Extra Basket-Chapter 108 - 95: Training?

Time: July 22, 2010 – 4:00 PM

Location: Oak Hill Academy – School Gym

The gym smelled of polished wood and old sweat, sunbeams streaming in through the high windows. The clang of the rim, the squeak of sneakers—familiar sounds. But today felt different.

I looked at my team, lined up in front of me, their faces expectant.

Lucas Graves (#10) – arms crossed, focused and alert.

Evan Cooper (#9) – bouncing the ball with quiet rhythm, eyes flicking to me.

Josh Turner (#8) – leaning forward, hands on knees, ready.

Ryan Taylor (#11) – tall and sturdy, nodding slowly.

Brandon Young (#15) – standing with silent intensity.

Aiden White (#7) – already stretching, eager to move.

Then my eyes drifted to the bench.

Louie Gee Davas (#5) – leaned back, grinning wide.

Coonie Smith (#6) – arms behind his head, relaxed but listening.

Jeremy Park (#42) – straight-backed, serious.

Kai Mendoza (#31) – one foot up on the bench, tightening his shoes.

"I’m glad you all came," I said, stepping up in front. "Because today... we’re going into Phase 4."

Louie shot up from his seat. "Yes! It’s about time we level up!"

Lucas tilted his head. "What are we doing, Ethan?"

The gym grew quiet. All eyes turned to me.

I took a breath and raised my voice so everyone could hear.

"This phase is called Game Situational Phase – Teammate Roles & Actions."

I turned and pointed to the whiteboard near the sideline, where I’d written the plan in thick blue marker.

....

Scenario-Based Scrimmages

"Think clutch time. Down by two. Three seconds left. What do you do?"

Heads nodded. Evan leaned in slightly. Josh muttered, "Finally, real game work."

"This is about simulating high-pressure moments. We’re building decision-making. Chemistry."

Point Guards call the play. "ISO", "screen-left", "horns", anything—be the brain.

Shooting Guards find space, spot up, or cut—be ready to shoot under pressure.

Small Forwards? Attack or space out for the game-winner—don’t hesitate.

Power Forwards and Centers? Set hard screens. Roll. Pop. Crash the boards—control the paint.

Bench? Watch, learn, and rotate in. Execute when your number’s called.

Everyone was listening now. Fully locked in.

"And this..." I tapped the whiteboard, "...will improve our Court Vision, Passing, Shooting, Decision-Making."

..

Shot Selection Drills

"Bad shots lose games. Good ones win championships."

Constant movement. No dribbling the clock out.

Drive-and-kick. Swing it till someone’s wide open.

Pass up a bad look, always.

Off-ball screens and smart cuts—not just for show.

I looked at Josh.

"This is how you become deadly without chucking shots."

He nodded seriously.

...

Pick and Roll Reads

"This next one’s huge—Pick and Roll. If we master this, we’ll break any defense."

Ball-handler? Read the screen. React.

Screener? If they switch, roll hard. If your shot’s solid, pop out.

Off-ball players? Space out. Cut. Keep defenders guessing.

Defenders? Practice switching, icing, hedging. Talk loud. Communicate everything.

Ryan raised his hand. "What about rebounding after the pop?"

"Great question," I said. "If the pop misses, crash hard. Second chance buckets win games."

...

Defensive Rotation & Help

"This is the difference between good teams and great teams."

On-ball defenders—cut off the drive, funnel baseline if we’re set up for it.

Help-side? Rotate fast.

Weak side drops in to cover rollers.

Everyone—close out on shooters like your life depends on it.

Talk. Constantly. Switch. Help. Recover.

Brandon thumped his chest. "No easy buckets."

"That’s the spirit," I smirked.

I took a step back.

Everyone looked fired up. The energy shifted.

"Now split up. Bench rotates in after every scenario. Evan, you lead the first Point Guard call. Lucas, you’re the first shooter. Aiden, cut baseline. Let’s see what you’ve got."

