Wheel Wizards Page 7

  “What's going on here?” Howard called out. “Maybe we got things backward. The subs are making you starters look like losers! Gil, you should have been able to screen Seth off that pass! Seth, Pete … . heads up playing there!”

  Seth and Pete were careful not to gloat, but they flashed each other a quick look of satisfaction. A few minutes later, the coaches ended the session. Gil edged over to Seth.

  “You were making me sweat today! Glad you're on our side.”

  “I got lucky, that's all,” replied Seth. “You've been burning me just about every time I try to guard you — up till today.”

  As the players headed to the locker room, Chan tapped Seth's shoulder. “Get a good night's sleep. I want to see you look as good in the game as you did today in practice.”

  The Wizards-Lobos game had drawn a fairly sizable crowd that had half-filled the bleachers in the gym. As he completed his warmups, Seth spotted his family and Lou and was happy to note that Danny was there, too, sitting just in front of them. A moment later, he saw that Brian Murtaugh had also come to see the game. It would be the first time the therapist had watched Seth play.

  As the game began, it was clear to Seth that the Lobos weren't as disciplined as the Wizards; maybe losing key players had made a difference. Led by Ernie and Andy, the defense shut the Lobos down. They could not get a shot off on their first five possessions. If the Wizards had converted most of their chances, they might have put the game out of reach in the first quarter. As it was, Andy scored a couple of early buckets and Gil had a three-point play, while Ernie forced two Lobo offensive fouls and made two steals.

  Finally, two Lobos got their shooting touch back, and they got into the game. With two minutes left in the quarter, and the Wizards up, 11–8, Howard sent Seth and Pete into the game.

  The Lobos inbounded the ball at midcourt, and one of them tried to sneak under the basket unguarded. However, Mick stole the ball and Seth, reacting quickly, pivoted and headed downcourt. Looking back over his shoulder, he saw Mick pass to Pete. Pete fired the ball toward him. Pete's pass was slightly underthrown, and Seth had to slow down to control it. He waited for his teammates to catch up, dropped the ball off to Mick on a give-and-go, and caught Mick's return pass while driving the lane. Before he could get off the shot, a Lobo rammed his chair into him and was whistled for a two-shot foul.

  Seth went to the line, took a deep breath, and shot the first free throw. It rattled around the rim … and dropped in! His second free throw hit nothing but the net. Racing back on defense, Seth saw his sister and Lou standing and yelling their approval. Danny, too, cheered and clapped.

  The Lobos scored on their next possession, staying within three. They tried a full-court press when the Wizards took over, but Mick hurled a long pass to Pete, who found Seth in the corner. Using fast, accurate passes, the Wizards were able to get Pete open for a twelve-foot shot. Unfortunately, the ball banged hard off the rim, into the hands of a Lobo.

  Seth sped back on defense, noting that Chan had signaled for a diamond-and-one zone. Seth raced to get to his assigned position on the baseline, just as an opponent tried to get free underneath the basket. Seeing him, Seth moved forward into the lane, stopping just before the Lobo slammed into him. The ref's whistle stopped play, and the Lobo was called for a charge, giving the ball back to the Wizards. On the sideline, Seth's teammates pumped fists in the air and yelled encouragement. The Wizard rooters added their cheers.

  Seth was tired when he came out of the game, but happy with his play. There were five minutes left in the half, and the Wizards were leading, 26–20. Seth exchanged high fives with several teammates before turning to watch as play resumed.

  At halftime, the Wizards still held a six-point edge, 29–23. In the locker room, Howard Sturgis cut off the excited chatter of his team with his two-finger whistle. “Let's not get cocky,” he said. “We caught the Lobos by surprise at first, but, in case you didn't notice, they're still in this game. They're only six back, and they played us pretty even for most of the first half. We can't afford to let down now. Keep playing all-out, and I'll bring in fresh troops whenever you need to rest.

  “In the second half, we should use more zone defenses; look for my signals, and we'll keep changing looks to keep them off-balance. When they use zones on us, we'll try to flood the zones; you know how to do that. Any questions? All right, let's go!”

  Sure enough, the Lobos were still in the game; they scored two quick baskets at the beginning of the half to cut the Wizard lead to two. For a few minutes, the teams swapped points, and when Seth came in again, the Wizards led, 37–35. A minute later, he slapped the ball away from a Lobo to start a Wizard fast break. Pete scored off a pass from Ernie to make the lead four.

  In the last minute of the quarter, with the 35-second shot clock winding down, Seth found himself with the ball, hemmed in by two Lobo defenders with arms outstretched. Unable to see a teammate to pass to, Seth heaved a desperate hook shot, and was amazed to see it drop through the net. When the buzzer sounded the end of the quarter, Pete edged over to him.

  “Been working on that play for long?”

  Seth laughed. “Yeah, late at night, in. my basement. It's my secret weapon.”

  Seth came out of the game for the start of the last quarter and watched anxiously as the Lobos wore down the Wizard defense. With four minutes left, the Lobos tied the game at 44. Chan came to Seth on the sideline. “Go in for Andy. That red-haired guy of theirs has the hot hand right now. See if you can cool him off. Get right in his shadow.”

  Seth nodded and took the floor. He tried to stay between his man and the ball, but the redhead broke free for a shot. Seth reached to block it, but caught the Lobo's arm, sending him to the free-throw line. He made one of two, giving the Lobos their first lead, a single point.

