Falling Short by Ernesto Cisneros
Author:Ernesto Cisneros
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2021-12-06T00:00:00+00:00
Marco
Chapter 22
Watching all those basketball videos kind of helped. But having Isaac here with me is so much better. Heâs easier to understand. Plus, heâs super patient.
First, he has me pretend to shoot so he can check my form.
Isaac rubs his chin and nods, like he sees what the problem is. âOkay, Marco,â he says. âThe way you stand affects your balance, and you need to have that at all timesâespecially while shooting.â He bends down and pushes one leg over, so Iâm standing wider.
âYour feet need to be at shoulder-width apart. Okay, now try bending your legs.â He pats at the back side of my knees. âWe need to get some bounce to your shot.â
Iâve got no idea what he means with that last part, but I bend my knees as low as I can. To be perfectly honest, it feels really weird. Really unnatural.
Isaac backs up as I try again. âYeah, much better.â He hands me the ball. âOkay, now, try shooting with your left hand.â
I bend my knees up and down, hoping to get some of that bounce heâs talking about. One. Two. I take my shot. Well, I try, that is. Sadly, the ball slips out of my hand.
âItâs no use,â I say. Using my off hand makes it impossible. âMaybe I should just settle for being more like Muggsy Boguesâs grandma.â
âHis grandma?â
âUm, yeah . . . I saw tons of photos of Muggsy and his grandma together.â
Isaac holds back a laugh. âDude, thatâs not his grandmother. Thatâs his teammate, Larry Johnson, dressed up as a grandmoââ He stops mid-sentence. âThatâs it! I have an idea.â
Next thing I know, Iâm standing at the free-throw line swinging the ball between my legs, like little kids do at the bowling alley.
âRick Barry shot this way, and he was one of the best shooters in NBA history.â
I have no idea who this Rick Barry player is, but Iâm desperate enough to try it.
âOn three,â calls out Isaac.
I pump the ball back and forth. âOne. Two. Three!â
With momentum built up, I catapult the ball and watch it spiral over the front of the rim and straight into the net!
âSwish!â Isaac jumps up and down.
So do I. Itâs only one shot, but hey, itâs definitely a start.
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