Alex Lewis-Personal Narrative

“Come on make your lay-up, Lewis!” Coach Marshall yells. Obviously not at me though, considering I am always sitting on the bench.

He yells this at Alex Lewis, our starting point guard at Rockwood High School. Also, the same starting point guard that plays over me. In a split-second I am pulled out of my trance when I see two bodies collide on the floor almost like they were going down in slow motion. I wince slightly when I hear the sound of Alex’s elbow hitting the hard court. It was like a wood baseball bat snapping in half. Most of us look away because a bit of bone was peering out of his already bloody skin.

Coach and some other players quickly assisted him to the ambulance, but right before they made it out the gym door Coach

It took me a second to realize they were waiting for me. They were, for once, looking at me to call a play. I glance up at the clock, it holds at few minutes left, but I see the score and the other team is only down a few points. I quickly think of one of our plays, “Let’s run silver,” I say, “make sure to keep the ball moving and press on defense.” We break from our huddle and get into our positions. The referee blows his whistle and I start to lead the ball down the court. I glance over and see a split down the middle of the court, exactly what we needed. I dribble the ball the middle of the paint, right as I see the defenders start to cut me off. I make a sharp cut, turn, and pass the ball right to my shooting guard. He takes the ball in his hand and swiftly goes up and makes the three. We finished the game off with a win.

The whole time while playing I wondered why I had stopped working hard a while ago. I guess when it came down to it, I just shied away from the competition and let Alex easily take that spot on the court. However, I was not going to make that mistake again. I have found my spot on the court and I do not plan on giving it back. The thrill that I got made me realize why I love the game in the first place. I did not want to go back to being the kid that played under Alex Lewis. And I surely did not want to sit that bench