  The Wizards brought the ball downcourt. Seth and Mick set a screen. Ernie put up a high-arcing shot that dropped in for a one-point Wizard edge. The crowd noise in the gym grew so loud that the players couldn't hear themselves talk.

  The Lobos seemed to he tiring and threw the ball away on a bad pass. Chan signaled his players to use up some clock, so they moved into a weave, passing the ball back and forth, hoping to tire the Lobos still more, as well as run the clock down. Finally, with four seconds on the 35-second clock, Pete found Ernie in the corner, and the blond netted it to make the lead three points for the Wizards.

  A wild Lobo shot bounced off the backboard into Pete's hands, and he threw an outlet pass to Ernie. Again, the Wizards began to eat up the clock. As it ran down, Seth faked one way, pivoted to the other side, and took a bounce pass from Pete, and banked in a shot. The score was 50–45 in favor of the Wizards as the final buzzer sounded.

  The next fifteen minutes were happy confusion for Seth. After the players shook hands and went to the sidelines, his family rushed to congratulate him. Lou pounded him on the back, and Phyllis gave him a victory hug. Danny grabbed his hands, beaming.

  “You looked great out there.”

  Seth felt dazed and totally happy. “Thanks,” he said to Danny. “For everything.”

  Brian Murtaugh worked his way over to Seth and leaned in. “Congratulations,” he said, quietly. “See you soon.”

  “It's pizza time!” Chan shouted. “Let's celebrate, guys! My treat!”

  Seth was definitely ready to celebrate. He felt that he had done much more than win a game.

  15

  Have you thought about plans for the future?” asked Brian as he and Seth sat in the therapist's office.

  “I want to keep playing wheelchair sports,” Seth said. “Basketball for sure, and maybe others, too. I talked to Con about racing one day, and I might want to give that a try. I want to see what else is available.”

  “Sounds good,” replied Brian. “What about life outside of sports? You thinking about those things, too?”

  Seth nodded. “Sure! I guess I want to go to college someday. I mean, I'm pretty sure I do. My grades are good, and
I might even be able to get a scholarship, like Danny.”

  “To do what?” Brian held up a hand. “Don't misunderstand. College is a worthwhile goal. You want to keep your options open, and the more education you have, the more choices you have as you get older. I'm curious to know whether you've thought about what you may do as an adult. Not that you have to make any final decisions right now, of course.”

  “Well… “ Seth was quiet for a moment. “For sure, I want to stay in athletics, college sports, maybe the Paralympics. If I have the talent. If I don't, I'll still give it my best shot.”

  He looked at Brian. “I do have an idea about what I want. You might think it's ridiculous… .”

  “Never,” Brian said. “I have a hunch that no goal of yours will sound ridiculous.”

  “Well, I think I might like to work with kids. You know, kids like I was when I first saw you, who need someone they can … who can give them help, all the things you did for me.

  “Maybe I could be a coach, or maybe a therapist. I don't know exactly what yet, but that's the kind of thing I have in mind.”

  Brian smiled. “That's about as far from ridiculous as you can get. It sounds like a wonderful idea. I'll be happy to talk to you about that sometime, if you like. But there's another issue we need to discuss right now”

  “Really? What's that?” Seth asked.

  Brian stood up. “How would you feel if I said that you don't need these sessions with me anymore?”

  Seth blinked. “Really?”

  “As much as I like your company, Seth, I don't think you need what I've been doing for you. You've come a long way. I'd be happy to keep in touch, especially if you ever want to pick my brains about therapy or education. But getting together as we've been doing, I don't think it will serve any useful purpose.”

  Seth stared at the therapist. “Wow! I … I didn't see that coming. I don't know. …”

  “If you think about it,” Brian pointed out, “you'll realize that the day was going to come, sooner or later. My goal was to help you get through a tough time in your life. I'm not claiming that life will be a day at the beach from now on. Nobody's life is. But you can handle what comes along without leaning on me. I wouldn't say this to you if I weren't certain.”

  “Okay,” Seth said, after a pause. “Okay, then. But I really want to stay in touch, maybe call you sometimes.”

  “Absolutely,” Brian said. “Actually, I'm hoping I may be able to call on you sometimes.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “In my work, I meet a lot of young people who are like you were two years ago. It might do a few of them a lot of good to be able to meet you, hear about your experiences. Would you be up for that? It could help you, too, especially if you want to do my kind of work someday.”

  “Yeah,” Seth said. “Sure, I'd like that.”

  “Okay, then,” said Brian. “I'll be in touch.” He reached out a hand. “Take care of yourself.”

  Seth shook Brian's hand.

  “Yeah. I will. I believe I will.”

  Matt Christopher

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  WHEEL WIZARDS

  It's a whole new ballgame for Seth….

  Seth Pender was the victim of a terrible accident that left him wheelchair-bound for life. He's understandably filled with anger and confusion, and he lashes out at family and friends. Then he meets Danny, who, like him, will never walk. But unlike Seth, Danny does something Seth thought he'd never do again—play basketball! Stunned, Seth watches Danny sink fifteen footers and dribble with ease, all from a wheelchair. Is this something Seth can learn to do, too? If he's to succeed, he'll need to face the challenges his situation has handed him head-on.

  Matt Christopher is the name young readers turn to when they're looking for fast-paced, action-packed sports stories. For a complete list of Matt Christopher titles and information on joining the Matt Christopher Fan Club, please see the last pages of this book.