My grade had never been good at basketball. In fact, our first two years of basketball we had only won one game out of many. We were always the smaller team whenever we play. That was what always decided our games. Over the years we have learned how to play small and even benefit from being small. We are still the smaller team almost every game, but we also were almost always the faster team. Our 8th grade year we realized that is how it was always going to be so we should just get used to it. And the season began.

Our first game was such a surprise. Being honest I thought we would lose almost certainly. I didn’t watch the team in warm-ups, I always refuse to. They looked athletic and decent. It was crazy how their appearance was so different than what they really were. You could probably dribble circles around them and they couldn’t do anything. We figuratively killed them. It was a good confidence booster for our team.

Most of our games were actually like that! It was surprising. We had some close games where we would be dead in the first half, but about halfway through the third quarter the game would already be over. Our first half of the season was great! Winning by an average of probably 30 points, we were rolling. We only had one close game, but it was a real challenge. I believe that we went into overtime with the closest team, which was stockbridge, but we still won by a slight margin. Halfway through the season we were 6-0. And after halfway we have to play all of the teams again. We were ecstatic by this point. We went from having a 2 win season the year before to already tripling that just halfway through the season. We had a chance of going undefeated.

It was a mystery how we just got better. I will admit that no one tried in practice, and we always did easy drills. Maybe it was the summer filled with basketball at the courts or maybe we all just suddenly got more athletic. I was clueless but I didn’t care.

Every week, every win, every blowout our confidence rose. We thought we could beat varsity, which I know now sounds just plain stupid, but that was how confident we were. Our only challenge to being undefeated was Stockbridge, which coincidentally was our last game.

“Use all of these games as practice for Stockbridge,” Our coach had said.

Those games were practice leading up to Stockbridge. Finally perfecting our plays, communicating how we should, being in total sync. The week that we had to play Stockbridge we thought for sure that we would win. 11-0 and one more game to being undefeated, I wouldn’t let anything get in the way of that. It was the only thing on my mind all week.

The day of the game, wake up get dressed up, eat a bowl of cereal, and get on the bus. I was distracted by my thoughts all day. After school we had a while before the bus came to take us to Stockbridge. So I decided to start heading to Subway for some food, but right before I left I heard…

“Noah you’re ineligible,” Justin said.

I just laughed thinking it was a joke. He wasn’t joking.

“No I’m serious! Look!” He showed me his phone and it was a text from the coach! I was in disbelief!

I looked up my grade and sure enough I was failing a class by 2%. I ran down to the teacher and asked her what was going on. It turns out there was miscommunication on the due date on the biggest grade of the year and there were three ineligible players just from this one paper, and I was one of them. I was stunned and didn’t know what to think. I did a assignment that I didn’t turn in from earlier in the year and I was passing again. I texted my coach but he said it was too late.

I’m not bragging but I believed I was a big part of the team. I started every game and played 2 games without coming out for 1 minute. I let the team down. It was my responsibility to get that paper done on time. This changed everything.

Before the game I was upset but I was just trying to get my team excited. It was still important to me, but it was a little painful to be there not in a uniform.

“I’ll do the book,” I said to the other ineligible guys. I just wanted to get it off of my mind.

At halftime it was tied.

“COME ON!” I screamed as our team was dead in the second half.

The game was close up to the end. Tied with two minutes left! I was screaming and sweating through my shirt and tie. We scored! I got excited for a second but calmed myself down because I knew it wasn’t over yet. Stockbridge turned it over! With about a minute left we were up by 2 and had the ball. I was shaking with excitement. As carefully as they could they tried to keep the ball from Stockbridge.

We won.

“I am proud of you guys, it was a special thing to be a part of this team,” Our coach was saying, “I am especially proud that you guys won without 3 teammates, including a starter.”

I was proud of them too. Disappointed in myself I learned from this. I always focus on grades. I will never make the mistake of ruining a special moment in my life because of something that was in my control.

THE END!