Gideon’s team had control of the ball. A teammate thought he could catch Gideon off guard. He used all his strength and sent a chest pass streaking through the air toward Gideon’s head. Gideon calmly raised his hands and caught the pass as if the ball was lobbed slowly toward him. He glanced at the configuration of players on the opposing team. They had the shape of an hourglass—two in front, two in back and one in between. He understood right away what each would do to try to prevent him from scoring. He ran forward and around them, dribbling with whatever hand best protected the ball. They’d never seen anyone move so fast or so cleverly. With little effort he avoided every attempt they made to impede his progress. He arrived at the free throw line and jumped in the air and soared so high
