Hoop Doctor

by Jake Maddox

  “Like that move?” Marian asked, smiling a little. “I worked on that one for about two years.”

  “It was awesome!” Kelsey said, throwing down her backpack. “How did you do it?”

  “Ah, that’s a signature move,” Marian said, winking. “I never reveal my secrets.”

  “You’ve got to tell me!” Kelsey insisted.

  Marian studied her for a moment. “Go change into your practice clothes. I’ll have to see you play first,” she said. “I don’t reveal my secrets to just anyone.”

  Chapter 7

  BASKETBALL PROBLEMS

  “I’m ready,” Kelsey said, opening her hands for the ball. Marian passed it to her, and she caught it solidly against her chest.

  “All right, let’s see you dribble,” Marian said. “I’m going to guard you.”

  Kelsey started dribbling up the court.

  “So,” Marian said, easily running in front of her, “what’s with these basketball problems of yours? I have to say, you look pretty comfortable on the court.”

  Kelsey shrugged and did a lay-up. “It’s nothing,” she said. “I’m just sick of playing.”

  “Why don’t you quit?” Marian asked. She stole the ball and ran up the court to the other basket. Kelsey ran after her. She waved her arms, trying to block Marian’s shot.

  “I don’t know,” Kelsey said. “I think maybe I’m going to. But . . .”

  She paused, watching Marian shoot. When she took a shot, the ball seemed to float through the basket.

  “It’s just that everyone’s going to be so mad,” Kelsey said. “My parents, Coach Heck, Erin . . .”

  “Who’s Erin?” Marian asked. She handed Kelsey the ball. “Try some spins while you dribble.”

  Kelsey tried an awkward spin and missed the ball. It bounced away down the court.

  “Erin’s my sister,” she said after she retrieved the ball. “She’s been the center on the team for years.”

  “So why does she care if you play basketball?” Marian asked. She took the ball from Kelsey and did three spins while dribbling.

  “Keep your eyes in one spot while you spin,” Marian said, handing the ball back. “That’s the key.”

  Kelsey spun again. This time, she managed to keep the ball under control.

  “It’s just that everyone wants me to be exactly like her,” Kelsey explained. “They even call me Erin sometimes. They think we’re the same person, but we’re not!”

  Her voice rose, and she did another spin. This time, she kept the ball in play perfectly.

  “You’ve got it!” Marian said. “That was it, the way you just did it.”

  Kelsey stopped. “Wow, I did it!” she said.

  Marian grinned. “All right, let’s see you shoot,” she said.

  Kelsey dribbled the ball down the court and tossed the ball toward the basket.

  “Hmm,” Marian said. “If you shoot like that all the time, you won’t have to worry about people caring if you quit. That was awful. Your sister must shoot better than that.”

  Kelsey felt a bubble of anger rise in her chest. Another person was comparing her to Erin. And Marian didn’t even know her!

  Marian came close and stared right into Kelsey’s face. “What are you playing for, Kelsey?” she asked in a low voice. “If you don’t want to play basketball, then don’t. But if you’re on this court, then respect the game.”

  “I want to play!” Kelsey almost shouted. “You don’t even know me, so don’t pretend like you know about my problems!”

  Marian shoved the ball at her. “Then play!” she said. She turned her back and walked to the edge of the court.

  Chapter 8

  PLAYING WITH FIRE

  Kelsey was so mad, the whole world looked blurry. Who did Marian think she was, telling her she didn’t respect the game?

  She wanted to throw the ball right at the back of Marian’s head. Instead, she turned and dribbled up the court.

  I’ll show her, Kelsey thought. I’ll show her she doesn’t know anything about me.

  Kelsey reached the end of the court. Her steps were in perfect rhythm with the ball.

  Without thinking, she spun, jumped, and shot the ball. She caught it on the rebound, and dribbled back down to the other end of the court fast.

  Suddenly, she heard Marian from the sidelines. “Respect the game!” she shouted. “Respect the game!”

  I do! Kelsey thought furiously. She leaped through the air and slammed the ball toward the basket. Then her sneakers hit the court floor again.

  Kelsey let the ball roll into a corner of the gym. Then she turned to the sidelines, panting.

  To her surprise, a huge grin was plastered across Marian’s face. Slowly and loudly clapping her hands, she walked toward Kelsey.

  “Well, that was very nice,” Marian said, still grinning. “That was quite a shot at the end. In a few years, you could probably learn to dunk.”

  “Wow,” Kelsey said. “Really?” She knew that being able to dunk was rare in women’s basketball.

  “I can see something special in you, Kelsey,” Marian added. “You just haven’t been playing with any fire in your belly. You’ve been getting out there on that court and thinking, I hate this game, I’ll never be as good as my sister. You weren’t remembering the best part of basketball. The best part is playing with a little feeling and having fun.”

  “But I don’t even like basketball,” Kelsey argued.

  Marian waved her hand. “Yeah, you do,” she said. “You just don’t like following your sister’s shadow around. So use those feelings. Take whatever you’re feeling and play your game with it. Whatever it takes just to get out there on the court and get that ball in the basket.”

