Boot Camp (15 page)

The gym was practically empty. It had taken over an hour for us to get our jerseys, for the coaches to say their final words and for all the kids to have a final picture taken with Jerome, JY the mascot and the other coaches. I sat on the bench, rubbing the numbers on my new jersey—my NBA worn-in-a-real-game jersey. It was big enough to be a dress on me…heck, it was big enough to be a tent on me.

I thought about the way the game had ended, the way the crowd had reacted and the ceremony, as we received our jerseys and camp certificates. It all seemed more like a dream than something that had really taken place.

Sergeant Push-up took a seat beside me. “That was a pretty gutsy play, sending the ball in to Brandon.”

I shrugged. “He was open.”

“He was, but if he had missed, you know who they would have blamed, right?”

“I know, but it was still the right thing to do. Nobody was expecting it.”

“Least of all Brandon. Did you see the look on his face when you threw the ball toward him?”

“I was too busy looking at the ball.”

Sergeant Push-up laughed. “The boy looked like a deer caught in the headlights of oncoming traffic. For a second there I thought he was going to try to get out of the way of the pass.”

My stomach flipped just thinking about it. “But he didn't. He caught it and scored and we won.”

“Your team won long before that,” he said. “Didn't see anybody on the other team laughing once the game started. You earned their respect before you earned the victory.”

“Respect is good. Winning is even better.”

He shook his head. “No, it isn't. I'd rather lose and be respected than win a game in a way that caused me to be disrespected. Your team did win and earned respect.” He held out his hand. “Congratulations, I'm proud of you, son.”

My hand disappeared into his big mitt. Funny, I was happy about winning, and happy about
getting the jersey, but I was even happier about what he'd just said.

I got up from the bench. My mother was off in one corner talking to Jerome's wife and his oldest daughter Sherea. Kia and Jamal were playing with Giselle and Gabrielle down at the far end of the gym. Jerome was the only other person still in the gym. He was pushing a garbage can along, bending down and picking up empty drink bottles and wrappers. He was cleaning up the gym. The NBA celebrity basketball player was cleaning up the gym. Somehow I wasn't surprised.

I walked over to his side. “Need some help?”

“I could definitely use some help.”

I climbed up into the bleachers and grabbed a couple of half-filled bottles. I tossed the two bottles. One went straight in the can and the second hit the rim and bounced off. Jerome picked up the rebound before it had hardly hit the floor and tossed it in.

“I guess I could have got all the kids to pitch in and clean up, but everybody seemed so happy I wanted them to leave on a high,” Jerome said.

“Everybody was pretty happy,” I agreed. “You could just leave this to the caretakers to clean up.”

He shook his head. “The caretakers didn't make any of this mess. It's my boot camp, so it's my responsibility. You don't have to help if you don't want to.”

“No!” I wanted to help. “It is the least I can do to make up for all you did for Kia and me this week.”

“That was just my pleasure. Besides, look how much you gave back,” he said, gesturing down to Jamal.

“He's an okay guy,” I said.

“Even better, I think he's going to
be
okay. This was a big step.” He paused. “You think you might be staying in touch with Jamal, you know, letters or e-mail or calls?”

“I'd like that. I better find out how to contact him before we drop him off…we are dropping him off, right?”

“We are, but you'll have time tonight. Jamal and his foster family are joining us for a little victory dinner at the house.”

“That's great.”

Jerome tossed some more trash in the can. “Do you know when I knew you'd won?” Jerome asked.

“When Brandon tossed in the basket,” I said.
“Up until it dropped through the mesh, I didn't think we were going to win.

“No,” he said. “I knew you'd won the minute you sent that pass to Brandon.”

“I wasn't sure he'd make the basket or even catch it to begin with.”

“Neither was I,” Jerome admitted.

“But you said you knew we'd won?” I questioned.

“I didn't know if you'd win the
game
until the basket dropped, but I knew you'd
won
as soon as you passed to him.”

“I'm not sure I understand what you mean.”

“Let me see if I can explain it. What was the difference between all the losing yesterday and all the winning today?”

“That's easy. We started playing as a team.”

“And who is on your team?” Jerome asked.

“Well there's Kia and Jamal and…” I stopped. I knew exactly what he was saying. “There were six members of my team, not three.”

He nodded his head. “Three of you were good enough to get you to the finals.”

“But not enough to win in the end,” I said.

“Winning isn't just about what shows on the scoreboard when time expires.” He paused.
“Don't get me wrong. Basketball is my passion and my job, and I play to win, but I know there's more to life…and I think you know that too. Today you showed what a winner looks like.”

He put a hand on my shoulder. He was right. This felt better than winning the game.

“Now,” Jerome said, “I just have one more question.”

“Yeah?” I asked, hesitantly, wondering if I could answer this one.

“Did you come over here for the conversation or are you actually going to help clean up?”

“I was cleaning up…I will clean up…I…”

Jerome broke into a gigantic smile, and he winked at me, and I smiled back. I knew I was a winner…and so was he.

Eric Walters
is the author of forty-five books for children and young adults, including the nine books in the best-selling basketball series featuring Nick and Kia.

When not writing and visiting schools, Eric enjoys spending time with his family and playing and coaching basketball. He has such a fertile imagination that he still thinks he could give JYD a challenge if they played another game of one-on-one. Eric lives in Mississauga, Ontario, with his wife Anita and their three children, Christina, Nick and Julia. The character Nick is based on Eric's son Nick, whose team, the Mississauga Monarchs, have twice won the Ontario Championship. Many of the other characters in this series, including Jamie, Mark, Jordan, Paul and Tristan, are his real teammates.

Johnnie Williams III
is a social entrepreneur and inspirational speaker who travels both locally and internationally. When speaking to youth and adults of different nationalities, ages and gender, he is the type of person who takes the extra step, goes the extra mile and connects with people. Johnnie has just created the website,
www.changetheworldmovement.org
, to make a world of difference by promoting the good deeds of others around the world.

Teachers love the way Johnnie speaks at the level of his audience and redirects youth admiration back toward them and other true role models. Students love the fact that his presentations are unscripted, upbeat and filled with real-life
examples. Many school boards have benefited from his effective youth program concepts and youth outreach strategies. Johnnie stays connected with the youth he encounters through a personal email address established for their questions and requests for advice:
[email protected]
.

Jerome Williams
is a recently retired NBA athlete and full-time advocate for youth and the community at large. Jerome studied sociology at prestigious Georgetown University, where he received a B.S. degree and the Raymond Medley “Student Athlete” award.

Jerome has incorporated many of his sociological theories and practices into his daily life as he did throughout his NBA career. The results have made a tremendous impact in the lives of millions of youth as well as the hundreds of NBA players who elected him to a four-year term as vice president of their players' union. His professionalism and character have become a solid part of his personal brand.

Off the court he has become the fan favorite in each of the four NBA cities he has played, paying attention to the needs of fans, friends and family. The media has loved Jerome for his infectious personality, charisma and often animated demeanor. The NBA has just named Jerome one of its Community Ambassadors, which requires him to travel the world promoting teamwork and the life principles found within the game of basketball.

You may also enjoy these titles by Eric Walters:

War of the Eagles
(Ruth Schwartz Award)

Caged Eagles
(UNESCO Honorable Mention)

Grind
(Orca Soundings)

Juice
(Orca Soundings)

Overdrive
(Orca Soundings)

Stuffed
(Orca Soundings)

Laggan Lard Butts
(Orca Currents)