Chapter 10: Tryouts

3 years have passed, Jared and Ethan just turned 7 years old while Katie is now 6, Mom is driving them to school on a black Porsche Cayenne, Jared is in the front with Mom and the siblings are in the back.

"So what time am I going to pick you guys up?" Mom asked the group.

"Uh Ethan and I will do a tryout later so we'll probably be dismissed a little late, I dunno maybe 5 ish? Jared replied to Mom.

"Oh okay, how bout you Katie?" Mom asked Katie.

"I'll have a dance practice later" Katie replied and before she continue Ethan interrupted her and answered.

"We'll just go together later Mrs. Summers thank you!" Ethan said with a smile, Katie punched his brother for Interrupting here.

"Perfect! just text me later if you guys got dismissed early okay" Mom said

"Will do Mom" Jared replied.

"Oh Mrs. Summers when can we get to taste your pasta again?" Katie askes Mom.

"Oh no don't give her an idea Kate or we'll eat pasta for a week! haha" Jared jokingly replied to Katie.

"How dare you sweetie! you love my pasta!" Mom said to Jared while teasing him.

"Well, not if you cook it everyday!" Jared replied and the group just laughed.

"Okay, since you asked for it I'll cook for you guys tomorrow!" Mom said.

"Yes!" Katie punched the air as she celebrated with excitement.

"Here we are guys!" Mom said as they pulled over in front of the campus.

"Thank you Mrs. Summers! see you later!" The siblings said as they got out of the car.

Jared was about get out of the car when Mom stopped him, "Hep hep hep! you're missing something!" Mom said to Jared.

Jared looked at Mom and rolled his eyes "Oh come on Mom im too old for this!" Jared replied as he gives his Mom a kiss on the cheeks.

"No you're not, you're still a baby to me haha" Mom replied while laughing.

"Love you!" Jared said to Mom as he got out.

"Bye sweetie have fun! See you later okay!" Mom said as she waived goodbye to her son then drove off.

As the trio went inside the campus, any bystander can't help but notice the three. they all looked pretty good compared to any other kids at school.

Jared now standing at 4 ft 6 making him taller than anybody his age, his body is slim but is extremely toned, his eye catching silver white hair combined with cold blue eyes and his perfect symmetrical face makes him handsome than any other kid in the campus, he always wears dark colored clothes which highlights his light complexion and his cute face. Today he wears a korean black oversized shirt, slim fit blue denim jeans and plain white nike sneakers.

Ethan on the other is much taller than Jared with just an inch, he's standing at 4 ft 7, his body is much more developed with proportionate tone, his short quiffed black hair suits him well partenered with his beautiful golden eyes he exudes a bad boy look. Today he wears an electric yellow green hoodie black slim fit ripped jeans and an electric yellow green adidas sneakers.

Katie being the smallest among the trio, stands at 4 ft 2, she looks more elegant than ever, her golden eyes partnered with her long black hair makes her elegant, she looks cute on her black skater skirt and a tucked-in grey long-sleeved oversized polo partnered with a pair of white chuck taylor sneakers.

Heads turned as they walk towards school entrance. The trio already got used to the attention that they're receiving, not only because of their attractive looks but also because their reputation precedes them.

Jared the smart and calculative one that has a scary side once triggered, Ethan the bad boy who's not afraid to beat the shit out of anyone and Katie the cute and innocent princess who has a talent for shit talking and is known for her savagery, these characteristics makes them unfuckable in school.

One would think that this will put a target on their backs, however, this was already proven wrong by the trio when Jared manipulated a group of bullies to beat each other up and have them expelled after he caught them hitting new students, Ethan beat the shit out of a group of 6th grader students when he saw the group abusing and humiliating a kid, and Katie shit talked a group of girls everyday, so hard that they refused to go to school after she caught them forcefully shaving a student's hair off.

In return, they were feared and yet, they were respected, admired and loved. The attention they're receiving are not out of judgment or hate, but rather a look of admiration, because of them, school life for some kids in the campus is a lot more safe and fun.

The trio had a normal day in their classes, they participated very well on each subjects' activities and attentively listened to all the lectures.