  Just then, Coach Heck walked into the gym from his office. “I thought I heard voices out here,” he said, coming toward them and smiling. “Dr. C! It’s so great to see you again!” He shook Marian’s hand. “Kelsey, I see you’ve met Dr. Marian Clark.”

  Kelsey gasped. “You’re Dr. C?” she asked. “But I thought Dr. C was a man!”

  Marian smiled. “Guess again,” she said. “Not all great basketball players are men, you know.”

  “Oh, yeah, right,” Kelsey replied slowly. “Um, well, thanks for the lesson, Dr. C.”

  Marian smiled. “Anytime,” she said. “Good luck in the championship game on Monday.”

  Kelsey left. She slowly walked home, thinking about everything that had happened on the court.

  It had been the first time she’d played without thinking about how much she didn’t want to be there. And the feeling of flying toward the basket . . . that had been pretty incredible.

  Kelsey started walking up the sidewalk to her house. The front door was partly open, which was odd. Mom was strict about keeping it closed. Then she noticed something blue lying on the lawn.

  As Kelsey got nearer, she could see that it was Erin’s backpack. Kelsey frowned. Why had her sister just left her bag in the middle of the grass like that?

  Kelsey ran up the front steps and opened the screen door. “Mom?” she called as she put her things down in the front hall.

  Her mother’s voice came from the living room. “In here, Kelsey,” she said.

  Kelsey walked around the corner and stopped. Erin was sitting in the recliner, crying, and their mother was kneeling on the floor in front of her.

  “Bad news, sweetie,” Mom said. “Erin sprained her wrist. She tripped coming up the steps outside.”

  Kelsey’s mouth fell open. “But the big game is on Monday!” she exclaimed.

  Even though she hated to admit it, she was worried about the team. She didn’t want everyone to be disappointed. And she felt terrible for her sister. The championship game was the biggest one of the year.

  Erin forced a smile even though she was in pain. “Mom,” she said. “Say hello to the Tigers’ new center: Kelsey Peters.”

  Chapter 9

  USE IT!

  Kelsey laced up her basketball shoes. The
n she rested her arms on her knees for a moment, letting her head dangle.

  Her heart was pounding so hard, she thought it might burst out of her chest and fly across the room. She tried to take deep breaths, but she couldn’t calm down.

  All around her, the Tigers were pulling on their uniforms. The girls were shouting to each other and laughing.

  The regional championship game against the Rams was supposed to start in five minutes. Everyone was excited.

  Next to Kelsey, Liz was struggling with a knot in her shoelace. “Stupid lace!” she muttered, her hair falling over her eyes. She looked up. “You’re so quiet, Kels!” she told her friend. “Are you sad this is our last game of the year?”

  Kelsey shook her head. “I don’t know what I am. I’m scared, I guess. I’ve never started at center before.”

  Liz nodded. “I know. You’re like the star of the game, and it hasn’t even started yet!” she said, smiling.

  “Thanks a lot,” Kelsey said. “Now I’m even more nervous!”

  * * *

  Kelsey could hear the noise of the crowd even before she stepped onto the court. The stands were packed, but all the faces looked like one big blur.

  She heard Erin’s voice from the stands. “Go, Tigers!” Erin yelled.

  Kelsey looked up into the bleachers. Her sister was sitting with their mom.

  Erin’s hand was wrapped in bandages, but she was smiling happily and waving at Kelsey and their other teammates. Kelsey realized that this was the first game she’d ever played without Erin.

  On my own, she thought. I’m on my own for the first time.

  A feeling of lightness flooded her, and she suddenly heard Dr. C’s voice in her head.

  “Take whatever you’re feeling and play your game with it,” Dr. C had said. “Whatever it takes just to get out there on the court and get that ball in the basket.”

  When she’d played with Dr. C., Kelsey had felt mad. But now she didn’t feel angry. She felt excited. Happy, almost. Then use it! Dr. C insisted from inside Kelsey’s head.

  All right, Kelsey thought. I will.

  She reached up, tightened her ponytail, and jogged onto the court to join the huddle. “Go, Tigers!” she yelled as she came up to the other girls.

  Coach Heck gave everyone a few last instructions, and before Kelsey could think, the buzzer sounded. The championship game had begun.

  Chapter 10

  THE PETERS LEGACY

  Kelsey dribbled the ball up the court, then shot it fast to Liz, who was open. Liz took it up to the basket, but the guard was on her by then.

  “Here, Liz!” Kelsey shouted. The ball thumped into her hands. She leaped for the basket, just managing to tip it in.

  “Nice, Kelsey!” Coach Heck shouted. A couple of Tigers applauded as everyone ran down the court.

  Lightness, Kelsey thought. Use it! And as someone passed her the ball again, she felt the lightness flood her body.

  The opposing guard was blocking her, but she spun, still dribbling the ball. She easily darted past the guard.

  Lightness! she thought again.

  As Kelsey lunged at the basket, her feet felt like they’d grown wings. She eyed the basket and leaped. The ball slammed through the net.

  The Tigers erupted in screams as Kelsey’s feet hit the court. Kelsey caught a glimpse of Coach Heck standing perfectly still on the sidelines, his mouth hanging open.

