarter passed by with Jefferson maintaining complete control on the offensive and defensive side.

All of their hard from the beginning of the season was finally showing fruit as the whole team moved like a well oiled machine.

Everyone was playing their roles to perfection. Udonis and Kyle were crashing the boards hard and protecting the paint.

Trell was being a hound on defense as he used his long arms and his insane lateral movement to pester his defensive assignment.

And Matt was running all around the court as he used screens and off ball movement to try and get open while nailing the three point shot whenever he got so much as a sliver of space.

Not just that. Matt was also playing his heart out on defense. He didn't have the wingspan that Kyle had and he didn't have the athleticism that Trell possessed.

But after watching Jason for this season he learned one thing. Defense was eighty percent heart and that was the one department where he wasn't lacking.

Matt knew that he was the weakest link on defense. During the season whenever he had the chance he would ask Jason for advice on how to be a better defender.

And now during this game it was like everything Jason had told him was clicking in his head 'Don't watch the ball or your defenders eyes. They can use both to trick you.

Keep your eyes on your opponent's torso because that is the part that is hardest to manipulate. Often times it can tell you where your opponent is trying to go.'

Jason's voice was stuck on replay in Matt's mind as he talked about all the different points of playing good defense.

'Keep your hands up and active but don't reach for risky steals. You should think of your hands as shields as you try and deny your opponent any easy passing lanes.

You want to stay in a low defensive stance. Stay on your toes but don't be jumpy. Slide your feet and shuffle.

You want to maintain a good distance from your assignment. Not too far away to the point where they have an open shot but not too close to where it will be easy for them to blow by you.'

Even though he still had room to grow Matt showed that he understood the basics and that he was really putting everything he had into playing defense.

Matt saw one of the players from the other team coming over to set a screen. He fought hard to get over it and actually managed to force his defensive assignment to lose control of the ball.

Matt saw a familiar figure run past him so he smiled as he dived for the ball. He managed to scoop and fling the ball down court.

Jason caught the ball after Matt threw it. He then began running down the court for the fast break.

As Jason was running he saw that there were no defenders near by 'That was some nice ass defense Matt.

Guess I gotta do a little something special to cap it off' Instead of going for the easy wide open layup Jason Pulled up for a three pointer that was almost two feet (0.6m) behind the three point line.

The crowd went silent as they watched the ball fly through the air. The excitement could be felt building up inside gym.

After seeing the ball swish through the net Jason pointed to Matt with a smile before turning to the crowd.

The audience was going crazy as they screamed and shouted "JAYA! JAYA! JAYA!" Jason held up three fingers in his right hand as he raised it into the air.

Jefferson now lead 32-9 as the quarter had less than a thirty seconds left on the clock. Jason screamed his heart out as he faced the crowd "Lets gooo! This our house!"