“That?s not why you pay me, Dylan,” Caulley interjected softly. “You need to bench her. Now, before she becomes even more of a liability.”
“I told you to save it,” Dylan replied, turning and pinning her assistant coach to the floor with her glare. “She just needs a little time to get settled.”
“How much time are you gonna give her, Dylan? Are you gonna wait until we?re so damn deep in a hole that we?ll never get out?”
“Enough,” Dylan snapped, and turned away, putting an end to the conversation. She kept her gaze focused on Hodge as the young woman drove up and down the court, always in constant motion. To Dylan?s experienced eye, Cat had settled somewhat, but Dylan frowned as she realized the reason behind it.
As the point guard, Hodge chose the plays the team would use, and Dylan could tell that the young woman was choosing plays that kept her as far away from the action as possible.
She doesn?t trust herself, Dylan thought, gritting her teeth. Shit.
Her jaw clenched harder as she watched Hodge try a courageous block which, unfortunately, wound up in a shooting foul. That was followed up almost immediately by a second foul as Hodge pushed off on McKinney in order to get herself free to receive the inbounds pass from Chaney.
Two fouls in two minutes.
Her reluctant decision made, Dylan called out over her shoulder without ever taking her eyes from the action on the court. “Mackey!”
“Yes, Coach?”
“You?re in for Hodge.”
“Ok, Coach.”
Dylan watched as Hodge jogged from the court, sat on the bench, and covered her bowed face with a towel. She sighed softly and allowed the young woman to stew for a moment as she made sure Mackey was able to pick up the slack.
Assured, Dylan walked back down the sideline and squatted down in front of Hodge, laying a hand atop the point guard?s knee. “Hey.”
Hodge looked up, an expression of abject misery darkening her eyes. “Hey, Coach.” Her voice was little more than a whisper.
“You alright?”
Hodge laughed. It wasn?t a pleasant sound. “I choked.”
“Not yet, you haven?t,” Dylan countered.
“Sure I have.” She laughed again, a hopeless sound. “First round draft pick, next big star?.”
Dylan?s eyes softened. “You can?t be a star unless you give yourself the chance to shine.” She squeezed the knee under her hand. “You can do this, Catherine. I know you can. You know that too.”
“How?”
The naked plea went straight to Dylan?s heart. Turning, she gestured to the action on the court. “Look at them, Catherine. Do you see anything going on there that you haven?t done a thousand times before?”
Hodge looked. After a long moment, she shook her head. “No.”
Dylan smiled. “Exactly. You just need to take the confidence we both know you have in yourself and let it out. Just like every other time you?ve stepped on the basketball court.”
“But this is different.”
“Not really. It isn?t, Catherine. The only thing you?re lacking is professional experience, but that?ll come with every play, and every game. You have the skills. You have the heart. Now let?s see you use ?em, alright?”
Not breaking Dylan?s gaze, Hodge took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She felt something within herself center and become calm. A smile came up from somewhere and she let it bloom on her face. “Okay.”
Dylan allowed her own smile to broaden, and she slowly rose to her feet. “Go back in for Mackay. And when you do, I want you to use 43 Block 27.”
Hodge?s eyes widened. “Coach?”
“Just do it.”
“Okay, Coach.”
The whistle blew, and Hodge ran back onto the court, wiping her hands on her jersey. Chaney greeted her with a grin and a slap on the behind. “Get ?em, Shortchange.”
Hodge nodded, then took her place behind the endline. With a sure pass, she rifled the ball to Chaney, who tossed it back to her on the run. Side by side they made it past half court. McKinney came in for a lazy steal, but Hodge drew the ball between her legs in a scissors dribble and easily evaded the other woman?s attempt.
She passed the ball to her left to her small forward, allowing King to use her body in a pick as Hodge eased behind her and onto an open spot in the corner, unguarded. The ball flew into her hands and left just as quickly, arcing through the air and through the net for a three point play.
The crowd cheered and Hodge pumped her fist as she backpedaled, then stepped in, returning a favor by stealing the ball from McKinney and dishing it off to a speeding Chaney for an easy lay-up.
The crowd cheered again, and Hodge shouted happily.
She was back.
“And that wraps up our coverage of the Birmingham Badger?s opening game, with the Badgers loosing a hard fought battle, 94 ? 88. Any parting thoughts, Melinda?”
“Well, Todd, after a somewhat rocky start, Catherine Hodges showed flashes of why she was chosen by Coach Lambert as the first pick in the draft. With twelve points and nine assists, she was responsible for almost half of the Badgers? offence, and she was a defensive dynamo as well, managing three steals against McKinney, arguably the best point guard in the league.”
“I agree, Melinda. Her teammate Shaniqua Chaney, who led all scorers with twenty two points is also going to be a force to be reckoned with in the coming weeks. If they can just work on their defensive scheme and foul-shooting, I think Badgers fans could be in for quite a ride this season.”
“Can?t say much more than that, Todd.”
“Then I guess that about wraps it up. From all of us here at Southern Sports Network, here?s bidding you goodnight from Horace Johnson Arena where the Birmingham Badgers lose to the New York Thunder 94 – 88.”
Cat stood at the top of the key bouncing the ball slowly, back and forth between her hands. She looked around the mostly dark arena. Everyone was gone now, and the only sound in Cat?s ears was the roar of a ghostly crowd that did its best to cheer the team to a victory.
“Sorry, guys,” she offered to the net as she shot the ball at it like a missile. “Guess I blew it this time.”
Her teeth bared in an expression that was half growl, half grimace as she caught the ball on the rebound. She hated losing. Hated it with every fiber of her being. And to know that the loss rested on her shoulders made an intolerable situation even worse.
“Shit. What a joke.”
“What makes you say that?”
Cat?s head dropped when she heard the voice behind her.
“Well.” Coach Lambert drew steadily closer, her steps resounding softly on the court floor. “What makes you think you?re a joke, Catherine?”
“Come on Coach.” Hodge turned around to face the tall woman. “We should have won that game.”
“Why? Those were last year?s champions. What makes you think we could have beaten them?”
“We?re better than they are.”
“Are we?”
“Yes,” Cat shifted on her foot. “Well the team is better than they are. I?m not sure I am. I choked.”
“We already had this conversation. You did not choke. You lost your stride.” A corner of Dylan?s mouth curved up. “Actually you didn?t lose it; you just had a hard time finding it.” Dylan moved to where the ball had come to rest near the wall. She bounced it a couple times, enjoying the feel of it against her hand. She pulled it to her chest and fired it at Cat, who caught it smoothly.
“Why were you staying away from the ball, Cat?”
“I wasn?t.”
“Yes, you were. Every play you called, put you as far away from the ball as humanly possible without you playing in another arena. Why?”
Hodge narrowed her eyes. “I?m the point guard. It?s my job to create opportunities for my teammates.”
“Mm.” Dylan pretended to consider Cat?s statement.
Hodge tried again. “The other players have more experience.”
“And you?re going to get your own experience?.how, again?”