  The rest of the game was a blur of squeaking sneakers, breathless shouts, sweat, and the thump of the ball.

  Again and again, Kelsey put the ball through the net. Her mind was empty of any thoughts except the feel of the ball in her hands and the pounding of her feet on the court. When the final buzzer sounded, the score was 35–20, Tigers.

  Coach Heck ran out onto the floor and was immediately swarmed by his shouting players. Everyone was talking at once and high-fiving each other.

  Then the coach held up his hand. “Girls! What a game!” said Coach Heck. “I think we need a special round of applause for the top player of the game, our new center, Kelsey Peters! How did you do it, Kelsey?”

  Kelsey smiled. “I just played with whatever I had in me,” she said.

  * * *

  Later, Liz and Kelsey walked home together.

  “I thought you didn’t like basketball,” Liz said. “What happened?”

  “I didn’t think I did,” Kelsey said. She stopped walking and looked down. “But now I think what I really didn’t like was playing in my sister’s shadow. Now that she’s gone, I feel like I can, I don’t know, be myself on the court. Instead of being a little Erin, I can just play however I feel like playing that day.”

  “So, you’re not quitting?” Liz asked. She looked confused.

  Kelsey grinned and draped an arm around her friend’s shoulder as they started walking again. “Nope. Looks like the Peters legacy is going to live on.”

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Emma Carlson Berne has written more than a dozen books for children and young adults, including teen romance novels, biographies, and history books. She lives in Cincinnati, Ohio with her husband, Aaron, her son, Henry, and her dog, Holly.

  ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR

  When Tuesday Mourning was a little girl, she knew she wanted to be an artist when she grew up. Now, she is an illustrator who lives in South Pasadena, CA. She especially loves illustrating books for kids and teenagers. When she isn’t illustrating, Tuesday loves spending time with her husband, who is an actor, and their two sons.

  GLOSSARY

  championship (CHAM-pee-uhn-ship)—a contest determining which team will be the final winner

  commitment (kuh-MIT-muhnt)—a promise to do something

  cure (KYUR)—to fix something

  dedication (ded-uh-KAY-shun)—devotion or concentration of effort

  diagnose (dye-uhg-NOHSS)—determine what the cause of a problem is

  legacy (LEG-uh-see)—what someone is known for

  modestly (MOD-ist-lee)—without bragging

  regional (REE-juhn-uhl)—of one area

  regular (REG-yuh-lur)—usual or normal

  scrimmage (SKRIM-ij)—a game played for practice

  woes (WOHZ)—troubles or problems

  FUN BASKETBALL GAMES YOU CAN PLAY

  Basketball is fun, but what do you do when you don’t have enough players or time to play a full game? Don’t give up — there are lots of ways to play even when you don’t have two full teams. Here are just a few ideas.

  HORSE can be played with two or more players. To play, one player shoots from anywhere on the court. If that player makes the shot, the other players must also shoot from the same spot. Any player who doesn’t make the shot gets a letter from the word HORSE. Once a player has all of the letters, he or she is out of the game. The winner is the person left when everyone else is out.

  PIG is a shorter variation of HORSE. Play it when you don’t have enough time to play a full game of HORSE.

  AROUND THE WORLD can be played with two or more players. To play, each player makes a shot from set points around the key on the court. The first person to make it “around the world” wins. For another variation of this game, start right in front of the hoop, and then step backward after each shot is made. The first player to make it to half-court wins.

  TWENTY-ONE requires at least two players, but is more fun with three or more. In this game, each player is on his or her own team and keeps his or her own score. No player ever has a teammate, but everyone must work together to keep each player from scoring. The first player to 21 is the winner.

  DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

  Many people try to support and help Kelsey in this book. Who are they? What do they do? What are some other things a friend could do to help Kelsey?

  Why does Kelsey want to stop playing basketball?

  What do you think would have happened if Kelsey hadn’t met Marian? Talk about different things that could have happened.

  WRITING PROMPTS

  Kelsey is tire
d of being compared to her sister. Write about your sibling. What is he or she like? In what ways are you alike? If you don’t have a sibling, write about a cousin, friend, or neighbor.

  Dr. C helps Kelsey. Write about an adult who has helped you. What did he or she do to help?

  What do you think happens after this book ends? Write another chapter that picks up where this book leaves off.

  OTHER BOOKS BY JAKE MADDOX

  www.capstonekids.com

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  Jake Maddox Books are published by Stone Arch Books

  A Capstone Imprint

  1710 Roe Crest Drive,

  North Mankato, Minnesota 56003

  www.capstonepub.com

  Copyright © 2010 by Stone Arch Books

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Maddox, Jake.

  Hoop doctor / by Jake Maddox ; text by Emma Carlson Berne ; illustrated by Tuesday Mourning.

  p. cm. — (Impact books. A Jake Maddox sports story)

  ISBN 978-1-4342-1605-2 (library binding)

  ISBN 978-1-4342-8910-0 (ebook)

  [1. Basketball—Fiction.] I. Berne, Emma Carlson. II. Mourning, Tuesday, ill. III. Title.