Jake Kelley: Hoosier Point Guard

By Tom Williamson

As a teenager, were you ever the NEW KID on the block? Even the thought of that situation starts to generate feelings of insecurity and cause anxieties to flood in.

Take that circumstance, add a number of other teenage issues and you have the backdrop for Jake Kelley, Hoosier Point Guard the compelling, exciting, heart-warming story of a teenager who finds himself facing a number of "coming-of-age" issues that are so familiar to all of us as we navigate that unique period of our lives.

It is a fun, easy-reading journey penned by author Tom Williamson, a veteran coach with more than 40 years of junior and senior high school coaching experience as well as a state championship-winning coach in two sports.

Coach Williamson taps into his own background and experience as a youngster growing up in "basketball crazy" Indiana, then utilizes his championship coaching knowledge to create a smooth-flowing narrative that connects with teen readers of all ages.

As a championship winner, Coach Williamson is noted for his meticulous preparation and attention to detail, traits that are evident in this fun-to-read, feel-good story which is sure to leave a smile on the faces of the readers.

• Language: English
• Publisher: eBookIt.com
• Release date: Oct 25, 2017
• ISBN: 9781939614889

Book preview

Author

Sleep was out of the question for Jake Kelley the night before enrolling in his new school. How to fit in with his classmates kept him tossing and turning most of the evening in his unfamiliar home in Phoenix. Just days before, he was living in Indiana and playing basketball in the last few games for South Side Junior High. He had looked forward to playing for Coach Chad as a member of the Anderson High School basketball team and longed to be the leader with friends he had played with since elementary school. Eventually, Coach Knight at Indiana University might have even offered him a scholarship. As he gazed around the room, the mementos of Indiana basketball made him realize he would never win a state championship in front of thousands of screaming Hoosiers. His world seemed shattered.

So many questions raced through his mind. Would his new school be different? Being the new kid from another state, would he be accepted? Would he even have a chance to play ball at a school that was so much larger than the one he had just left, especially since the season had already begun? His dad, Jim, had apologized so many times for being transferred from General Motors at this crucial point in the season, but he said it was an opportunity he just couldn’t refuse. His mother, Jean, had explained to him all the right things he would experience when they moved to the desert, such as the beautiful year-round weather. However, Jake, or Lefty as his family and friends knew him, would have been more than happy to trade a rainy Indiana day for all the sunshine he had seen in Arizona. He would have sacrificed the magnificent view of a Saguaro cactus for a cornfield and his outdoor hoop. With so many thoughts racing through his head, sleep was barely able to find room. Around midnight and through a few tears of loneliness, he finally drifted into a restless slumber.

The sound of Jake’s alarm seemed to coincide with the game buzzer as he once again made the winning off balance three point shot to avenge Indiana State’s loss to Michigan State in the 1978 NCAA Finals. The little Lefty woke with a smile as he thanked teammate Larry Bird for his no-look pass as they cut down the nets together.

Good morning Jake, said his mother. Did you have trouble sleeping last night in your new room?

No, Mom. Jake lied, so he did not make her feel bad. He knew it was a struggle to make a move.

Breakfast is ready as soon as you come to the table, and I even made your favorite meal to celebrate our arrival in Arizona.

Jake hugged his mom because she had tried everything to make the family feel good about the move, even though she could tell he was very depressed. The kitchen was full of the familiar aroma of pancakes, bacon, and his father’s coffee. He felt comfortable in this casual setting which gave him hope that this might be a good day after all.

Son, as soon as you finish breakfast and feed the dogs, I will take you to school, and we can get you enrolled, said Dad.

Thanks, Dad. At least I won’t have to ride the bus because I already feel like an outsider, said Jake.

Jake, you have to feel excited about meeting new friends and attending a new school. Make sure you take your basketball gear because we will also talk to the coach, said his dad.

I’ll bet I don’t have a chance because it is so late in the season, said Jake. Besides, everybody out here is probably bigger than me. The coach probably won’t even give me a chance because I’m only five foot six.

Don’t you remember what coach Chad told you about size being overrated, and your role as a point guard was something that every team needed? Didn’t he also say how much the team would miss you next year? reminded Dad.

You two need to get moving, or you will both be late, told Mom. I’ll feed the dogs today as long as you promise to smile before you leave the house. She gave Jake a big hug and handed him his South Side basketball bag. I thought you might need this.

Mountain Vista Middle School was at least twice as big as his old school. Loneliness swept throughout his body like a cold chill as he and his father walked into the building. He somehow hoped to see at least one familiar face in the sea of students who were walking in the hallways, but that hope faded quickly as his dad found the principal’s office.

Can I help you? asked a friendly school secretary at the front desk. You two gentlemen look lost.

My name is Mr. Kelley, and I am here to enroll my son Jake in the eighth grade.

Welcome to Mountain Vista. I am Mrs. Bard, and I hope we can help Jake get into classes as soon as possible so he can become part of our school, she said as she began to prepare his class schedule. If you have any problems or questions, feel free to come see me.

The principal of the school, Mr. Crandall, stuck his head out from his office and said, Welcome to Mountain Vista, and I will repeat what Mrs. Bard has probably told you about making your relocation to our school as smooth as possible. We hope Jake will quickly consider himself a Cobra.

Mr. Crandall, before we go, we do have one question about playing basketball. Is there any chance Jake could have a tryout since he played on his school team in Indiana? asked his father.

Mr. Kelley, we can answer that question because I see Coach John Pearson out in the hall right now. Let’s ask him, said Mr. Crandall as he left his seat and yelled at Coach to join them in the office.

Hello, Coach. I would like you to meet Mr. Kelley and his son Jake who is enrolling at our school today, said Mr. Crandall. Coach, they want to know if Jake can try out for the team. Jake played point guard at his school in Indiana.

Mr. Crandall, I am sorry, but the seventh-grade coach is Mr. Nathan, and he is not at school today. I do know he already has an excellent team this year, said Coach Pearson.

Coach, my son is in the eighth grade, said Mr. Kelley frustrated by Coach Pearson’s assumption.

I am sorry Mr. Kelley, but your child is so small that I assumed he was in the seventh grade. I don’t think he would have much of a chance against some of the bigger players we have on our team this year, especially at point guard.

Jake felt punched in the stomach, and the room seemed to spin. What more could go wrong? First, leaving all his friends in Indiana and now being told he had no chance to play the game he had dreamed of since he was a small child.

He felt a tear and tried to cover it with his hand. All of the days he had practiced his ball handling and shooting on sometimes frozen courts until his parents yelled for him to come to dinner seemed, at this moment, to have been nothing more than a waste. The chance to play his favorite sport appeared to be a distant memory.

Coach, is there any chance that I could at least practice one time with the team to see if I could play? You could tell me honestly if I had an opportunity to help the team or even be a manager? asked Jake, begging for a chance.

I will answer that question for you, Jake, said Mr. Crandall. "You will