Page 18 of Off the Rim
Doing my best to school my face, not wanting to show any weakness or signs of the anxiety twisting in my stomach, I wait for Coach to continue.
"I've got some good news for you."
Good news?
"This isn't public information yet, but I wanted you to be the first to know. As soon as the ink dries, the team will be announcing a new player to our roster. We've got a ringer recruit with a major donation coming in."
I smile, unsure how this is good news. I mean, it's great for the team. He referred to this guy as ‘a ringer’, so that would imply he's good. The team made incredible headway in the rankings last year, making it to the first round of the NCAA tournaments for the first time in decades. Coach Burke has really pulled together an amazing roster and has adopted some really great training techniques that are putting us above and beyond what CVU has experienced before. He has high hopes for this year, and realistically, we have every chance of making it even farther this year if we keep up our momentum.
All of this is truly great news for the team, but what does this have to do with me, specifically?
"The donation that this player is bringing in is going to be extremely beneficial for the program. We'll be able to put more into our summer youth basketball program, which, if I remember correctly, you attended once, right?"
Nodding, I try not to remember the weeks I spent at camp that summer, and what followed. It was the worst time of my life, but Coach wouldn't know that.
"Between you and me, I'm looking at completely new uniforms. Something more modern and fierce,” he says, nodding proudly at whatever image he has conjured up in his mind.
"That sounds awesome," I reply, still unsure what this has to do with me. I know he didn't call me in here to talk about more fashionable uniforms.
"Even better, the donation could put more money in the coffers to offer more scholarship opportunities…" He trails off, and then offers me a large, proud grin. As if he sought out this recruit, and the donation, especially so he could offer me a scholarship. Did he? I don't know, but I'm speechless.
CVU is a school for excessively rich, powerful members of society to send their kids to learn how to be masters of the world. It has been made very clear, on multiple occasions, that scholarships are not something they offer lightly. The only way I was going to ‘talk anyone into giving me a free ride’ at this school was by proving myself to be indispensable. I had to be perfect, and Coach Burke is not easy to impress. My team’s unwillingness to accept me into the fold hasn’t helped.
There's a chance that accepting a scholarship, even one I earned, will earn me more scrutiny from my peers and the staff if it is announced, but it's not an opportunity that I'm about to pass up. I'll lick Coach's loafers if it means I can take the financial pressure off my future. I've already amassed more debt than I can imagine paying off in this lifetime in just my first year. A scholarship changes everything for me.
"That… That would be amazing, Coach."
"You've proved yourself to be a hard worker and a great player. I had my doubts about you fitting in with this team, but you're more than pulling your weight." He eyes me knowingly. "You don't give up, and I respect that about you."
He won't say it outright, but he knows how much shit I get from some of his players. It's not his style to interfere, so he definitely didn't make an effort to step in when his players were pulling stupid middle school pranks, like ignoring me on the court, or throwing my gym bag in the showers so all my clothes and cell phone got soaked. Thank goodness my books and laptop weren't in there. You'd think college students, specifically the sons of the elite businessmen of the world, would be more mature than that.
"I'll let you know when it's finalized, but congratulations. Keep up the good work."
Standing, I accept his handshake, trying to tamp down my enthusiasm so I don't come across as desperate. I want him to know how thankful I am, and how hard I'll continue to work for the opportunity, but I can't act like I don't deserve this. Because I do. I joined this team as a walk on when everyone knew I couldn't afford it. I've been a glorified bench warmer as the team shunned me, slowly moving up as I gained their respect by proving my skills.
Part of Coach Burke's strategy is to fill out his roster with the largest and most versatile players he can recruit, using a handful of his players to act as his ‘scout squad’. Instead of learning and practicing new plays and routines, I spend hours learning the techniques of every team we've played, then using them in practice to make our team stronger. Despite wanting more time on the court, it's actually been fun, if only to have the opportunity to show up the cockier players. No matter how much better than me they think they are, none of them can get past me.
We'll see if this new guy is any exception.
Three days later, the scholarship is confirmed, and I take what is perhaps the deepest breath of my life. I'm on top of the world. The deep sense of relief I feel follows me into everything I do. So much so I become an absolute menace at team practices. Despite being the shortest guy on the team at just over six foot, not one of the players can stop me. Again and again, I shut them out. Practice after practice, I run circles around them.
Coach initiates a new drill during practice, where he puts me in the middle of the court and has his starting line take turns trying to get past me. It's a great exercise for everyone involved. I love the challenge, and I also secretly love getting the chance to best the cocky bastards. The problem is that it's not gaining me any favors with the team and causing even more division off the court. I know my place on this team is effectively being Coach's training tool, and I'm now officially being paid with a free education, so I'm alright with it. Do I wish I was on the court making a name for myself? Of course I do. But by this time nextyear, maybe I could add a personal recommendation letter from William Burke to the degree I'll be earning from a prestigious university. I'm building my future, one block at a time. I don't need to be famous to accomplish my goals.
My elation lasts the rest of the week before it comes crashing down.
CHAPTER 14
ASHTON
A prickle of awareness has me searching the common room of the athletic dorm. My eyes move past the guys standing around me, tuning out their conversation. What were we even talking about? Something trivial, probably. Considering the company, it was either comparing expensive cars or talking about girls—in roughly the same manner. One upping each other to establish a social hierarchy on our first day as teammates. Trying to impress me, which I can't decide if I appreciate or not.
The dark, pathetic parts of me that have been cut off from this lifestyle the past two years are reveling in the attention. I went from being treated like royalty wherever I go, to being just another guy. I'd never had to prove myself before, and it was definitely an unsettling experience. I was no longer the tallest, strongest, most popular player on the team, and most people I met didn't give two shits who my father was. Sadly, the only people I could say I made friends with at Golden State were my frat brothers, and they really only hung around for the social status, not because they found me likable.
I hate it, and it's made me second guess everything about myself.
As nice as it is to walk into a room and have everyone treat me like I'm somebody again, I know I can't trust it. None of this is real. None of these people are real.
My father keeps reminding me that attending a university like CVU is more than getting an education. It's where future leaders go to forge bonds and partnerships that will pave the way to success. Most of the people at Cumberland Valley University come from rich, powerful families like mine and will follow in their parents' footsteps as the elite members of society. They'll become the investment bankers, political leaders, judges, and executives that run the world. And the wives of those powerful people, of course. Because this is where I should start looking for an appropriate wife, as well. Even if it's just for show. There are expectations, after all.
