An Underrated Role

Why are you jumping up and down over there? Are you desperate and frustrated to get a bad reputation in front of a beautiful new assistant coach?" Damian was trying to figure out what was really going on with Nicolas Kein lately.

They had been friends for a long time but it was unusual for Damian to see Kein who liked to be active when he was alone. Whether it was a good or bad influence on his friend, as a room mate and close friend, he couldn't help but know the latest news about his friend.

"Quite the opposite. I'm so excited that I can't stop jumping up and down. Don't you see anything a little different about me?" Kein headed back to the line while jumping like a happy bunny.

But Damian didn't understand the change or what was different about his friend this time. His jump was not very high and his posture was quite stiff and messy. Not like a typical basketball athlete.

"This might sound rude, but can you stop jumping? You're making me sick and I'll say that there's nothing different about your jumping before and now. I'm actually curious that you've been so active lately like I just found out you decided to use another division's court without permission. How will you fare if their members come and dislike your behaviour?"

Damian shook his head, he didn't know how to respond to his friend who was experiencing a little weirdness after recovering from his injury.

Damian wasn't stupid so no way recovering from an injury would have side effects such as losing his mind or experiencing abnormalities. So he was sure Kein seemed to be hiding something important that he might not be able to get the answer to now.

Meanwhile, Kein complied with his friend's request after seeing Damian's reaction who did not like his behaviour just now. He didn't answer but he also didn't intend to ignore his friend if he decided to change the subject.

*** 

Sherla was still around Coach Marlon. Her job now was to calm down the coach who had run out of patience and wanted to destroy everything. As a coach, of course, his job is not only to train his students. The development of skills and good mental adaptation is something that must be considered.

Speaking of professional athletes, those who are paid tens to millions of dollars per season, sometimes experience nervousness and hesitation when watched by hundreds of thousands of pairs of eyes. But that's nothing new in the world of sports. The cheers and pressure of the crowd seem to overwhelm the game at hand, and it's not easy to keep a cool head and a clear head.

If professionals are still nervous, surely teenagers like them are not. Many of them even seem to have a different style of play when they are in the academy and in real matches. Even Gilbert experienced the same thing when he was at the peak of his game a few months ago. Making it an excuse to suffer a fierce but fatal defeat.

Sherla came to at least dampen the emotions, not only of the coaches but also of the athletes who suddenly got angry when they disagreed with other members. Although she was needed, she at least calmed down a bit when she saw how Gilbert was not participating in training and was instead organising the other players like a coach.

"You can go, Sherla. Tell Gilbert he's also training today. I'll deal with them after this." Coach Marlon suddenly spoke up while his assistants were focused on observing their lacklustre and stressed faces.

With a puzzled look on her face, Sherla replied. "Are you completely calm, Mr Marlon? Something 'half' won't produce a perfect result." She reminded.

"Yes. You can go back to your place. Don't forget to do what I leave you to do."

"Yes, sir."

Sherla then walked over to Gilbert standing on the sidelines, telling him that the captain could join today's training session. Despite knowing the orders, Gilbert momentarily looked at the coach with his head slightly turned back.

"If the coach gets emotional again, I'll help you get him out of here." His voice was very low and would not be heard by anyone other than the girl beside him.

"Looks like you have some experience. Now join your friends before you make him angry." Sherla warned.

Gilbert nodded and clicked his shoes on the non-slip floor to signify that he was entering as a player, no longer as a coach. That got some attention from his friends who also noticed that the coach was suddenly standing on the sidelines.

"Do you think Coach Marlon deserves to be our coach?" one of his friends asked as Gilbert walked over to stretch his legs a little.

"Watch your mouth. Despite his temperament, at least Coach Marlon is the one who made the academy's basketball division the most favoured division. Are you forgetting his achievements because he didn't like getting reports of Kein entering the running court without permission?"

Suddenly, his friends laughed and their eyes watched Kein who looked enthusiastic among the other teammates.

After the training session, Coach Marlon made some important announcements. Firstly, the coach will determine shortly who will be the players who will compete in a national competition that will be held in the not-too-distant future.

Although it is still quite a while away, that kind of pressure is sometimes needed so that they have a little time to relax or else they will not be called up for the competition.

New Ares Academy does accept new students with a minimal quota. But when their game training does not match the coach's ideals or the school's curriculum, then no matter how good the individual game is, that player will not be selected by Coach Marlon who hates greed and disregards team victory.

Not only that, Coach Marlon also announced that tomorrow they would be returning to a training session that centred on breathing.