It’s the last ten seconds of the 4th quarter of the final basketball state championships. We are down 98-100 and we just got then ball, the Oregon Panthers. I was open in for a three as the ball bounced to with 2 seconds to take my shot. I took my quick stance and launch a deep three. The clock hits one the zero. The buzzer goes off making its deaf defying noise, all of a sudden everything went silent for about two seconds, Then all you heard was a snap like the net was broken off, and everyone was cheering and screaming. The whole team ran to me and started hugging and piling up on me. I made the three and won us the championships, I Amir had just proved everyone wrong, I am great at basketball…. “Thump”, aghh what happened?”. I said in a small voice. I caught myself heavy breathing in excitement. “It was just a dream”.
Hey, My names Amir, and really i’ve been the football type of guy… unlike my whole family. My parents and sister adore playing basketball. See my mom and dad used to play on teams throughout middle and highschool back in Chicago, I mean they still do but, that's not the point. Now they live in wisconsin where i’ve been born. My sister on the other hand is like my mom and dad put together... and she´s younger than me! Then I’m here, known for being the worst basketball player ever, like I can barely make one three pointer if I had a million chances. I wasn't always the greatest at ball though, but I have my ups and downs between times I’ve played in my life. At school me and my friends all have good times playing basketball, and they think i'm pretty good at it, but I think other wise.
It was just a regular school day, long and boring learning about something we don't even need to know till high school. The only good thing about today is that it’s Friday which means the weekend and we have freedom for two more days is after this class. The bell gave us its mean killing sound. I bolted through the doors straight outside to the fresh breeze of air, having all my friends follow the race outside. “FREEDOM” I screamed, as everyone around me was laughing and chanting. My squad started arguing and fussing on who called hanging with me this weekend. My friend Owen told me that next week is when school ball and basketball tryouts start and he said that I should join. After he said that everyone broke in and started agreeing with him. “Yeah you should join Amir”, Yeah Amir you're really good you gotta join!” I was hearing just about everything every which way, but I ignored. My bus is here I gotta bounce, but Iĺl think about it” I yelled.
I got home at around 4:05 and started heading toward my garage. The weather was actually very nice, The sun was blazing high in the sky as a cool steady breeze ran along with it. I ran to the back of my garage where I found my basketball, and took of to the park across the street from me. Once I got there I went up to the three point line and got ready to take my daily three pointers like usual, but something happened. When I took my for and let the ball fly I had sunk It straight into the hoop. I laughed, “must just be luck, right?”. But then I grabbed the ball again and splashed it in making another three. And in that moment I kept taking shot after shot and my form was getting better and continued banging in the shots.
The week went by fast, very fast in fact. It's friday again and everyone's all happy and excited to leave this place. Just a few days ago I had went to a untouched basketball court with my three friends, Alex, Monty and Amarion. Once we got there i can feel as if i was also as abandon and clean as the court i had stepped on. Nobody had set foot on it and me and my friends being the first to be, is very exciting.
Meanwhile, “Aye bet you I'll make my first three here” I exclaimed. “Pshhhh Amir you are complete trash at ball” Monty laughed. Yeah sorry Amir Monty’s right you honestly can’t make anything to save your life’ Alex yelled. I just ignored them and took my form, gasped a deep breath and shot the ball. Instead of what i'd expect to happen the ball had bounced right off the backboard and went straight to the ground. I didn't care, none of the hurting words and names they enjoyed calling me affected me in that moment, because I know that i’ll prove them that i’m a great basketball player.
I decided to suck it up and listen to my friends...and my dad. I joined the team and we already have had 3 games, and i'm actually not doing bad.
It's thursday night and me and the team are in Chi Town. I agreed with my dad about a month and a half ago that I wanna join basketball, and so I did. This season has been great so far actually, we are on a winning streak, undefeated. And tonight is a very important night, I can’t believe we even got this far. “It’s the finals, We are in the finals baby!” Owen screamed. We got into the state championships and if we lose here it's over.
We got the tip off and the ball was instantly passed down to Owen, open for a three, and banked it in scoring the first points of the game. The ball kept on traveling back and forth while both teams were scoring after scoring. After while the clock goes down and it's the other team’s ball in the fourth quarter there was a 15 seconds left of the game, everyone on the team started to panic. One of the shooting guards going by the name of James parker had splashed in a hard three taking the lead in this game. The pressure is killing all of us panthers. Who knew we were gonna go down like this, we were leading this whole game, till now and we would need a miracle to save us right now.
Sweat raced down my face and my heart is racing extremely crazy fast, I Am so nervous, I don’t want to let the team down. So far our whole team has been scoring this whole game and I feel like i’m dying, my coaches won´t take me out, but I actually feel like iḿ doing great. It’s the last ten seconds of the championships. We are down 98-100 and we just got the ball from an out of bounds on the other team. Owen passes in the ball and ses off down the court. I’m open in for a three and I got the ball bounced to with 2 seconds to take my shot.
I took a deep breathe and quickly thought of the past, Alex and Monty calling me out telling me that I suck, all the threes I used to miss in the past. I was gonna prove everything wrong right here. I took form and launch a deep three. My heart racing, I couldn’t even look at the hoop, I turned around to only hear what will happen. The clock hits one the zero, and the buzzer goes off making its deaf defying noise as the ball is still traveling through the air, then everything went silent for a guff. SNAP was all I heard, it was harsh like the net was broken off, then loads of cheering and screaming followed after it. The whole team came running to me mouths open screaming in happiness, and started hugging and piling up on me. “You made it, you won for us!” Owen screeched. “I made the three and won us the championships, I had just proved everyone wrong... I am great at basketball.”
Today’s a new day, same old boring school, same old boring ¨fun¨, Nothing really new. Everyone and everything was quiet...even when it was Friday. I walk down the stairs from my final class just as the bell rings for dismissal. Kids every which way are piling out the school like usual, everyone fussing about what they are doing this weekend, kids talking about their social life and all their biz.
“You was on fire yesterday Amir, Great job” Owen yelled to me. “ Ay thanks bro, if it wasn’t for that assist, that you did we probably would have lost”. I laugh to him. “Yeah hope to see you on this team next season bud” a voice called out. I turned around to see my best friend, Alex. I laughed, had no idea what to say. I don't know, Alex but right now I think it should be a you and me one on one at home. “Pshhh Amir i’ll still beat you” Alex claims. “Well then let’s find out”.
Works Cited
Ball Court. Digital image. Web. 9 Feb. 2017.
Basketball. Digital image. Web. 3 Feb. 2017. <https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/38/BB9_back.jpg>.
Buzzer. Digital image. Web. 13 Feb. 2017. <https://i.ytimg.com/vi/-kRu-T-aKxo/hqdefault.jpg>.
North of De Lights. Digital image. Web. 3 Feb. 2017. <https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/22/Northern_lights_at_the_Arctic_Circle_-a.jpg>.