The Nod

By Guy McBride

Jamaal was an inner-city kid that moved to Long Island with his dad. Dealing with the cultural changes and being accepted by his new basketball team were not easy for him. Teammate Brett McKnight was the steady force that helped bridge the gap between the obstacles that Jamaal and his new teammates had to face. Jamaal and Brett learn from each other and go on to form a friendship, a bond that would be greater than either of them could have imagined.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Sep 16, 2016
• ISBN: 9781524535216

Guy McBride

Guy McBride is presently residing in Levittown, New York. He is married and has three children. He grew up in Queens, New York, and always had a love for sports. He started playing sports at a very young age and went on to play basketball at Flushing High School. He played college basketball at Queens College. As an adult, he has coached tee-ball, CYO, and travel teams in baseball, basketball, and softball. He also coached basketball at St. Mary’s High School and Briarcliffe College. He is currently a certified basketball referee for boys and girls high schools and has been a member of the IABBO Basketball Association for over 30 years.

Book preview

Chapter 1

There was a buzz surrounding the gym at the Inland Garden Basketball facility in West Hempstead, Long Island, on this beautiful April afternoon. This was the day that the Boys 14 and under Levittown Lightning AAU basketball squad would get back to work. The boys couldn’t wait for the season to get under way, especially after coming within one game of going to the National Championships in Orlando, Florida, during the 13 and under season last year. Coach Barry Nagelbaum surveyed the court, watching his team get loose. Coach N had coached for many years, CYO ball, high school ball, and AAU ball, but this bunch of kids always gave him the most pleasure. It was like a family. He truly loved all of the boys and all of the families got along real well which is so, so important when you’re dealing with a travel team.

His point guard was Brett McKnight. Brett was a great leader, always played cool and under control and was the team’s best outside threat. Another coach out on the court, is how Coach N often described him.

The two guard was Paul Vitto. He was a hard nosed scrapper who never backed away from anyone or anything. Defense was his game and he always guarded the opponents’ best scorer. He also could chip in offensively when needed.

The team’s center was Kevin Rolen. He stood six feet, two inches and was as strong as an ox. Brett nicknamed him, Big Country because of his resemblance to a college player who Kevin looked like, buzz cut and all.

One of the starting fowards was James Orr. James was long and lean with arms that seemed to touch the floor. He was an all around solid player who did whatever you asked of him and could and would play just about any position on the court.

The other starting forward was Dean DeCarlo. Pretty Boy was his nickname. All of the girls were always hanging around him, especially during lunch. He had a great touch from the outside but played a little soft. His teammates were always on him to mix it up a little more. Kevin used to always tell him not to be afraid to get his skirt dirty.

The Lane brothers were usually the first two off the bench. Derrick and Michael, who were twins, and their games couldn’t be any more different. Derrick played like an animal with scrapes and bruises always decorating his knees while Michael tended to shy away from contact. Guys on the team would always rag on the two that Derrick and Paul should be brothers because of their rough style and that Dean should be Michael’s brother because of their lack of toughness. Both Derrick and Michael played big minutes for this team over the years.

The spark off the bench was Phil Collison. He was the shortest member of the squad but quick as can be. He had an amazing first step and it seemed like every time he came in the game, the tempo would pick up offensively as well as defensively. On the defensive end, it seemed like his quick hands were always causing havoc, deflecting passes and getting steals. God forbid you didn’t dive for a loose ball on the court, Phil would really let you have it as well as Coach N, of course.

The last two players on the bench were Al Vaughn and Joey Howell. These two played real hard but didn’t have as much basketball talent as the others and were mostly on the squad so the team could scrimmage five on five. Coach N always went with an eight man rotation and both knew they probably wouldn’t see much playing time unless the game was a blowout. Al and Joey seemed content to walk around town with their jackets that read Levittown Lightning on the back.

Coach N blew his whistle and gathered the team at mid court for a quick talk on what was expected of them this season as far as commitment and such. Coach was giving his no nonsense speech and as a member of the NYC Police Bomb Squad for over twenty years, his words always had a stand at attention and listen flavor to them. Everybody was chomping at the bit to get going, especially since they’ve heard this type of speech so many times before. The Lightning team had been together since they were eight years old, intact, with no changes. Before the team got ready to break out into their drills, Coach N had one little bit of info for the boys. There was going to be an addition to the team this year. You could hear a pin drop and Coach N surely had the team’s full attention now. Coach explained how Jamaal Braxton had moved from Brooklyn to Levittown and how his dad had contacted him about playing for the Lightning.

In a meeting they had months earlier, Jamaal’s dad, Keith, had explained to Coach N that his son played angry. He said, He always has a scowl on his face and he isn’t the easiest kid to keep happy. His dad continued that Jamaal wasn’t a racist at all but didn’t open up at all to white people, blaming it on the fact that when Jamaal was seven years old, his mother, who