At 3 pm, the bell rang and the students were dismissed, Katie went to the school's dance studio for her contemporary dance class while Jared and Ethan went to the gymnasium and prepare for the tryouts.

The two already changed into their game clothes and looked battle ready. Jared wears his favorite white nike sleeveless basketball hoodie which highlights his athletic figure and also gives him freedom of movement in his arms, he also wears a short black basketball shorts for comfort, black leg sleeves on both legs for protection and a pair of white nike air GTs.

Meanwhile, Ethan wears a black headband to prevent sweat from running to his face and eyes, a sleeveless black basketball shirt which allows him to be comfortable during the game, white short basketball shorts with a compressor shorts underneath for protection, he also wears a padded leg sleeve on his right leg for protection and his favourite pair of neon green colored adidas pro n3xt shoes.

As they went inside the gymnasium, Jared and Ethan went to the front desk first for the registration. There's a huge line in queue but the line is moving faster than it looks.

Sitting behind the front desk is a young adult boy who looks like he's on his mid 20s who's assisting the students and answering their queries, His name is Riley, he's the coach's assistant and right behind him is Coach Jayson Vikander, the current head coach of the Nordam Lions.

While waiting in line, Jared can't help but think about the long process on how both of them prepared for this momement, they spent hours upon hours trying to polish their game, if they're not doing 1-on-1 in their backyard they're playing on the neighbourhood basketball court destroying other kids.

At this point, Jared still dominates Ethan in 1-on-1 although Ethan managed to sneak a couple of wins, their current record is 220-4, However, despite their rivalry, together they're unstoppable, for the past 3 years they developed an uncanny chemistry on the court which makes them a very dangerous duo.

Jared lost in his thoughts when their turn finally came.

"Are you guys here for the registration?" Riley asked, which the two replied "Yes" in unison.

"Alright, just fill out this sheet right here with your full names, your age, basketball position and your contact numbers if you have any" Riley provided the instructions as he pointed on the blank spaces provided on the registration sheet.

Ethan went to write first, he grabbed a pen and started writing, as he was about to finish, a ball came hurtling towards them, Ethan didn't noticed the ball, but at the last minute, from his bent over position, he stood up and dodged the ball by leaning back effortlessly in a split second, as Ethan dodged the ball Jared caught the ball in a calm and relaxed manner, unfazed.

"Woops!" Jared said as he caught the ball, he then politely passed it to the person who's trying to recover the ball.

"Sorry guys! sorry coach!" the kid said as he caught the ball apologizing for the trouble. Ethan then finished the registration and so did Jared.

"Alright since you're done, just follow that line, that line is for the body evaluation and athletics test" Riley said as he pointed to his right where a group of students are lined up waiting for their turn. The two then followed the instructions as they were told.

After the two went away, Coach Vikander aproached the desk, "Whats the name of those two?" Coach asked as he picked up the folder to read the registration form.

Ethan Wolfe 7 yrs old 4 ft 6 Shooting Guard

Jared Summers 7 yrs old 4 ft 5 Point Guard

"7 yrs old huh?" Coach asked.

"That makes them the youngest participants in the tryout" Riley replied.

"Indeed, we'll let's see what they got" Coach remarked.

Coach stood there and watch the students during the tests, the coaching staff handles the body evaluation which is to measure their height with and without shoes, weight with and without shoes, wingspan and standing reach.

On body evaluation the two boys already showed promise as their height, length, and frame, looked far too developed for their age.

After the two are done, they went to the next test, which is the Athletics test. Athletics test are drills to measure a player's capability on the court in relation to their physical attributes such as strength, speed and agility.

In athletics test Ethan stood out by displaying his monstrous speed and agility paired with his decent strength and balance. However, despite Ethan's complete dominance in speed, Jared doesn't shy away from his companion as his stats showed his perfectly balanced physical stats, making Jared excel in other areas where Ethan doesn't, Making Jared much more complete player than Ethan.

After the athletics test they went for the skills test, this test measures their basketball skills, shooting, passing, dribbling, rebounding and defense. This is where the difference between their playstyles emerge.

