“We’re still undefeated, 6–0.”
“Hud was amazing,” Logan added.
“Yeah,” Ben said. “He didn’t have anyturnovers and he played great defense.” He looked around the Center. “Is he here?”
Mr. Sims laughed. “What do you think?” He motioned behind the desk. “He’s down in the gym with all the regulars.”
As Ben and Logan headed toward the stairs, Ben looked over his shoulder. “Thanks for talking to Hud, Mr. Sims. Whatever you said really worked.”
Mr. Sims chuckled. “Well, I had some help.”
“What do you mean?” Ben asked.
Mr. Sims shooed the boys away. “You’d better get in there or you’ll miss out on a game. Go on.”
The gym was crowded, even for a Saturday morning.
“There he is,” Logan said, pointing across the floor.
Hud was leaning against a far wall with Donut and Hi-Tops as they waited their turn.
“Hey, do you guys need a couple players?” Ben asked as he and Logan walked up.
“Yeah,” Donut said. “We got the second game after this one.”
“That long?”
“Yeah.” Donut seemed disgusted. “We lost our first game because Hi-Tops here didn’t play any defense. Again.”
“What? And you did?” Hi-Tops sounded annoyed. “Quit talking and start hitting some of your shots. We’ll be fine.”
Donut rolled his eyes and turned back to Ben and Logan. “I hear the Roosevelt Raiders didn’t do too bad yesterday.”
“We’re 6–0,” Ben and Logan said together.
Donut elbowed Hud. “I also heard you almost lost one of your star players.”
Hud pushed Donut’s arm away.
“Yeah,” Ben said, looking back at Hud. “But it looks like Mr. Sims talked you into staying.”
Hud stared out at the court. “It wasn’t Mr. Sims who talked me into staying,” he said.
“It wasn’t?” Ben asked.
“Oh, he talked to me, all right,” Hud said as Donut grinned beside him. “Mr. Sims told me all about that guy, The Goat. And everything he said made sense. But I wasstill going to quit and just play at Westwood and in the summer league.”
“So tell your buddy who made you change your mind.” Donut nudged Hud again. Hud elbowed him back, but this time he was smiling.
“Go ahead, tell him,” Donut insisted.
Hud pointed with his thumb. “This guy,” he said.
“Really?” Ben turned to Donut. “So how come you want Hud playing for Roosevelt now? I thought you just liked summer ball and playing at Westwood.”
“I do,” Donut said, shrugging. “But, I don’t know … I guess maybe I wish I’d played both. Man, if I’d played for Roosevelt, I would have definitely set some records.”
“Yeah, for missed shots and not playing defense,” Hi-Tops teased.
“That’s still not the reason I decided to come back,” Hud broke in.
“What was it?” Ben asked.
Hud hesitated.
“Go on, tell your buddy,” Donut said.
Hud shrugged. “Donut said I couldn’t play for his summer league team if I quit the Raiders.”
“You’ve got a summer league team?” Logan asked Donut.
“Sure, we even got a sponsor,” Donut said.
“Who?”
“The Westwood Donut Shop.”
“Donut even said he didn’t want me playing at Westwood during the season anymore,” Hud said, rolling his eyes.
“You can still play both,” Donut pointed out. “Pickup in the summer, team hoops for Roosevelt in the winter. Like I should have done.”
The game on the nearest court ended and another five players took the court. “We got next,” Donut reminded everyone. Then he turned to Ben and Logan. “You guys want to play on my team this summer?”
“For real?” Logan said.
“Sure, why not?” Donut said. “I already got Hud. I could use some more young guys to run the floor, put some pressure on—”
“And play some defense,” Hi-Tops added.
Donut shot Hi-Tops an annoyed look. Then he turned back to Ben and Logan again. “What do you say? You could be my Kiddie Squad.”
“Okay,” Ben said. He grinned at Hud and Logan. “We’ll show you old guys
“Hud was amazing,” Logan added.
“Yeah,” Ben said. “He didn’t have anyturnovers and he played great defense.” He looked around the Center. “Is he here?”
Mr. Sims laughed. “What do you think?” He motioned behind the desk. “He’s down in the gym with all the regulars.”
As Ben and Logan headed toward the stairs, Ben looked over his shoulder. “Thanks for talking to Hud, Mr. Sims. Whatever you said really worked.”
Mr. Sims chuckled. “Well, I had some help.”
“What do you mean?” Ben asked.
Mr. Sims shooed the boys away. “You’d better get in there or you’ll miss out on a game. Go on.”
The gym was crowded, even for a Saturday morning.
“There he is,” Logan said, pointing across the floor.
Hud was leaning against a far wall with Donut and Hi-Tops as they waited their turn.
“Hey, do you guys need a couple players?” Ben asked as he and Logan walked up.
“Yeah,” Donut said. “We got the second game after this one.”
“That long?”
“Yeah.” Donut seemed disgusted. “We lost our first game because Hi-Tops here didn’t play any defense. Again.”
“What? And you did?” Hi-Tops sounded annoyed. “Quit talking and start hitting some of your shots. We’ll be fine.”
Donut rolled his eyes and turned back to Ben and Logan. “I hear the Roosevelt Raiders didn’t do too bad yesterday.”
“We’re 6–0,” Ben and Logan said together.
Donut elbowed Hud. “I also heard you almost lost one of your star players.”
Hud pushed Donut’s arm away.
“Yeah,” Ben said, looking back at Hud. “But it looks like Mr. Sims talked you into staying.”
Hud stared out at the court. “It wasn’t Mr. Sims who talked me into staying,” he said.
“It wasn’t?” Ben asked.
“Oh, he talked to me, all right,” Hud said as Donut grinned beside him. “Mr. Sims told me all about that guy, The Goat. And everything he said made sense. But I wasstill going to quit and just play at Westwood and in the summer league.”
“So tell your buddy who made you change your mind.” Donut nudged Hud again. Hud elbowed him back, but this time he was smiling.
“Go ahead, tell him,” Donut insisted.
Hud pointed with his thumb. “This guy,” he said.
“Really?” Ben turned to Donut. “So how come you want Hud playing for Roosevelt now? I thought you just liked summer ball and playing at Westwood.”
“I do,” Donut said, shrugging. “But, I don’t know … I guess maybe I wish I’d played both. Man, if I’d played for Roosevelt, I would have definitely set some records.”
“Yeah, for missed shots and not playing defense,” Hi-Tops teased.
“That’s still not the reason I decided to come back,” Hud broke in.
“What was it?” Ben asked.
Hud hesitated.
“Go on, tell your buddy,” Donut said.
Hud shrugged. “Donut said I couldn’t play for his summer league team if I quit the Raiders.”
“You’ve got a summer league team?” Logan asked Donut.
“Sure, we even got a sponsor,” Donut said.
“Who?”
“The Westwood Donut Shop.”
“Donut even said he didn’t want me playing at Westwood during the season anymore,” Hud said, rolling his eyes.
“You can still play both,” Donut pointed out. “Pickup in the summer, team hoops for Roosevelt in the winter. Like I should have done.”
The game on the nearest court ended and another five players took the court. “We got next,” Donut reminded everyone. Then he turned to Ben and Logan. “You guys want to play on my team this summer?”
“For real?” Logan said.
“Sure, why not?” Donut said. “I already got Hud. I could use some more young guys to run the floor, put some pressure on—”
“And play some defense,” Hi-Tops added.
Donut shot Hi-Tops an annoyed look. Then he turned back to Ben and Logan again. “What do you say? You could be my Kiddie Squad.”
“Okay,” Ben said. He grinned at Hud and Logan. “We’ll show you old guys
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