Teardrop

On the sidelines, his friend Deshaun was stupefied. He had a lot of questions on his mind that he would no doubt pester his friend about later. It seemed like there would be more questions to ask yet.

"Coach, just take him already!" Khalil high fived Tremaine and welcomed him to the team as if everything's official. "He's gonna be a massive help for us big men!"

In his first life, Khalil was always someone out of Tremaine's reach. His sights were set on the NBA, while he's stuck laboring away at the wrong end of the team. He'd learn more about their star man for sure.

Coach Roughan ignored him entirely. "Next is five floaters and five three pointers. You guard him, Ryan."

Ryan's tenacious spirit was his biggest asset, making him one of the hardest working players on and off the field. After getting swallowed whole by a newbie, he was intent on making him work for it this time.

Standing at six foot two, he had the height and reach advantage over his man. But the deceptive speed, ball skills, and composure on display earlier was a terrifying prospect even for someone like him who had three full years of collegiate experience.

"Just put a hand up and try to block, no need to harass him so much." 

Tremaine drilled two of the first three, the missed one was a tightly contested shot that would've resulted in a foul in a real game. 

Right as Tremaine lofted the fourth shot up, he already knew he'd missed again. His fadeaway didn't get much height, and was tipped by Ryan Brown's outstretched arms. 

'Sigh, my opponent's not pulling any punches.'

It was just as he wanted.

Tremaine was relishing the prospect of facing off against an NBA-caliber defender. 

He let the opportunity pass before, and now he won't waste the opportunities that came his way.

Tre received the ball with his back to the basket behind the three point line. He posted up on his man, without stopping his dribble. 

All eyes were on him, be it the scholarship players, his fellow aspiring walk ons, and Coach Roughan as well.

After a couple of dribbles, he picked up his dribble, and using his left foot as pivot, he spun around and away from the basket.

He did not catch Brown off-guard, and yet he still gained a lot of separation just from a simple fadeaway, even with the height and reach disadvantage.

It was ludicrous.

As the shot arced in mid-air, Tremaine was already looking away from it.

The feeling of success was there, in his trembling hands. 

Swish.

He'd hit several of those in places no one would know. It was no Kobe, nor Mike, but it was his. In his little dreamland in nowhere, hitting clutch shots like those, made him feel like he's making his own mark.

"Do floaters now, Tremaine Mills." Coach Roughan looked at his watch while retaining his expressionless face. However, everyone could hear the lighter, calmer tone of their coach's tone as if it was telling them something.

When Khalil heard this particular tone of his, he shouted in joy. "Welcome to the Illinois Fighting Illini Men's Basketball Team, my man! Congratulations!"

Tremaine was stunned, and was caught rooted on his spot. How could the tryouts be that easy! I haven't even done my third skill test yet!

His opponent, Ryan Brown, walked up to him, and laid out his hand with a smile on his face "Congrats, man. Welcome to the team! You made me sweat a lot, damn. I look forward to that kind of intensity from you in the future."

One by one, words of welcome and congratulations boomed into Tre's ears. Everything happened so fast that it was slowly making him dizzy. 

A few hours ago, he was in a championship game.

Now, he was restarting his life with a bang.

"Tre, a mad welcome to the team, my guy!" His best friend Deshaun gave him one of his patented bear hugs, something that he'd forgotten about in his past life. "You have to tell me your secrets later!" 

It was at this moment that head coach Roughan looked at his watch again, and said with an overwhelming chill and authority in his voice, "All of you, get the fuck back to your places!"

Less than five seconds later, Tremaine Mills was alone in the court, with nary a single breath could be heard from the crowd.

"Floaters. I want to see how well you can do your floaters." The head coach returned to his usual state. "I won't give you opponents this time. Show me your best teardrops."

Mills went downhill fast, gathering speed as he went, and as he reached that sweet spot a little closer than the free throw line, he elevated. 

His right hand up high, he released the ball from his hand with startling smoothness, like it's just natural to do so at that range. The arc the ball took was good, and the teardrop looked destined for the basket. 

Swoosh. 

Four more.

He didn't waste much time to launch the next floater, this time though, with his left hand… but the result had easily been the same.

***

Only fifteen players make it into the active roster at every given game. Thirteen players would be able to play, and two would be considered healthy scratches.

Three more players would be inactive players. These spots were usually reserved for walk-ons, who usually will not crack the fifteen man rotation, but during the season, the inactive list would be filled with long term injuries, and players that are physically unfit, and academically unfit to play. 

Those times would be the best chances most walk ons would get in a season. 

At the end of the session with walk ons, Coach Mike Roughan chose three players among the twenty three roster hopefuls. For now, these youngsters would start at the inactive list, honing their skills at the sidelines, training side by side with the members of the active roster, and patiently waiting for their chance at the limelight.

"Tremaine Mills!" The coach's beer belly was in full display, as he yelled Tre's name with elation visible on his face. "Prove to me that you're a diamond in the rough. I chose you because you were a handful, even to Khalil, and Ryan. I believe in the potential of the game you showed me today. I expect results."

Tremaine was elated with the good start to his second crack at the NCAA and at the NBA. 

"Thank you, Coach!" Tremaine stood proud, with a smile evident on his sweaty face. "I would elevate my game further!"

His new friend Khalil and his best friend Deshaun were already singing merrily with their arms on each other's shoulders like drunk lunatics.

Khalil instantly liked the composure, the competitiveness, and the big game mentality packed in the small frame of Tremaine.

"Next, DJ Johnson." A black man sporting cornrows, and a heavily tattooed left arm jumped with joy after being called. He was around the same size as Deshaun— which was almost two hundred centimeters— and drilled five corner threes in a row, along with stopping Deshaun from scoring four out of five times on the perimeter. "Welcome to the team. I expect big things."

"Thank you, sir. I will live up to your expectations."

"Congrats, bro, let's help each other out!" Tre extended his hand with a satisfactory smile.

"Yeah, man, let's enter the active roster and make our splash!"

"We'll charge ahead, man!"