Chapters (41)
- Cover
- Dedication
- ONE
- TWO
- THREE
- FOUR
- FIVE
- SIX
- SEVEN
- EIGHT
- NINE
- TEN
- ELEVEN
- TWELVE
- THIRTEEN
- FOURTEEN
- FIFTEEN
- SIXTEEN
- SEVENTEEN
- EIGHTEEN
- NINETEEN
- TWENTY
- TWENTY-ONE
- TWENTY-TWO
- TWENTY-THREE
- TWENTY-FOUR
- TWENTY-FIVE
- TWENTY-SIX
- TWENTY-SEVEN
- TWENTY-EIGHT
- TWENTY-NINE
- THIRTY
- THIRTY-ONE
- THIRTY-TWO
- THIRTY-THREE
- THIRTY-FOUR
- THIRTY-FIVE
- THIRTY-SIX
- THIRTY-SEVEN
- ABOUT THE AUTHOR
- Also by Mike Lupica
Lucas called his guys around him.
“Shiny object,” he said.
Sharif inbounded the ball to Lucas at half-court. Lucas immediately cut all the way across the court to his left. Ryan and Billy came out from underneath the basket as he did. Ryan was closest to Lucas. Billy was over to Ryan’s left.
Lucas still had his dribble. But now he crossed over, went to his right hand, and headed for Ryan. As soon as he did, Billy reverse-pivoted, headed down the right side of the lane, waving his right arm for the ball. Lucas passed it to Ryan. Ryan passed it right back. Lucas was at the free-throw line. Billy was down in the low blocks. Lucas was open. Billy was more open. Liam, who’d been guarding Ryan, was now guarding Lucas.
Lucas had enough space to shoot, even over Liam’s long arms.
Just not enough.
Ryan cut down the left side of the lane, with a clear height advantage over Neil. Lucas eyeballed him the whole way. Then, at the last possible second, he turned and fired a perfect pass over the top of the defense to Billy.
Not the only open man.
Just the one who was most open.
Billy had squared himself up as the ball was in the air. All he had to do was catch and shoot, banking the ball softly off the backboard, then through the net. The sound the ball made was the last music of the night.
NINE
Gramps had been invited over for a late dinner after practice. He didn’t really need the invitation. There was always a place for him at the table if he wanted it. But he said he was having a burger with his friend Ben, who’d just retired as the golf pro at Claremont’s public golf course.
“But he’s still giving a few lessons to some of his old students, just to keep a hand in,” Gramps had told Lucas. “Once a teacher, always a teacher.”
“You’ll never stop teaching, either,” Lucas said to him.
“One of these days,” he said. “I just hope I don’t have to be told when it’s time for me to stop.”
At dinner Lucas told his mom that he hadn’t mentioned his writing assignment to Gramps tonight.
“Maybe next time you do, I can help,” she said. “Soften him up a little, even though I know he’s an old softie at heart. Maybe we can both make him see how important this is to you.”
“I’m really kind of interested in what kind of player he was when he was young,” Lucas said. “Did he ever tell you the name of the college he went to in California?” Lucas said. “Or did Dad?”
She made a helpless gesture with her hands.