Ethan's dazzling and explosive ball handling left everyone in the gym in awe, although he has an average 3 point shooting percentage, he's completely red hot in mid range and close range, also, his speed and agility makes him hard to go against in defense and in rebounding scenarios, partnered with his spontaneity and limitless creativity makes Ethan the fastest 2-way slasher in the tryouts.

Meanwhile, Jared shows complete dominance by displaying great proficiency in all aspects of the game, he displayed his flawless and perfect ball handling which is paired with his perfect shooting form which allows him to shoot anywhere on the court (3pts, mid, close) his well balanced physical and athletics stats, together with his incredible proficiency in techniques, this makes him a monster in both defensive and rebounding scenarios despite his size and age. But the skill where Jared stood out the most is his passing, Thanks to his God's Eye and big brain, he has shown to be able to throw any passes from any position and angle on the court with accurate timing, this tells he has a spatial awareness unlike anything the coaching staff has ever seen.

All in all, the current evaluation shows Jared is the deadliest playmaking sharpshooter in the tryouts, possibly in the history of the school.

The results of the first 3 tests makes Jared and Ethan 2 of the top 5 candidates for the first string so far, excited on how the 2 will translate their talents in an actual 5 vs 5 scrimmage, Coach Vikander instructed the players to warm up and get ready.

"Pretty moves you got there you two, we're gonna need those to get to the nationals" A kid went behind them Jared and Ethan and initiated a small friendly talk while they're doing stretching and warm up.

The kid is tall with a medium complexion a slick short faded afro hair and green eyes, and has a gentle facial features, the kid is standing 4'10 and has a wide frame and well built young physique evidence of experience and hardwork.

"Thank you, I hope my game will translate well on the court though" Jared replied thanking kid's compliment.

"Nahh you'll be great here, I'm seeing a lot of potential from you guys, if i can see it, the coach can sure see it too" The kid remarked.

"Sorry my name is Reznov, Alexei Reznov, but you can just call me Alex, I'm last year's team captain of the Nordam Lions, I play the Small Forward position and I'm assuming you guys are on the backcourts right?" Alex introduced himself.

"Yep that's correct! I play the Shooting Guard and my friend here is the Point Guard, My name is Ethan this is Red, nice to meet you Alex!" Ethan replied by introducing themselves to Alex and they shook hands right after.

"Alright, I'll just get myself ready for the scrim and I'll see you guys later on the court! Best of luck I'm rooting for you two!" Alex said in a friendly voice as he went towards the locker room to prepare.

"Alright! Gather round people, let's go!!" Coach shouted as he blew his whistle.

The students heard the coach and slowly, a group is forming in front of the coach like an army of ants, Jared saw Alex join the group as well.

"Listen up! As you all now, My name is Jason Vikander, I'm the current head coach of our school's Nordam Lions, I will be the one to evaluate your performance on your final test, while my assistant here, Riley, will officiate the game. Your final test will be a Scrimmage, it will be a 5 on 5 game, since y'all are 20 right here, we'll split you into 4 teams, each game we'll have two teams play against each other, each game will have official rules applied, each game lasts 10 minutes, timeouts are applicable and the team with most scores win"

"Later on I'll announce your names and your teammates, Remember! You'll only have one chance, so show me everything you got, show us why we need you in the team, we're not looking for superstars but teammates who knows what they can bring on the table, so don't forget your fundamentals, work with each other and most importantly have fun and enjoy the game, Understood?" Coach asked, everbody nodded as sign of acknowledgement.

"I'll announce your names and your teammates, if I call your name step forward, Clear?!" Coach's voice echoed throughout the gym.

"Team A, Please step forward! Chance Hansen, Kofi Nwadike..." Coach went on to announce the players and their teammates for Team A and B. Jared and Ethan waited for their names to be called.

"Next! Team C! Step forward! Fred Weis, Julien Dubois, Ethan Wolfe, Alexei Reznov and Lyle Brenner, Take a good look at each other, that's your teammates" Coach Vikander said.

"Looks like I'll be playing with you guys!" Ethan said to his teammates as they move forward.

"Make sure you keep up, I don't wanna carry a deadweight in this team" Julien said to Ethan in an Arrogant tone.

