Thread: Playing With The Guys (Bevatoria and meomeo)

He folded his arms in front of him, focusing more with his sense of sight then sound as he watched the players go through warm ups. Some of the players were already playing together, passing the ball to one another, shooting, rebounding, the sounds of the balls hitting the hardwood court all seeming to merge together. So he watched one person, let his sense of sound float away - as trying to identify the source of every collision he was hearing would drive him crazy - and then he was able to focus. It wasn't as if this was the pros, but to run this camp Jake Peterson would have to convince everyone here they were as good as them. He had long ago stopped harboring illusions about his own prospects, but he'd made his peace with his lot in life. Basketball was his calling in a different way, and if he managed to play a role in some underdog's story, well...that'd make it a bit sweeter. Underdogs were not the thing on his mind at the moment. In fact, his gaze was drifting to a couple of particular players who promised to make this camp far more interesting then normal. One of his fellow coaches , Andrew sidled up to him. Do you think they'll make it? He shrugged. Fuck, Todd, you tell me. Todd Walters was another semi-pro, a college player who had gone undrafted and wanted to coach up players to avoid the mistakes he'd made. It was a mature viewpoint for someone who wasn't even in his mid-twenties yet, but if you wanted to do more then just play with your friends you had to be intelligent to really play this game. Judging by the looks that the two players in question were getting, it was clear maturity only extended to certain parts of how basketball players thought. And Jake couldn't blame them. Okay, huddle up, guys! He called out to everyone, walking into the centre of the gym, which had a full court and several basketball hoops set up along the side. They also had one outdoor full court, but it was mostly for informal games if the guys wanted to play in a less formal setting. Everyone who came here had some level of basketball addiction, and Jake had found in his time here both as a 'camper' and now as the head coach, it did the camp well to serve addictions wherever possible. His worry about the two campers who were drawing their share of attention was the types of addictions they would serve, and encourage. Jake grabbed a ball, holding it loosely against his side as he spoke to the campers in front of him. So, welcome to Basketball Camp. Jake tended to leave the official name - Uplift - out of his talks, since the logo was plastered everywhere, and somehow even on some of the off-color balls they had - although there were several of the familiar Spalding variety as well. We'll be doing drills for the next half hour, but after that it'll be a loose shootaround and several of the coaches- He nodded to his fellow camp staffers, who were mostly the same age as him and as the college aged playerscampers, save for a couple of older volunteers - will be here to help you with specific drills if you feels like you need to run stuff early. When we start tomorrow, we will be setting aside time for stretch and going through specific warmups - the last thing any of us wants is a pulled hammy or groin keeping anyone here from showing us what they got. He smiled, trying not to meet anyone's gaze in particular even as he made sure to look everyone in the eyes. Let them see you value them, but not obsess . It was a trick his Dad had taught him when he had coached. Oh, and one other thing... Jake nodded towards the side where two particular campers were standing somewhat close together. I'm sure you all have noticed two of our campers in particular.... Two female campers. At what was supposed to have been an all male camp. They will be staying with us... And bunking with us... ..for the entire week. He let the words hang in the air before his voice got a little stern. I don't expect you guys to treat them any different then you would treat another guy when you're across from them, all right? By even saying it, he was acknowledging it's impossibility, and he continued. He'd heard they were really good players, and due to a slight scheduling mixup, they'd been signed up for a guy's week. With no chance for a reschedule and, as the camp director had put it, no possibility for a refund with how tight their budgets were, Jake had been told in no uncertain terms that the girls would have to stay. Okay. Let's split up in groups of three to four and head to the other baskets... Last edited Aug 20, 2018