The big day was finally here. I arrived 30 minutes to the gym to put up some shots to get warmed up. Tryouts started the same as yesterday. The Coach had us do ball drills through cones, then threes and finally one on one. After the group drills we moved to full court scrimmage. I noticed a new kid had showed up that day. He had a wide frame, very broad shoulders, big but not fat. I thought he must’ve been pretty good if he was showing up to the final day of tryouts. We got our teams split up and the new kid was on my team. I walked over to find out his name for the game. “What’s your name? I didn’t see you here yesterday.” “Whats it to you. I'm just here to play basketball not make friends.” His response threw me off and I did not know how to respond. I decided to just listen to him and leave him a lone.

Despite being a jerk, the new kid could hoop. Him and I were a lethal combination with him on the outside and me on the perimeter. We easily were the two best players on the court. Once the coach blew the final whistle I was feeling confident that I would make the team. It was the same routine as yesterday. The coaches slowly read names one by one off the sheet. After day 1 my name was called early on. After day 2 my name was called last. All the kids and parents except a few stranglers lingered around the gym. At this point it was essentially just me and the coaches. I did notice the new kid was still here sitting on one of the chairs close to the exit with his head in his hands.

The Coach cleared his throat and called me over,“Alright, Owen come up you’re the last one.” I anxiously approached the coaches hoping for some good news. “Owen you had a great performance the last two days and we are confident that you will help make a difference on our team. We excited to say that you got the last spot on the roster. It was a tough decision between you and the new kid, but we liked the energy you brought both days.” I don’t remember my exact response because I think at some point I must’ve entered a state of shock. I couldn’t believe that I just made the Cadets. I finally came back to reality and thanked all the coaches and told them they wouldn’t regret this decision. I was so excited. My dreams were beginning to become a reality. I grabbed all my stuff and ran out the door hoping to find my mom in the parking lot. Instead of finding my mom I found a big fist coming straight between my eyes. I tried to dodge, but my body had some many emotions of excitement going on that I couldn’t do anything about it.

BAM.
My brain was rattling in my head and stars circled my vision. I tried to figure out where the punch came from, but my eyes had began to water and everything in front of me was blurry. I noticed a figure was standing above me, but I couldn't figure out who it was. The figure above me finally said something, but the voice was not familiar. “Remember the name Talen Horton Tucker. I’m coming for you Andrews.” Once I got up and cleared my eyes I looked around to see any signs of where the figure “Talen” had gone off to but I did not see him anywhere. I sat on ground out front of the court for a couple minutes trying to control all of the emotions and pain going through my head until finally my mom showed up to get me. I had put a hoodie on to cover my face so my mom wouldn’t worry about me. She had been having a tough week at work and I knew she didn’t need anymore on her plate. I got up and ran to the car fast and told her the great news. After telling her I made the team my mom burst into tears. She knew how much this meant to her little baby and she was so excited.

That next year with Cadets was the best year of my life. I got so much better so quickly with the training provided by the coaches. I didn’t knew it yet, but I was developing into one of the best young players in the area. That year we traveled all over the country playing against top teams each weekend. That season we won State and took 4th at Nationals truly proving that we could compete on the national level. Off the court I had moved my game from the back alley and into the local YMCA to play pick up everyday. 8th grade had just ended and I was entering the summer going into Freshman year. I was excited to train that summer with the Chapman High Varsity Team to prepare me for the upcoming season. That summer was unforgettable, but for all the wrong reasons. It was early on in the summer, maybe only a week or two out of school when my nightmare became reality. I had just finished up at the Y and was heading to my car. I pulled out my phone to check my texts when I got pulled down the stairs. I rolled down the last two in agonizing pain as my shoulder landed hard on the concrete. I layed in pain when I looked up to see a figure standing over me. “Hey Owen remember me?” he asked. It took me a second, but I finally recognize the face. It was that new kid who tried out for cadets. “Whyd you throw me down the stairs?” “Because Owen you ruined my dreams so I’m going to make your life hell!” He quickly lifted me and proceeded to beat me up. A punch to the gut, a punch to the rib and finally a punch to the face. I couldn’t fight back at all, the fall down the stairs seriously injured my shoulder and I couldn’t raise it up. Finally I was back on the ground rolling in pain spitting up blood and the kid stood over me once again. “Hopefully you remember the name Talen now” he said as he spat on me and walked away.