Louie whispered to Coonie on the bench, "You feel that? We’re not just training now... we’re turning into something real."

"Vorpal," Evan said under his breath, nodding. "Let’s evolve."

As I watched them set up the first scenario—3 seconds left, down by 2—I felt it:

The team was becoming more than a team.

We were becoming a unit.

Tighter. Sharper. Hungrier.

And this was just the beginning.

...

As The sound of the whistle echoed through the gym like the start of a war.

"Three seconds on the clock. We’re down by two. We’ve got the inbound."

I clapped my hands once, sharp. "Let’s go."

On the floor stood:

Evan Cooper (#9) at Point Guard

Josh Turner (#8) at Shooting Guard

Lucas Graves (#10) at Small Forward

Ryan Taylor (#11) at Power Forward

Brandon Young (#15) at Center

On the sideline, I watched, clipboard in hand, eyes tracking every motion.

Inbound scenario:

Lucas to inbound. Ball sideline-left. Brandon sets the off-ball screen. Evan receives the pass.

"Go ISO flare!" Evan barked, voice sharp. "Lucas — corner! Josh — drift weak side!"

Lucas inbounded and immediately sprinted to the corner as Ryan and Brandon executed a flare screen. Brandon’s wide shoulders clipped Josh’s defender just enough to create confusion.

Evan caught the pass clean at the top of the key.

2.8 seconds.

His defender played up tight—too tight.

Hesitation dribble. Left jab. Pull-back—Evan dropped into the pocket of space, but he didn’t shoot.

1.9 seconds.

Josh was curling around the opposite wing, fading to the weak-side corner. His man followed, but too slow. Lucas, reading it perfectly, cut across the baseline.

Brandon sealed off his man in the paint.

"Now."

Evan flicked a pass — no-look — behind the back, quick and low.

Lucas caught it clean in the corner.

1.1 seconds.

He rose — fluid, balanced — his form clean.

The gym held its breath.

Swish.

BUZZZZER.

Silence. Then Louie leapt off the bench. "That’s what I’m talking about!"

Coonie shouted, "He cooked him! Straight chef work!"

I smirked.

But I wasn’t done yet.

"Reset. Same scenario. Different team. Kai, Aiden, Jeremy, Louie, Coonie—you’re up."

They ran onto the court. No hesitation.

....

Second Scenario – Same Time, Different Minds

This time:

Kai Mendoza (#31) took Point

Louie Gee Davas (#5) at Shooting Guard

Aiden White (#7) at Small Forward

Jeremy Park (#42) at Power Forward

Coonie Smith (#6) at Center

"Kai," I called out. "Read the floor. Make the right call."

He nodded.

Louie whispered, "Run double flare. I’ll decoy left."

Kai inbounded from the right. Jeremy and Coonie faked staggered screens while Louie sprinted to the left corner.

Fake action.

Meanwhile, Aiden delayed, then exploded off the baseline, curling tight around Coonie’s screen, popping up near the top of the key.

Kai, calm and surgical, zipped the pass over a leaping defender.

1.8 seconds.

Aiden caught. Pump faked. Defender bit hard.

One hard dribble right. Side-step.

Shoots.

Bounce. Bounce... Swish.

Another clean bucket.

BUZZZZER.

....

We rotated again. Each group ran the scenario with a different outcome.

One play ended with Brandon rolling hard for a dunk.

Another, Josh made the right read and passed up a bad shot, giving Ryan a clean mid-range look.

Evan even tried a step-back three once. He missed. But it was the right shot at the right time.

What We Gained:

Shot Awareness: Guys started passing up contested looks without me needing to shout.

Spacing: Players flowed like water, shifting and relocating off each other’s moves.

Voice: Communication ramped up. "Screen left!" "Corner open!" "Roll, roll!"

It wasn’t perfect. We messed up rotations. Someone forgot to switch. A pass went out of bounds.

But the feel of the team was changing.

From a scattered mix of players...

to a system.

A trust chain.

.....

