The basketball boys love their away jerseys.  It’s a pretty neat jersey that consists of a navy blue enriched color with fire red and white stitching on the sides, the word “DRAGONS” in all capital letters on the front, and your designated number embroidered on the back, both infused in the same fire red and white stitching.  They were overly ecstatic when they received their uniform with the number of their choice.  A number might typically mean a single digit, but for those who play sports, a jersey number represents your identity on the court or field that you play in.  And as they held their jerseys in the air, either looking to see if it was the right size or embracing it as a whole, I remembered meeting them for the first time, when they didn't have an identity.

The first unofficial practice was July 5th, four months after last year’s reign had ended on a positive note with a successful season, going 21-4 last season and winning the New England championship for the second consecutive year.  The five seniors that left last year were being replaced with six new players. Five of those were transfers and the other one just graduated from Middle School.  James, the senior co-captain, and I were shooting around at the Stamford Athletic Center beforehand, when the rest of the team walked through the doors after chatting with the head coach, Coach Sam. I immediately looked at the new faces.  They were all chuckling as they separately settled into their individual pre-practice routine. After everyone was stretched and warmed up, coach ordered everyone to stand on the baseline. His first words were, “Welcome to the 2014-2015 basketball team.”  At this point, everybody had their serious face on, gripping on to their pennies with one hand and holding the basketball in the other. He then proceeded to signal out the new guys: Harold (Freshman), John (Sophomore), Devin (Sophomore), Mark (Sophomore), Chris (Junior), and Ian (Junior). The returnees, Thad (Sophomore), Rick (Sophomore), Samuel (Sophomore), Doug (Senior), James and I, were eager and curious to see if each would live up to the expectations by watching each of their play styles.

After much conditioning, we ended the practice session with a five on five scrimmage. It was the rookies (Devin, Harold, Mark, Chris, and Ian) vs. the veterans (Thad, James, me, Doug, and Samuel). Our team got the ball first and the game was up to 21.

“I got Jim,” said Devin, standing at 5’9 as he clapped his hands repeatedly to show that he was ready to defend him. Everyone else matched up accordingly. Ian was defending me, upright as 6’3 with an expression on his face that he can limit my scoring to zero.

The score was 21 to 8 in our favor. James, Samuel, and I equally divided the team points, scoring seven points a piece. Devin and Ian did not score.

One thing that stood out to me the most was that they loved to hustle. Every loose ball was dived for and as for every missed shot, all five defenders were boxing out and muscling each other to acquire the rebound. Observing their performances, I saw the potential that the team could possibly reach. I can’t imagine the future of the team after James and I graduate or everyone’s basketball career at the next level. All I know is that at this moment, I feel like we needed a lot of work in order to obtain that as well as grasping the maximum team chemistry level.

The team is fairly young, loaded with seven underclassmen to out balance us five upperclassmen. It’s like being apart of the Addams Family or the Brady Bunch. Because of the average age, which is around 15 to 16.5, the basketball IQ isn't quite up to par. Countless turnovers and bad decision makings occurred in the scrimmage that resulted in easy buckets for us. Nobody wanted to pass the ball; everybody was worried about how many points they were going to average. The ambiance seemed totally different. 

Later that day, I got a Facebook friend request from Devin. We exchanged numbers. The first thing he texted me was, “What did Travis do really well for you guys?” Travis Thomas was the starting all New England point guard in his final year last year. He is notoriously known as one of the key contributors to the second New England championship and for breaking the school record in assists and steals for season total, per game average and assists/steals in one game. I told him about his accolades, hinting at what he did best, but the main thing that I told him is, “You shouldn't be worried. You’re doing good bro, the least of my concerns. You hustle, rebound, and have a better jumpshot than Travis. One thing I would change is seeing the floor and sharing the ball but other than that, I’m glad to have you.” His response, “Whew, okay good cause all I do is get compared to Travis.”

The first day of school rolls by for the newcomers. Entering into a new school, new environment, and new community, I would expect the tenderfoots to act introverted, isolated and bemused. Instead, I have people already reporting me about what they’ve overheard. “I heard that so and so isn’t that good, and your teammate said this person sucks, and he said that he’s going to one of the main players.” I was shocked. Basketball players are always supportive, building up a teammate’s self esteem. It seemed to me and other students that the recruits walked around school like they ran everything. For instance, at the end of the school day, we had our first captains’ practice. Dressed and ready to play, I arrived first into the gym, plugged my phone in, and played my music on shuffle. I decided to go to the bathroom. When I came back, the energetic Lil Wayne music that filled the gymnasium was replaced by the slow, old like sound of a Mumford and Sons song from Mark’s iPhone. I looked at him with a puzzled, “are you serious” face and he obliviously said, “What! This is my favorite song.” Other times, Samuel, Mark, Ian, or Chris, would either miss practice or completely arrive late without an excuse.

After the complaints, rumors, reported behaviors, and past actions over the past couple of weeks, James and I decided to have a team meeting. Afterschool, everyone arrived at the gym and sat in a circle in the middle of the court as James and I prepared to speak.

“Yeah I think she’s cute,” said Devin. “You can’t get with her,” Chris responded. “You’re in the same boat,” said John. “Shut up you’re a sophomore,” Ian reminded. “So what, you’re a junior,” Mark replied.

“Shut up!,” James and I angrily hollered simultaneously. “Our first scrimmage is 2 months from now. We have plenty of time to work on what we need fixing. Take your egos and throw them away,” I said. “See those banners?,” asked James. Everyone looked at the wall with the placard that stated, “2013-14 New England Class C Champions.” “You guys haven't won s*** yet so stop acting like you’ve accomplished something”

On Oct 3rd it was poker night at Ian’s house. Without the appearance of Doug and Rick, the remainders arrived to his residence in Greenwich, CT. We all gathered around the poker table, except for Thad who headed towards the 2 of the 8 boxes of pizza, and Ian dealt the card and equally distributed the poker chips to each participant . “Aces are high and the bidding starts at one chip,” Ian ordered, acting like we’re on the World Series of Poker. “I have an Ace, did I win yet,” Mark stupidly mentioned.  “Chris, give me a week and I’ll have her,” Devin said. “You said that three weeks ago,” Chris retorted. “Mark, hurry up and put your chips down!,” everyone screamed.  We sat there, played our cards, and watched Harold win all games held that night.

Nov. 26 was our first scrimmage against Collegiate High School out of New York. Five players were in double figures. I had 15 points, James had 14, Chris had 13, Ian had 12, Samuel had 10 and Devin dished out 6 assists in a 75 to 64 win. After the game, as we walked to lunch at La Vela Restaurant, Ian and I got a chance to privately talk. “I can’t make it to the lunch because I’m flying out to California for Thanksgiving but I just want to say I’m sorry for my actions over the past months. I’m just nervous about what I can contribute to the team. When I come back, I’ll let the team know how I stand.” We bumped fists and he wandered off. We found La Vela’s and as soon as we sat down, the tables filled with conversation. “I told you I would have her Chris.” “It’s about time, I was starting to get worried.” And as the bread was being passed around and laughter crammed the room, I secretly knew that we were all anticipating about the expectations for the upcoming season.