Page 17 of Personal Foul
“Now that’s what I’m talkin’ about! That’s the energy and enthusiasm I like to see and hear. Thank you for coming out to Community Cares today with the Miami Blaze. I’m new to town, but you may know me from my time playing in Chicago. I’m Colson Rush. I play shooting guard for the Miami Blaze. I’m excited to be here to get you ready to head back to school and play a little basketball today.
“Before we hit the hoops, I want to share a little about myself and how I got involved in basketball. When I was your age, I didn’t always have it easy. My mom raised me and my brother, Caleb, on her own. We didn’t always know where our next meal was going to come from or if she’d have enough money to buy us new shoes for school.
“We didn’t grow up having nice things. My basketball shoes were often handed down to me from my brother. There were times when we didn’t get to celebrate holidays or birthdays with presents, but you know what it taught me? It taught me to be thankful for what I did have, and one of those things was basketball.
“I started playing when I was six years old. My mom enrolled me in a program down at our local community center, like this one. I’m so glad she did because as I grew up, things changed for our family, and life got hard. Basketball was always my one true constant. Nothing mattered to me when I was out on the court with my ball and the hoop. It gave me a distraction, something to focus on when I needed it, and the passion I had for the sport fueled my drive to want to do well when I went on to high school and into college, bringing me to where I am now.
“I want each of you to walk out of here today and remember to find your own passion, what drives you to what you do, and be your best, and then I want you to go after it. Chase your dreams and don’t let anything stop you.”
My eyes find Sydney’s toward the back of the gym, blinking through the emotion evident on her face. She blinks through the tears, smiling back at me as she begins clapping. The rest of the volunteers join in, and the kids follow suit.
“Thank you, thank you. I appreciate you all having me. What do you say? I think it’s time for us to play some basketball. We’re going to start by dividing each of you into groups of five. We’ll work on some ball-handling, practice shooting some hoops, then do some drills to get you moving.”
Sydney makes her way to me through the crowd as the kids begin shuffling into their groups. It is easy enough. Sydney planned ahead and had their nametags grouped by color, making it straightforward to determine who is in each group.
“Your speech was excellent. It was perfect.” She smiles, holding her hand up to give me a high-five.
I chuckle, glancing around the gym to the kids nearby, gauging if any are within earshot.
“I’m glad you were impressed.” I wink, keeping it PG, clapping her hand.
The rest of the afternoon is filled with ball-handling practice, working on their shooting form, and running different plays with each group.
Each of the kids takes the time to show me different skills they’ve been working on, and I’m impressed by how open they are to learn and genuinely encourage each other.
“Hey, Mr. Rush. Can I talk to you for a second?” Isaac, one of the boys, asks. I noticed him earlier on when we were running through the dribbling. If I had to guess, he is probably around eight or nine years old. Something about him reminds me a lot of myself when I was his age. He has a shy and quiet side to him, but you can tell he puts a lot of his energy and drive into playing ball.
“You can call me Rush, buddy. What’s up?”
“You’re one of my favorite players,” he says bashfully. His eyes glance away, trying to muster up the courage to say what he wants to say. “I’ve been watching you since you started in Chicago. Do you remember the play you made against San Antonio when you did a pass fake and Balstead fell on the ground, scoring the three-pointer to win the game?”
I’m amazed he knows this much about me or even remembered the game at such a young age. That was my first season in Chicago three years ago, but still one of the highlights of my career. We were able to tie the game, putting us into overtime after being down seventeen points at the half. It was a huge game for me, especially since we were able to get the win.
“You bet I remember that play. It was one of the biggest plays of my career.”
“You were so awesome,” he boasts, excitement evident in his voice. “You wouldn’t mind watching me run through the play, would you, and giving me some pointers? I’ve watched it so many times, I think I can do it, but I want to see what you think.”
“Go for it.” Clapping my hands, I crouch down at his level, getting into a defensive position.
He dribbles the ball, letting out a deep breath as he flashes me a nervous smile.
“You got this. Give it to me.”
He nods, his face turning serious. He dribbles the ball a few times, crossing between his legs, then back again. He’s smooth in his transitions, never letting his eyes give away his next move.
He turns his shoulder to me as he keeps looking past me, surveying the court as he fakes to the right. Seeing as he’s right-handed, I expect it as my body shifts to follow him.
He’s quick because as soon as he sees he’s got me, he rocks to the left, giving him time and space to dribble past me or, if he’s lucky, get the shot off at the last second.
“Dang, kid. You definitely got handles. I’ll be seeing you in the league in a few years.” I grin, holding up my hand for a high-five.
Seeing the look of pride beaming on his face is what makes doing these events all worth it.
