July 21, Tuesday, 2010
11:00 PM – School Gymnasium
The fluorescent lights above hummed faintly as we stood together on the polished hardwood court, each of us dressed in our sharp black-and-red Vorpal Basket jerseys. My number—#20—stood out in white against the black fabric, just like the others.
Lucas Graves (#10) – Shooting Forward
Evan Cooper (#9) – Point Guard
Josh Turner (#8) – Shooting Guard
Ryan Taylor (#11) – Power Forward
Brandon Young (#15) – Center
Aiden White (#7) – Small Forward
And then, on the bench:
Louie Gee Davas (#5) – Guard/Shooter
Coonie Smith (#6) – Guard
Jeremy Park (#42) – Forward
Kai Mendoza (#31) – Guard/Forward
The gym was quiet except for the echoes of our agenda and the faint hum of machines nearby. We were supposed to be eating lunch, but instead, we found ourselves drawn here—maybe out of habit, or maybe because this court was the only place that made us feel like ourselves again.
Then Coonie Smith broke the silence.