Julien Dubois, standing 4 ft 11, Julien has a dark complexion has a slick buzzed haircut with a zigzagged shaped hair lining on his left. Julien is a pretty lengthy kid partnered with his height he looked intimidating. Julien is a starter last year and is playing the Power Forward position.

"As if you're not a deadweight yourself hahaha don't mind him he's just like that at first, but he's good" Alex joked at Julien, Julien just looked at him straight faced, Alex then assures Ethan that he's friendly.

Ethan's team get to know each other and talked about some game plans that they'll use later on.

"Alright this leaves us the remaining players, you guys will be the Team D, please step forward as i call your names Jared Summers, Hugo Benoit, Kyle Sochi, Matushis Adiogun and Tyshaun Adebe, Team D you'll be playing against Team C" Coach announced Jared and Ethan's teammates.

"Nice shooting back there, I like your shooting form" Jared said to his teammate.

"Oh thank you! you're the one who's good at passing and shooting right? My name is Kyle by the way, Kyle Sochi, I play the Shooting Guard position" Kyle introduced himself.

Kyle is standing 4 ft 7, and has a fair complexion, despite his size, Kyle looked pretty slim compared to Jared, though his muscles are toned, he has friendly facial features that indicates he's from Asian descent.

"Pleased to meet you Kyle, I'm Jared Summers, just call me Red, my friends call me that way, and yes that was me hehe" Jared replied as he introduced himself.

"I guess i know who to ask for the ball if I'm open haha" Kyle jokingly remarked.

"I gotchu" Jared replied and a playful and confident way.

"Hi what's your name?" Jared asked the tall looking kid on their team.

"Oh fuck off!! Just don't get in my way and we're good, just pass me the ball" the kid replied. Jared didn't liked that tone but he just let it go.

The kid is very tall, standing 5 ft 3, the kid has a light complexion and short blonde hair, he has fierce looking facial features and has a wide frame and huge length, making him the biggest player in the tryouts.

"Don't mind him, he's just like that, last year I heard he's giving coach headache as well"

His name is Tyshaun Adebe, he's the last year's starting Center for Nordam Lions" Matushis said to Jared.

"I'm Matushis Adiogun, just call me Mat for short, I play the Power Forward position" Mat said as he introduced himself to Jared.

"Pleased to meet you, I'm Jared, just call me Red for short, I play Point Guard" Jared introduced himself and shook Mat's hand.

"Right! you're the one who's good at passing, we could use those passes later" Mat said.

"I gotchu, leave it to me" Jated replied to Mat with confidence.

Team A and Team B started their scrimmage soon afterwards, and the rest just sat at the bleachers to watch the game, While watching Jared is scouting everything, he watched how Team A and Team B executes their plays.

While the game is ongoing Jared is also observing anyone on the bleachers as well, both his teammates and their opponents, he's watching their mannerisms, reactions, body language, they way the speak, anything that he can exploit later on.

The game is almost done and so far the regulars from last year stood out as possible candidates to succeed and be part of this year's lineup, Deonte Miles with a 4 ft 4 height and last year's starting Point Guard, Kofi Nwadike with a 4 ft 9 height and last year's reserve playing Small Forward and Yuri Bortsov with a height of 4 ft 6 and last year's starting Shooting Guard.

The game finished with Team B winning against Team A with the score of 29-19

"Good job boys, that's a good game! both teams take your rest, rehydrate your selves or take a breather, you earned it! Team C and Team D let's go! move your asses! come on front and center!!" Coach shouted as he calls upon the next players for the scrimmage.

"I'll take my 5th win today" Ethan said to Jared.

"Not today bro, keep waiting" Jared replied in a confident tone "let's put on a show" Jared added.

"Heh, Roger that" Ethan answered as he fist bumps his friend and went to his position, Jared did the same.

The players fist bumped each other and wished for a good game.

As both teams positioned themselves for a jump ball, Riley approached the center, and positioned the ball preparing to be tossed.

Adebe is the one jumping for the tipoff on Team D while Brenner is the one jumping for Team C.

Riley blew the whistle and tossed the ball, both Brenner and Adebe jumped for the ball which signals the start of the game.