Number One
Boom.Boom.Boom. as he brings the ball up the court. Crossover to the right, now back to left. three , two , one, the shot goes up and. It all started three years ago as a freshmen for the number one team in the state. As one of the new kids at school, he had to prove himself if he wanted to make the team and have an impact. We start this story with the main character Sean Green who has just moved from Wisconsin to South Carolina to live with his dad and stepmom. Living in Wisconsin, there isn’t much to do besides school and sports because the state is not one known as a tourist attraction. Sean’s mom didn’t let that stop them from having fun and enjoying everyday of life. His mother Janet grew up in a hard,dark and gritty neighborhood where there wasn’t a good amount of people going to school even past high school. However she didn’t let that get to her and she ended up graduating high school and college at the top of her classes. His mom saw from birth that Sean was destined to play some type of sport when he was older so in his crib one night she put three stuffed toys in his crib; a basketball, a football, and a baseball. Sean grabbed the basketball as soon as she put it in his crib and he pushed the other toys away. That’s when she knew he wanted to play basketball and ever since he was 5 she put him on basketball teams where they played tournaments all year round. And because of Sean’s mom growing up in a hard area, that instilled in her toughness and strength, but also work ethic and perseverance. The mother and son combo had always been close since birth and that brought them together in a very close not just mother and son relationship but friendship. It had been Sean and his mom since he was born, but ever since last year his mom had been battling breast cancer and recently just passed away. He was sent to go live with his dad who he hasn’t seen his whole life and go to a new school for his start of high school. South Carolina is an adventurous kind of state, with plenty of outdoor but also city type of space and that was something Sean which eased the transition.

At Thomas Jefferson High School, there was a different feel about the school because it was something Sean was not used to. Back in Wisconsin his school had close to 2,000 kids in enrollment, which is nowhere near the amount at Thomas Jefferson where the number reaches to about 6,000. Changing to a larger school meant that there were going to be larger classes but also larger influence to drugs and crime that the school has been known for. His first month there was an eventful one to say the least; The school football team made it to the state championship but ended up losing in the final seconds. Fast forward to the start of that basketball season, this was where he could show that he was one of the better players in his class and in the school. However that was not going to be an easy task as, Thomas Jefferson made it to the state playoffs that year before and returned 6 of their players from the previous season. This group was looking to make another run to the state playoffs and couldn’t have any distractions. Sean ended up playing on the freshmen team that year because that coaches wanted to feel him out and find out what his strong suits were as a player that could help the varsity team the next year. Things however did not go as planned for Sean as he again played on the junior varsity team as a sophomore and junior. He played good in those years but not good enough to make that next jump to the highest level of competition for high school. That’s when it all changed, the summer after his junior season he became a gym rat and was in the gym each and everyday of that summer to become the player he wanted to be and play as. Hour after hour he was in the gym, the hours counting up to days as he found himself practically living in the gym.

It was his senior season, which meant it was his last year of high school basketball and possibly basketball in general for a school. The time he put in on his jumpshot and his dribble, his defense, his athleticism was all going to pay off. He was one of the few players on the team that you could look to for advice or a question on anything and that helped him mold into a leader, which he could definitely use in the season. Tryouts were starting up and Sean looked on as a senior at all the young freshmen who walked into their first experience in a high school atmosphere. It was kind of like a wake up call as he pictured himself back as a freshmen, nervous and not able to figure out what to do and how to do it. Sean had leadership skills that were greatly appreciated by the freshmen who looked like they needed it the most. As the season started up, Sean was starting to realize the kind of attention he wanted from his teammates and coaches on his game and how well it had developed. The first game of the season was against George Washington Catholic at their gym. All throughout the week students from each school had been jabbing at each other about who would end up winning the game. Their was a lot of hype surrounding this game as it was a statement game for the season. Thomas Jefferson ended up winning the game by 30 points and Sean scored 25 points to lead his team to the victory. Throughout the season, Sean lead the team in scoring averaging 24 points a game and was getting offers from colleges like Florida State, South Carolina North Carolina and Georgia. He was a big player that most top colleges were looking for and wanted on their team to help contribute to their championship aspirations. The recruiting process was fun for Sean through the season because he was able to visit these schools and find out more about what they had to offer him if he was to choose to apply to that school. As the season went on, more and more schools were making themselves available to Sean as he was tearing up the court each and every game dropping buckets like no other. Thomas Jefferson ended the season at a record of 30-0 lead by their senior leader Sean Green who has carried their team through battles with some of the best team in the not only South Carolina but states like Virginia and Florida where their are plenty of nationally ranked teams ready to pounce on smaller opponents. Entering the playoffs was just a checkpoint for the team in their long season, as many people around the school expected the team not to be any good this season as their last two seasons since their state playoff run had been sub-par in performance. However lead by the seniors of the team who had been in the program for four years, the team turned everything around for the better. Expectations grew high as the team strung together win after win against tough opponents who had been losses marked in their schedule. Yet, Thomas Jefferson still had something to prove as they hadn’t made a run to the state playoffs in over two years and that was all going to change because each and every member of the varsity team had a drive and hunger to give something to the seniors they haven’t had yet in their time here. The whole season they had a chip on their shoulder, but their motto for the year was “ why not us?” Each day of practice, weight training and skills training they asked themselves that question. The first game of the tournament was a breeze against a team that had swept the season series with. As was the second game, the challenges started to arise in the third game against their long time rival George Washington Catholic. Now they had great players, but Thomas Jefferson just wanted it more they they did and ended up winning their district title. We start the story back up to the beginning as they breeze their way through the first two games into the state championship. The first half did not start off good for Thomas Jefferson as they fell to an early lead going into halftime. The second half was one to remember, through the efforts of the younger players on the team and the experienced seniors they were able to claw their way back to bring the game within two. Thomas jefferson has possession of the ball with 5 seconds left and they get it into the hands of their star senior Sean. He brings the ball up the court boom, boom, boom,. Crossover to the right, now back to the left, lets the shot go and its in!!!!!