Read Online Bad-Luck Basketball by Thomas Kingsley Troupe - Free Book Online
Authors: Thomas Kingsley Troupe
Tags: Fiction, Self-Confidence, 9781434291591, 9781434291608, Stone Arch Books, Jake Maddox JV, sports & recreation/basketball, social issues/emotions & feelings, social issues/general, teamwork (sports)
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CHAPTER 1
NOT A CHANCE
Brandon Whitler and the rest of the Chesterfield Clovers basketball team had less than fifteen minutes before their second-to-last game started. No one on the team was expecting to win. After all, their record wasnât very impressive.
Even so, Coach Hanson insisted they warm up and treat it like they were championship-bound. They practiced free throws and passing drills to loosen up. At one point, Brandon went for a lay-up and wedged the basketball between the hoop and the backboard. It stuck there, nice and tight.
âNice work, Whitler!â hollered Jeff Stuckey, Brandonâs best friend.
âYeah, yeah,â Brandon muttered. He felt like an idiot as Coach Hanson pointed out to a maintenance guy what had happened. The game couldnât start with the ball stuck up there.
The rest of the Clovers watched as the maintenance man set up a ladder, climbed up, and poked the ball loose with a broom handle. The ball bounced and rolled under the ladder. Brandon quickly ran forward, ducked under the ladder, and scooped up the ball.
âDude!â cried Kevin Yang, one of Brandonâs teammates. âYou just went under a ladder! Thatâs bad luck!â
âCome on,â Brandon said. He bounced the ball easily back and forth between his hands and shook his head. âWho believes in that stuff? Itâs totally made up.â
âI donât know,â Kevin said. âMe?â
âYou still believe in the Tooth Fairy, too?â Brandon asked with a smirk.
Kevin shook his head. âWhatever, man. Just donât blame me when youâre stuck with bad luck.â
At the other end of the gym, the Arrow Lake Archers finished their warm up. The Clovers stood around and watched as the maintenance guy climbed off the ladder, folded it up, and hauled it off the court. Suddenly the referee blew his whistle to signal the start of the game. The Clovers had lost any extra warm-up time. But as it turned out, it didnât matter.
* * *
The entire game went terribly. Brandon knew it and so did the rest of the team. Everything that could possibly go wrong did. It was like the Clovers were cursed.
It started when Jeff, their star center, went to center court to take the tip-off. But instead of knocking the ball into Clover territory, he fell hard on his rear end. Jeff stood up, looking confused. He didnât seem to understand how heâd ended up on the ground. It wasnât like the Archersâ center had shoved him. He just sort of . . . fell.
As if that werenât bad enough, Tony Gustard, another one of the Cloversâ best players, sprained his ankle in the third quarter. One second he was driving the ball toward the Archersâ territory and the next his ankle rolled sideways, and he cried out in pain.
Brandonâs luck wasnât much better. As one of the teamâs forwards, he should have been taking shots and making baskets. But every shot he took was either a complete air ball or toilet-bowled around the rim, only to drop into a defending playerâs hands.
By the end of the game, the Clovers were worn out, beat up, and felt as defeated as they had the rest of their season. And the score showed that. Theyâd lost to the Archers 44-79.
After slapping hands with the Archers players to congratulate them on their good game, the team headed to the locker room.
âQuick talk before you hit the showers, guys,â Coach Hanson said as he followed them in.
Brandon wasnât sure if it was the constant losing seasons the Clovers had endured over the past few years or their most recent defeat, but the coach looked exhausted. It was never easy for small schools to compete against some of the bigger ones, but the Clovers were struggling more than usual.
Once everyone had taken a seat on the locker room bench, Coach Hanson took off his baseball cap and ran his hands through his hair. âIâm really not sure what to say about
NOT A CHANCE
Brandon Whitler and the rest of the Chesterfield Clovers basketball team had less than fifteen minutes before their second-to-last game started. No one on the team was expecting to win. After all, their record wasnât very impressive.
Even so, Coach Hanson insisted they warm up and treat it like they were championship-bound. They practiced free throws and passing drills to loosen up. At one point, Brandon went for a lay-up and wedged the basketball between the hoop and the backboard. It stuck there, nice and tight.
âNice work, Whitler!â hollered Jeff Stuckey, Brandonâs best friend.
âYeah, yeah,â Brandon muttered. He felt like an idiot as Coach Hanson pointed out to a maintenance guy what had happened. The game couldnât start with the ball stuck up there.
The rest of the Clovers watched as the maintenance man set up a ladder, climbed up, and poked the ball loose with a broom handle. The ball bounced and rolled under the ladder. Brandon quickly ran forward, ducked under the ladder, and scooped up the ball.
âDude!â cried Kevin Yang, one of Brandonâs teammates. âYou just went under a ladder! Thatâs bad luck!â
âCome on,â Brandon said. He bounced the ball easily back and forth between his hands and shook his head. âWho believes in that stuff? Itâs totally made up.â
âI donât know,â Kevin said. âMe?â
âYou still believe in the Tooth Fairy, too?â Brandon asked with a smirk.
Kevin shook his head. âWhatever, man. Just donât blame me when youâre stuck with bad luck.â
At the other end of the gym, the Arrow Lake Archers finished their warm up. The Clovers stood around and watched as the maintenance guy climbed off the ladder, folded it up, and hauled it off the court. Suddenly the referee blew his whistle to signal the start of the game. The Clovers had lost any extra warm-up time. But as it turned out, it didnât matter.
* * *
The entire game went terribly. Brandon knew it and so did the rest of the team. Everything that could possibly go wrong did. It was like the Clovers were cursed.
It started when Jeff, their star center, went to center court to take the tip-off. But instead of knocking the ball into Clover territory, he fell hard on his rear end. Jeff stood up, looking confused. He didnât seem to understand how heâd ended up on the ground. It wasnât like the Archersâ center had shoved him. He just sort of . . . fell.
As if that werenât bad enough, Tony Gustard, another one of the Cloversâ best players, sprained his ankle in the third quarter. One second he was driving the ball toward the Archersâ territory and the next his ankle rolled sideways, and he cried out in pain.
Brandonâs luck wasnât much better. As one of the teamâs forwards, he should have been taking shots and making baskets. But every shot he took was either a complete air ball or toilet-bowled around the rim, only to drop into a defending playerâs hands.
By the end of the game, the Clovers were worn out, beat up, and felt as defeated as they had the rest of their season. And the score showed that. Theyâd lost to the Archers 44-79.
After slapping hands with the Archers players to congratulate them on their good game, the team headed to the locker room.
âQuick talk before you hit the showers, guys,â Coach Hanson said as he followed them in.
Brandon wasnât sure if it was the constant losing seasons the Clovers had endured over the past few years or their most recent defeat, but the coach looked exhausted. It was never easy for small schools to compete against some of the bigger ones, but the Clovers were struggling more than usual.
Once everyone had taken a seat on the locker room bench, Coach Hanson took off his baseball cap and ran his hands through his hair. âIâm really not sure what to say about
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