Second-String Center (8 page)

“That’d be a relief, huh?”

“Definitely.”

 

 

Dunk felt great warming up: loose and quick.
Fast
almost. It was as if his whole body had changed in the past few months, becoming much more athletic and coordinated. There was more to it than that, though. His whole outlook had changed, too. He was confident.

So when he entered the game midway through the first quarter, that frightened, nauseated feeling from the other games was no longer there. Instead, he couldn’t wait to get involved.

Hudson City was up by a point and had the ball. Spencer shot from outside, and the ball banged off the rim. Dunk timed his jump well and got a hand on the ball, but he couldn’t bring it down. It fell to the floor. Jared grabbed it on the first bounce and laid it off the backboard and in.

Dunk turned and found the forward who’d been covering him and ran up beside him as they made their way toward the opposite basket. The guy was quick and had scored twice with Fiorelli covering him, but Dunk stuck with him. He got position under the basket and kept his man away.

South Bergen missed a shot and Dunk turned to box out. Jared grabbed the rebound, hit Miguel with the outlet pass, and watched as Willie took the second pass and drove in for a layup.

Twice more Hudson City made defensive stops, and twice more they raced up the court for layups. South Bergen called for a timeout. The Hornets had a seven-point lead, and the packed gym was quiet.

“We’re running them ragged,” Spencer said in the huddle. “They can’t penetrate with all that bulk we’ve got underneath, and we’re totally in their faces outside.”

“Good run,” Coach Davis said. “Keep it up. These guys have the potential to score a lot of points in a hurry, so maintain the pressure.”

 

 

By halftime, the Hornets had a double-digit lead, and Jared had already scored eleven points. Dunk hadn’t scored, but he’d played several minutes in the second quarter and had been a factor.

“It makes a big difference when you’re in there,” Jared said as they walked out of the locker room for the second half. “They double up on me when we’ve got the smaller lineup on the floor. They can’t do that if you’re playing.”

Dunk nodded. He stood a little taller and pushed his shoulders back. Circumstances had certainly gone in his favor so far this season. Jared’s occasional absence and frequent poor play had given Dunk the chance to show his stuff, and he had done well in those instances. That had led to the present situation, where Jared was back in business but Dunk’s value had also been established. He’d capitalized on his opportunities.

And he knew that the reason he’d been able to capitalize was the work he’d put in prior to the season. All that shooting and drilling on his own, all those pickup games at the Y, all that running. He’d made his own luck; he’d worked for it.

So when he reentered the game in the third quarter, it was as more than a second-string bench-warmer. He was a key member of the Hornets. And the Hornets were looking like a first-place bunch again.

The lead was nearly twenty points when Dunk went to the free-throw line late in the fourth quarter. He hadn’t scored at all today, but he’d done his job in other ways.

None of the Hudson City starters were still in the game. Jared, Spencer, Fiorelli, Willie, and Miguel were on the bench now, enjoying the final minutes of a romp.

Dunk took the ball from the referee and dribbled it twice. He bent his knees slightly, drove his shoulders up, and unleashed the ball in a perfect arc. It swished through the net, and his Hornet teammates cheered.

“One hundred percent!” yelled Lamont, who was tensed on the line, waiting to battle for a rebound.

Dunk thought for a second.
Twelve for twelve on the season. Not too shabby.

He allowed himself a smile. Dribbled twice. Bent his knees. Shot the ball.

The ball hit the back of the rim and bounced out. In the scramble for the rebound, it rolled out-of-bounds.

The horn blew for a substitution. Louie ran onto the court with a grin, pointing at Dunk.

Dunk stood with his hands on his hips for a second, then walked toward the bench. The starters all stood and clapped. Spencer embraced him, and Jared whacked him on the shoulder.

“Overconfident!” Willie said with a laugh.

“Never,” Dunk said. “Never
under
-confident again, either.”

“Thought you’d never miss another one,” Miguel said in mock surprise.

Dunk shook his head and smiled as he took a seat between Jared and Spencer. “I won’t miss many,” he said. “But I guarantee I’ll be making a lot of them. For many seasons to come.”