As the last whistle blew, the gym was thick with the scent of sweat and determination. My teammates, chests heaving, faces glistening with effort, wiped the sweat from their brows and sank to their knees or leaned on their hips, catching their breaths. The echo of pounding sneakers on the hardwood faded into a low hum of heavy breathing and occasional murmurs of encouragement.

I stepped forward, raising my voice so it cut through the heavy air.

"Look at each other."

Their heads lifted. Eyes met across the court—Lucas, Evan, Josh, Ryan, Brandon, Aiden... even the bench players—Louie, Coonie, Jeremy, Kai—they all locked eyes like for the first time truly seeing the teammates beside them, not just fellow players.

"What you just did," I said slowly, making sure every word landed, "isn’t just about skill. It’s about trust. Chemistry. Timing. You’re not a group of scorers anymore. You’re a team."

The nods came fast, small but meaningful—an unspoken agreement spreading through the group. I could see the realization settling in, a spark of understanding that we were becoming more than just individuals chasing points.

I let the moment linger, then added, "Now, continue the training."

"Yes, sir!" they responded in unison, voices ringing with fresh energy.

I paused, the words echoing in my mind. "Sir?" I thought wryly, watching these kids with a strange mixture of affection and distance. Fourteen years old—here, Ethan Albarado, with the mind of a 28-year-old man named Jonathan Brandit, whose life had shattered long ago.

I remembered clearly—the accident. The injury. How at 14, everything I dreamed of as a basketball player was ripped away, my career destroyed in a moment. I had fallen into darkness, lost everything I loved.

But this world... this new life, this novel called Turning Point—it was my second chance. My blessing.

Here, I could play basketball again.

Here, I had the power to change fate.

I glanced down, pulling my attention back to the glowing interface only I could see—the system that had become my lifeline.

System:

Ethan Albarado

Level: Pro

Upgrade Points (UP): 200

Shop Points (SP): 5000

...

Core Attributes

[Offensive Attributes]

Shooting Accuracy: 27

freēwēbnovel.com

Layup Skill: 18

Dunk Skill: 16

Dribbling Skill: 26

Passing Skill: 17

...

[Defensive Attributes]

Defense: 16

Blocking Ability: 15

Steal Skill: 18

...

[Physical Attributes]

Stamina: 20

Endurance: 18

Speed: 20

..

Skills

Basic Power Shot

Basic Precision Pass

Basic Dribble

Magic Johnson Passing Vision (Advanced Level)

Playmaker’s Vision (Pro Level)

Elite Crossover Dribble (Pro Level)

Sharpshooter Focus (Pro Level)

Lockdown Defense (Pro Level)

Clutch Performer (Pro Level)

Ankle Breaker (Pro Level)

Iron Will Stamina (Pro Level)

Jordan Shooting Form (Advanced Level)

Kobe Fadeaway (Advanced Level)

Dennis Rodman Charge Taking (Advanced Level)

LeBron James Momentum Saver (Advanced Level)

Tim Duncan Stamina (Advanced Level)

...

I stared at the list, a mixture of pride and strategy swirling inside me. All my legendary skills still hovered at the advanced level. Upgrading them to pro level would be expensive—costing many of my precious upgrade points.

Two hundred upgrade points and five thousand shop points sat waiting, almost mocking my indecision. The upcoming tournament loomed in the distance like a mountain, and every choice I made now would ripple through my team’s fate.

I thought about the underground incident—the mission where we saved the White family and those kids, crushed the villains responsible. That operation had earned me most of these rewards. The system must have been watching—rewarding me for being a "nosy hero," as I joked to myself once. Heh, who knew being stubborn could pay off?

But even with all this strength... I still felt the hunger. The need to push harder. To grow stronger. Because if we ever faced those "monster teams," the ones stacked with pro-level talent like the Chicago Raptors, we’d need every ounce of skill, every fraction of stamina.

I exhaled slowly and looked back at the gym. The kids were back in motion, passing, cutting, and calling out plays. Their energy and passion burned bright.

This was my new world. My new chance.