It was midsummer, and Kiya was giving extra coaching to Nigel and Denham, preparing them for the summer league championship. Dripping with sweat, the two boys took turns zigzagging through fluorescent orange pylons, finishing with jumpshots and layups.
“Let’s pick it up, guys!” yelled Kiya, as Nigel and Denham raced from baseline to baseline. “We can’t afford to take these guys lightly. That’s it!” Kiya yelled, hitting the button on her stopwatch. “Yo, D, you did that two seconds faster than last run. Hard to believe that you had busted your ankle.”
“Ya, bruh,” said Nigel, trying to catch his breath. “It’s like you got faster after your rehab.”
“Guess I should thank you for that, Nige,” Denham said, huffing and chuckling at the same time.
“Aw, man, don’t even play me like that, yo,” Nigel replied.
The three kids leaned against each other, trying to prop themselves up while enjoying the joke.
“But for real, D,” said Kiya. “You move like . . . like lightning on the court.”
“Well, if I’m lightning, what’s Nigel?”
“Hmmm. Nige is fast but not as fast as you. He’s got that power game.”
“Ya, pure muscle going hard in the paint,” Denham said.
Nigel flexed his arms, growled and made a stink face that made the other two break out laughing again.
“Got it,” Kiya said. “If D is lightning then Nigel is thunder. Ya. You guys are Thunder and Lightning.”
“I kinda like that,” Nigel said, nodding. “Ya, that’s cool. But what about you? You gotta be . . . you gotta be Rain, cuz of the way you rain threes on everyone.”
Denham jumped in. “Or, yo, she can be Rainbow cuz of the high arc her shot takes before it splashes in the pot of gold. She almost hits the roof when she shoots.”
“Okay, okay,” said Kiya, laughing. “Not mad at that. Thunder, Lightning and the Rainbow. Sounds like a singing group.”
“Forget singing. We should enter the three-on-three tournament at the end of summer,” Nigel exclaimed.
“True, I’m with that,” Kiya said. “But, yo, that’s for later. Let’s stay focused on now. We got a championship to win tomorrow. Let’s work. Pick and rolls now! Let’s get it.”
Game day of the Brampton summer league finals featured the Vipers versus the Power. Both teams were playing lights-out, undefeated for the last fifteen games. It was an epic matchup of all-star duos. The Vipers’ Ezekial Mutat and Kadeem Brown against the Power’s Denham Dubois and Nigel Barnes.
Coach Shabaka gathered the team together for their pregame chant. “Okay, let’s go out there and prove what you have been showing teams all season. That we’re the best at working together. Fists in . . .”
The Power players replied, “Yes, yes. That’s right,” while layering their fists one on top of the other over Coach Shabaka’s.
Nigel and Denham nodded at each other, then over at Kiya. She was on her toes, reaching with both fists to top the mountain of hands.
“You guys remember, right?” Kiya said. “THE MORE WE WORK TOGETHER . . .”
The Power boys responded in chorus, “. . . THE FARTHER WE WILL GO!!!!”
“That’s right,” Coach Shabaka said. “All right, everyone. Together on three. One-two-three.”
“TOGETHER!!!”
The Power players ran onto the court with a look of determination, high-fiving each other and repeating, “TOGETHER. TOGETHER,” with each hand slap. They shook hands with the opposing team and took their positions for the jump ball. The referee tossed the orange globe in the air and the game was on.
The Power started with possession. They spread the court, scattering the Vipers defence so that each player got a touch before finding an open shot. Denham and Nigel worked their pick and rolls to perfection, allowing Kash, Amen and Amritpal to score easily. When Tony and Omari entered the game, they followed Nigel and Denham in continuing to distribute the ball, getting scores for Sundeep, Mohammed and Asim. The whole Power team was contributing, but they still had a difficult time containing the Vipers star backcourt Ezekial and Kadeem. At the half the score was 47–47.
“C’mon, boys, we need to buckle down and pick up our defensive intensity,” said Coach Shabaka during his half-time speech. “Those two boys are shredding our defence. Stay disciplined. Move your feet! Don’t let them penetrate the paint. Force them to take long shots. All right, let’s go!”
The Vipers and the Power traded punches like heavyweight boxers. Neither let the other get a lead more than three. Then a turnover gave the Vipers a four-point lead with thirty seconds left on the clock.
Coach Shabaka called a timeout. “All right, boys. We need two baskets and a defensive stop to, at least, tie the game. No more turnovers. Denham, I want you to run some action on Kash’s side. Everyone set screens to loosen the defence. Soon as we score, full-court press. Okay, let’s do it!”
The Power boys were nervous, afraid the championship might slip through their fingers. Nigel put his arm around Denham and said, “D, we need your speed right here. Get to your spot, yo. We need this!”
Denham nodded, taking the inbound pass. Ezekial defended him full court to kill time on the clock. Denham zigzagged, trying to shake the pressure. He flipped the pass to Nigel, then cut baseline. Nigel pitched it right back.
Defenders tried to barricade, but Denham was pure finesse. He slid into the key between defenders like butter, and finished with a silky finger roll that had spectators hollering, “Ooooooooh.”
The Power were down by just two points. They picked up full court. Kadeem tried to inbound to Ezekial. Denham intercepted the ball, knowing exactly where it was going. Both teams were scrambling. Denham was surrounded by Vipers, but spotted Nigel in the corner. He quickly vaulted a pass to him. Nigel stood at the three-point line, poised to shoot a three to win. His defender closed in, but flew by as Nigel put up a shot fake. With seconds left on the clock, Nigel launched himself toward the rim. Vipers players collided into Nigel as he released a layup off the glass. “Count it. And one!” the referee yelled as time expired. Nigel landed, flexing both arms, roaring like a lion. The Power players surrounded him, jumping in celebration.
The referees quickly cleared the court for Nigel to shoot the final free throw. Nigel approached the line, adrenaline still pumping. He knew if he didn’t calm down, he would overshoot the basket.
“You got this, bro,” said Denham. “We are the Power. Remember that. Everything we’ve gone through, yo, we boys for life.”
“For life,” Nigel repeated as they pounded fists. Nigel thought about the past year. It was exactly a year ago that he and Denham began their feud. After all the anger and resentment, today they were united, cheering each other on. He looked down at his stocky legs, his chunky arms, his belly hanging over the waist of his basketball shorts — and smiled. Nigel had learned to love the advantages that being bigger afforded him. He took a deep breath, patted his belly and took the shot . . .
SWISH!