It felt awesome to get out on the court again with his team. Almost all his teammates were there, and for the first time since the semester had started, Jo felt confident about their chances of taking it all the way to the Final Four. Even the incoming freshmen were hitting it off, passing the ball to their more seasoned teammates, respecting their elders, avoiding bad shots, playing to win.
Best of all, everyone deferred to him, which boosted his ego and his game—not only was he the team’s star player during the season, but he was also one of the more senior members and all the guys on the court knew it. When he said he was wide open, the ball came sailing his way as if by magic. When he dribbled down the court, guys parted like the Red Sea, giving him space to take the shot. Every free
