Senior Scrimmage Game against Edwin High IV

{This story is ready to read on my P-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to read ahead then the link is https://www.p-a-t-r-e-o-n.com/easyread. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there and enjoying this novel.}

~~~(POV: NBA Scout for New York Knicks, name: John Keen)~~~

~~~(Date: October 8th, 2025)~~~

~~~(Time: 3:41 PM)~~~

~~~(Location: Holden Basketball Court, bleachers)~~~

He's absolutely amazing... I've been watching his young career very closely, and I'm not the only one. There are more than 25 scouts here to watch him and try to build a relationship. The Knicks are tanking hard to get a chance at him in the draft, and so are others.

The bottom 8 NBA teams are all at each other's throats, and it's all because the statistics for the NBA draft are... Conflicting. Right now, the teams with the highest chance to get Ulysses are the Lakers, Knicks, and Pelicans. Each having over 14% chance of getting him.

The Lakers are tanking with AD in hopes of getting Ulysses to pair up with him. He's under contract until the end of this season, and if the Lakers can get Ulysses, he'll resign. If they can't, AD is leaving.

That's the rumors anyway. "Keen, can you believe such a player is right in front of us..." My assistant tries to strike up a conversation, but my eyes are glued on Ulysses as he runs up the court and gets the pass from Laden, and he rises up for a slam dunk. He throws it down hard, and everyone erupts in cheers. That makes the score 13-6.

~~~(POV: NBA Scout for the Lakers, name: Arnold Lee)~~~

~~~(Date: October 8th, 2025)~~~

~~~(Time: 3:42 PM)~~~

~~~(Location: Holden Basketball Court, bleachers)~~~

He is athletic for someone over 7 feet tall, and I'm believing in the hype around him the longer I watch. He's at a completely different level compared to the rest of the players out there. Even comparing him to the NBA's current talent makes everyone look bad.

My assistant is recording live for the people at the Lakers organization to watch. While he's draft-eligible next year, he'll be 18 years old and the youngest player to be drafted since Kobe Bryant. The NBA has shown severe favoritism to him, and the college players are in an uproar.

They are mad that while he gets to go straight to the NBA, they're stuck one and done or playing multiple years. "Make sure the video quality is good. Everyone in LA needs to see this..." What I mean when I say that I mean specifically the Laker's investors and owners.

My assistant nods his head. The kids from Edwin have the last possession of the first quarter after Ulysses dunk. They are on defense, and the clock only has 17.2 seconds left. They rush the possession and fumble the ball. Ulysses gets the loose ball and starts a fast break.

He blows past the point guards and shooting guards. There are only 4 seconds on the clock, and He pulls up in transition from 32 feet out. He has the most beautiful jump shot and release I've seen.

The ball flies through the air, and as the buzzer reaches 0, it swishes in the net, and the first quarter ends. The crowd stands up on their feet and cheer. I see notable rappers and music artists that came also get hyped up on courtside. That's their favorite place to be. No one stops them. Security doesn't let them get too close.

~~~(POV: Ulysses Kennedy)~~~

~~~(Date: October 8th, 2025)~~~

~~~(Time: 3:43 PM)~~~

~~~(Location: Holden Basketball Court, heading for the bench)~~~

As the buzzer finishes ringing, I start my walk back to the bench. The score at the end of the first quarter is 16-6, and I have 12 points this quarter. I'm 2/2 from three and 3/3 from midrange and the paint. I have a steal too. I have a rebound as well.

I sit down on the bench and start drinking some nice cold water. Why Gatorade is good, I prefer water over it. When I have to play really hard, that's when I drink Gatorade. Right now, I'm barely sweating. So no need for it. Coach Rodgers grabs everyone's attention and begins chewing the bad plays made.

I lean my head back and let him beat on the young starters, figuratively, of course. I lift my head and turn towards Ellie and Hannah's seats. They see me looking, and both wave. I smile and wave back at them. To me, they're my cheerleaders.

It puts a huge smile on my face that the two most important girls in my world are watching me. It's an amazing feeling that I don't want to lose ever. I don't know if Ellie will be at every one of my games, but I'll make sure she gets spoiled when I sign my rookie contract.