I had hoped this incident at the Y would be the last, but I knew this once gonna be my only run in with Talen. Unfortunately, I was right. Talen made an effort each week to try to beat me up. He even brought his friends. I quickly learned that Talen lived on the other side of town in Tustin and was relentless at getting me. He also had a growing reputation of being the best basketball player in Tustin.
That summer felt like it would never end. Talen said he was gonna make my life hell and he was clearly a man of his word because that's what my life had become. A living hell. He beat me up constantly and I had no clue what to do. I began to become paranoid wherever I went and I even stopped going to the YMCA. Talen had broke me mentally and it was affecting my basketball game even. When school rolled back around basketball tryouts didn’t go as well as I had hoped. I made the varsity team because the coach knew me and had seen me play, but he said if I kept playing how I did at tryouts I was not gonna see many minutes on the court.
I knew I had to shake Talen out of my head. The only way I knew to clear my head was basketball. I headed back out to my alley like old times and entered my zone. I played for hours and was feeling my confidence slowly growing back. I played in my alley that whole year and avoided the YMCA. That high school season I cracked the starting lineup towards the end of the season and helped our team make a strong playoff push. We made it the Elite 8, but lost a heartbreaker in overtime. That loss pushed me to become better because I never wanted to experience that feeling ever again. I stopped playing in my alley and built up my confidence to head back to the YMCA.

So that day when I went to the YMCA for the first time in over a year and saw him standing in the doorway with his friends I knew he was gonna beat my ass. I knew that my life was gonna become hell again. I did not want that life coming back so this time I knew I had to fight back. I landed a couple punches on his friends as they ran at me, knocking two to the ground. I was outnumbered though and Talen’s guys were on me like bread on butter. I struggled and pulled, but couldn't get away from his guys before THT landed a clean shot right into my gut, knocking the wind out of me. As I tried catching my breath, I looked up to see Talen give me a small grin right before sending his big fist right into my face. The next thing I remember was laying back at home with my momma. I did not think this day could get any worse, but it quickly did. My mom was holding a wet cloth to my head while I layed on the couch when she broke the news to me. “Owen, honey are you awake?” “Yes mom I am.” I groaned in pain. “There's not a good time to say this so I’m just gonna say it now. I got a new job and we have to move.” “Mom, that's great I’m proud you got a new job that's amazing!” “Yes, yes it is a great job, but Owen dear this means we have to move to Tustin.” At that moment you could’ve heard pin drop in our house it was that silent. I did not known how to respond to my mom. I was excited for her, but knew what this meant for me. I couldn't believe it  we were moving to Tustin… the neighborhood that Talen Horton Tucker lived in.

Tustin High School was a nightmare for me. I had to watch my back for Talen each turn I made through the hallways. The final bell rang and I headed to the locker room to change for basketball tryouts. I knew there was no hiding from Talen now. Talen and I ended up being picked on the same team for tryouts by the coaches. On the court Talen and I destroyed everybody that came our way. After tryouts there was no question we were the two best players in the gym. Basketball at the new school made the year fly by. We cruised through the regular season with only two losses and were considered one of the best teams in the state.
Playoff basketball in the city of Tustin meant more than anything. Tustin wasn’t known for much, but Talen and I were given the city something to care about and for something to notice. People talked all over town about Talen and I as the two best players leading Tustin to the city championship and hopefully a state title. Despite the success on the court Talen would still beat me up everyday. My life was hell and Talen made sure of it. The coaches would always ask about the bruises, but I would come up with a different excuse every time.

The playoffs were finally here and we had our eyes on state. We demolished the lower seeds to win the first two games and claim a regional title. We moved into sectional play at Huffman High School upstate and took care of business easy with two double digit victories. Talen and I combined for 80 points in our last game earning us co players of the month. To celebrate that reward Talen only sent his guys to beat me up. Talent didn’t care about us winning, he just cared that my life sucked. A close victory 63-59 against our rival school Calabasas sent our team to the state championship. My dreams on the court were finally coming true. I could almost feel the trophy in our hands. This final game we knew was not gonna be as easy as the previous ones though because we were playing the returning state champs, Mater Dei.  Mater Dei was a powerhouse. They constantly made it down state and were arguably having the best season in school history, which is saying a lot. They were 38-0 and had 8 Division 1 basketball players on the roster.

That night was intense. It was the longest night of my life. Seconds, seemed liked minutes and minutes seemed like hours. The game was back and forth the whole game even down the stretch. It was tied 56-56 with a minute left in regulation. The ball was in my hands and the coach had drawn up a play for me to hit the game winner. This was what I had hoped and dreamed for. I dribbled the ball up and ran the clock down. I started making my move with about 10 seconds left. I dribbled left and crossed back right past my guy. I hesitated, looking up at the hoop catching the next defender to jump in the air as I blew right past him. I was at the elbow when I pulled up to take the shot.

Think of the best sound or the most satisfying thing of your life. Imagine your dreams coming true right in front of your eyes. This all was happening right in front of me. All the hours in my living room, alley, gym and Y spent counting down the clock in my head. All the shots thrown up of this exact moment was coming true. I couldn’t hear the fans anymore, it was just me and the ball. The ball left my hand. 3. I slowly start falling back to the ground. 2. I land and watch the ball finally reach the rim. 1.
Swoosh.

That was the best day of my life. I made my dreams come true and helped my team win state. I not only proved my game, but I made my momma proud. That night we partied hard and celebrated this great accomplishment. I learned that despite Talen making my life terrible, that all my hard work had paid off. Talen could never take this moment away from me. I didn’t care that Talen and I weren’t meant to be friends I had made my dreams a reality and he couldn’t do anything about it.