Pick and Roll

Tremaine's head was hurting.

Not because he's been sitting at the sidelines for more than two hours watching his fellow aspirants impress the coach, but because he was thinking about how a situation like this one was even possible.

He'd been wracking his brains about the possible reasons, but he can't come up with anything, except that it was a replay.

The gift of a second chance at life.

He's 17 again, trying to enter the Illinois men's basketball team through the open tryouts.

With all the skills he's gained through the twenty plus years of basketball in his first life, securing his roster spot would be way easier than last time.

Pick and roll operation, three point shooting, and there's another skill that he forgot. Those three were the skills he showcased the first time around.

The pick and roll was his bread and butter, what with his best friend Deshaun, a fantastic roller, and a popper, or a guy that could knock a jumper down after the screen. It was his best shot at showcasing his vision, playmaking, and decision making.

Tremaine knew that the eccentric Illinois head coach only accepted him because of his pick and roll acumen and his potential to be a primary ball handler. It was because his three point shooting was not really an asset, neither was the skill he forgot about.

He clapped along with the rest of the varsity hopefuls as the ninth one had finished his "Three Skill" showcase. Tremaine was up next.

"Tremaine Mills, point guard, East Plains High School." Tre breathed in deep, and out deep. He shook his hands and with a jumpstart got into the three point line. "My three skills are pick and roll operation, off the bounce three point shooting, and floaters."

Fellow freshman and best friend Deshaun's eyebrows furrowed, aghast at what his friend was saying. What floater? What three point shooting off the bounce?

The coach signaled to his bench and called on two varsity players, a tattooed guard several inches taller than Tre to act as the defender, and a lanky big man more than a full head taller to be the screener, roller, or popper.

Deshaun started munching on his nails, knowing that there's a high chance Tre was toast. But it's a good thing it's still a two on one play.

Deshaun heard a sigh beside him, and a sweaty man that towered over everybody arrived and sat at the space beside him. He was the pillar of this team, the person with the best odds of getting drafted into the NBA.

He just arrived two hours late.

"Khalil, get your ass off here." The coach gave his flat topped star player the side eye, annoyed that he was once again late. "Your NBA career will be short if you continue going like this."

"Hehe, chin up coach. I had been running for the past two hours, see the buckets of sweat?

"Be the help defender."

"Oh? Are these walk-ons, sir?" Khalil cracked his knuckles and became serious. He was not an NBA prospect just for show. His seven foot frame and his ripped muscles lumbered menacingly to where Tremaine was dribbling. "Impress me, rookie."

Deshaun's heart sank, but Tremaine's mind became as eager and as resolute as ever.

Things have changed.

This seventeen year old lad's experiences are unfathomable!

"Start now, five chances, do whatever you want, walk-on." Coach Mike Roughan signaled for the start.

At the top of the key, Tremaine nonchalantly called for a screen. He was not looking at the ball he's dribbling on his hands, as he's much more focused on how his two opponents were angling to move.

Coming from his left, the screener blocked his man, whose low center gravity made it harder for Tremaine to move. He knew this man as Illinois' premier defensive pest.

Tre knew this guard had what it took to carve out a role in the NBA. Which he did, playing for several years as a stopper for elite guards.

Tremaine swerved left, his screener held up the guard like a proper brick wall. He attacked the left side with the intent to go all the way, at least until the towering help defense arrived.

Arms wide, Khalil Ogwuzeni switched to guard Tremaine.

In stride, Tremaine used his speed advantage to continue his beeline to the basket.

Khalil was not that easy of a target to leave behind. He hounded Tre with his frame, and absorbed all the contact like it was nothing.

'Challenging me up top, huh?'

Tremaine baited him all the way to the elbow, where he dribbled between his legs, and stepped back.

'Fuck!'

Khalil scrambled, the sudden change of direction almost embarrassingly sending him to the floor.

Tre got the separation he needed and settled for the mid range jump shot before Khalil recovered his footing.

At the release point of his left handed shot, he saw the other guard's hand coming to stifle him.

'What recovery speed!'

The other guard thought they had him for sure, until he saw Tre's mouth slowly curling up to a smile.

Tremaine threw a sharp overhead pass to the hands of the rolling center, securing it and laying it into the hoop easily.

Roughan smiled for the first time today. He had to admit, that was not an easy move to pull off. Since he saw that play develop at a great angle, he could surmise that this walk-on had the composure—or at least the potential—to do so in a five on five setup.

Even if he could not crack this year's fifteen man roster, it would be nice to have him redshirt for a year and improve gradually on the sidelines and enter the roster with aplomb next year.

But that is only if this was not a one time thing.

His second attempt was a textbook screen and roll, starting via a nifty bounce pass, and ending with a slam.

The third one, he drove hard to the right before an unexpected ball fake gave him enough room to lay it in.

By this point, even with the small sample size, Coach Roughan was convinced that Tremaine Mills had the potential of a fantastic, and consistent primary ball handler.

A quickfire double team almost lost him the possession in his fourth attempt, but Tre kept his veteran cool, finding a way to throw up for the alley oop, as his partner finished up with a nice two handed jam.

Now, Khalil was seeing this small walk-on freshman with a new light. At first, he sort of looked down on him, but in a matter of four plays, that had changed. He completely ignored the contributions of Tremaine's varsity teammate.

For Tremaine's fifth attempt, he'll try to do better to do him justice. Well, that's because he already knew that this man had a high chance of making the team.

Tremaine again received the ball at top of the key, this time though, he was going to do everything on the fly.

From the get go, dogged defender Ryan Brown was on his face, not giving him any space to call a screen, or orchestrate a plan of attack.

The calmness Tremaine was exhibiting in a situation like this one didn't astonish Coach Roughan anymore.

He continued his dribble, not panicking in the face of sustained harassment from Brown. A screen was finally called a few seconds later.

Like a maestro indulging his patrons, everyone inside the basketball gym was anticipating what Tremaine would do next to impress them.

The screener was stuck in the middle of two Ryan on the left, and Khalil on the right.

With more space to operate, Tremaine finalized his decision and moved. He went left, attacking the smaller man with a quick crossover dribble to his side, while his teammate took the chance to attack the basket.

Ryan doesn't want any more humiliation from the walk on, so he doggedly stuck to him like glue, anticipating his next moves.

Too bad, what Tremaine did next wasn't on his list.

Tremaine stopped abruptly, and a combination behind the back dribble, a step back, and Ryan's off-balanced momentum, gave him a wide open three ball opportunity.

Swish.

Tre pumped his fists as the ball went through nylon.