That was unexpected.

Did he just say he’s not gonna train me? He asked me about my goal and I answered NBA, was that bad? Is this goal too normal? Does he think I just said it to impress him?

“Waaaa? Why? Is there something wrong with my goal?” I asked worriedly.

Jones looked a little angry, did I upset him with my goal?

“Your goal is impossible to achieve!” he spoke in an authoritarian voice.

“Nothing is impossible!”

Of course, I know that reaching the NBA is very hard and that only the select few make it. But to call it impossible is an exaggeration. After finishing watching KNB, I started to get interested in basketball. Seeing NBA players dunking or hitting far away threes gave me the motivation to play basketball. To say my dream is impossible to achieve is something I will not accept!

“Maybe it’s not completely impossible, but the chances of getting into the NBA are almost zero. How many german NBA players were there in total? Maybe 25? And how many germans do you think have tried to get into the NBA?! And a kid like you should make it?!"

Jones was really upset. You could see that he didn't like that topic. Maybe he also had dreamed of becoming an NBA player at one time, but he didn’t make it. However, I can’t accept his way of thinking.

“Yes, I am convinced I can do it!”

“DO NOT OVERESTIMATE YOURSELF! You don’t know anything about basketball! When a beginner like you says he wants to be an NBA player is just arrogant!” Jones shouted.

There it was again the ’don’t overestimate yourself', first the captain and now also Jones.Maybe I am really overestimating myself.

“Maybe I have no idea about basketball and maybe I am overestimating myself, so what?At the end of the day, I will still follow my goal!”

“You don’t know what it’s like to try something impossible. It’s people like you who are convinced they can do it, who suffer the most in the end! You will do your best every day to work on you and get better only to find out that you are still not good enough! The moment when you realize that even though you did your best and did everything you could, you still won’t reach your goal is the moment when you understand that EVERYTHING WAS FOR NOTHING!”

Jones let it all out. Now I know that Jones speaks from experience because only someone who has experienced it can say something like that, but I still don’t agree.

“I think it’s still better than not trying. Even if the probability is low, you have to at least try it in order not to regret anything!”

“That’s what you’re saying now. I want to see if you’ll still say the same thing in a few years."

“But for that you would have to train me to follow my development,“ I said cunningly to get him to train me.

“I’m not going to train someone just so he could destroy himself.”

Those were Jones' last words. After he said that, he packed his stuff and disappeared.

Although the conversation didn’t go very well, I still haven’t given up on being coached by Jones. How could I after seeing how good he is? I have to think of something to persuade him.

I continued to train and after about an hour I went home.

The next day I went back to the court at the same time, but Jones wasn’t there. Of course there could be several reasons why he wasn’t there but the only one I could think of was that it was because of me. Maybe he was so annoyed by me that he’s going somewhere else now. That would be a shame, but I can’t change that now. I just have to keep training to reach my goals.

I trained the basics, dribbling, shooting and layups. The exercises I did were from YouTube. They were for beginners because I have to learn the basics first. But will the basics be good enough to defeat Hans? No, I still need them. I have to learn the basics quickly so I can continue with the advanced stuff.

A week passed and Jones was still not there. Slowly, I had given up about him, but I continued to train. I was on the court at the same time every day and practiced the basics.

I have already made small progress. In the beginning layups were still very hard for me. I hardly made any and mostly travelled. When you do a layup you can only do two steps after taking the ball, and that in motion.

But after I watched a few YouTube videos I learned many tips for example that you should aim at the upper corner of the small square above the ring during the layup. Or that you should practice only from a standing position.

As a result, I managed to make about half of all my layup attempts. That sounds pretty good at first but a good player should be able to make every wide open layup. I still have a long way to go.

My dribbling hasn’t improved much yet. I still have a hard time dribbling the ball without looking at it. And we don’t want to talk about things like dribbling through the legs or behind the back. But those are things that get better over time.

My shooting, on the other hand, is pretty good for my circumstances. I usually hit shots from close range and sometimes I can put them in from a distance. Only my threes still need some practice. It seems like I don’t have enough strength to make them. It’s probably time to do some push-ups.

I wanted to join a basketball club outside from school, but something came up. When I told my parents that I wanted to join a basketball club, they hesitated at first. They said I should check if I really liked basketball and come back in a few weeks.

They reacted like this, because in the past I was often motivated to start some sport but then stopped after a few weeks.

I tried to convince them that it was different this time but they didn’t seem to be persuaded, so I have to get better without any club training for now.

Two weeks passed.

I continued to train diligently every day. Sometimes Junior came along and we played together. Other days I also played against other people who were on the court.

I’ve improved.

Out of 10 layups I make 8 and dribbling also is much easier now. Dribbling is really just a matter of practice. Although I wouldn’t say my dribbling is particularly good, it should be enough for now.

I felt like I was getting good enough to defeat Hans when he showed up.

Lucas.

“Hey, you’re that one sixth grader, aren’t you?” Lucas shouted happily.

“Yes. And you’re Lucas, the one who helped me. Thanks again.”

“I didn’t do anything. In the end, you still have to beat Hans."

“What are you doing here?” I asked normally.

“Isn’t that obvious? I’m here to play basketball.“

Lucas looked at me like I was an idiot.

“I’ve never seen you here before,“I explained.

“I usually go somewhere else to play, but that doesn’t matter now,“ he said relaxedly,

“If I’m already here let’s do a 1v1."

He challenged me with a smile on his face.

A 1v1 against Lucas. Lucas the super talent of the Basketball Club. A seventh grader who is respected by the captain. There is not always a chance like this.

“Of course!“ I replied immediately.

I will not miss this opportunity. If I play against him I can see how much I really improved.

We started right away but before it starts we have to decide who has ball.

“Who got a ball?” I asked.

“You can have it. It’s not like it makes a difference."

He said that without any doubts in his words. And it didn't seemed like he wanted to provoke me or anything like that. That just shows how confident he is. But he will regret underestimating me!

We checked up and started the game.

’Then let’s see how good the super talent really is,’ I just thought.

Lucas' defensive stance was relaxed but still I didn’t feel like I could just get past him.

I dribbled careful and protected the ball with my off hand. But when I tried to go forward the ball was suddenly gone.

A steal!

Without me noticing it Lucas stealed the ball. But I was lucky because the ball landed out of bound.

“Lucky you,“ Lucas said annoyed.

We checked up again and this time I didn’t dribble the ball. I watched Lucas closely. He was back in his relaxed stance but I know I can’t underestimate him.

There was enough room between us. Not a lot of room but enough room to try a shot. I pretended to dribble, but started to shoot. Lucas seemed surprised. I jumped up and shot the ball when Lucas suddenly jumped too.

’You’ll never get that,’I thought.

But Lucas managed to block the ball.

’What a bounce!'

This time the ball didn’t go out of bound and Lucas was in possession of the ball.

When Lucas was on offense, it went fast. I thought Hans would be fast, but compared to Lucas, he’s just a lame snail.

Within a moment he moved past me and scored through a layup.

’No chance!'

It was that moment when I realized Lucas was playing in a different league.

He reached the five points quickly. Be it by layups or shots he hit everything. Once he even gave me the ball and let me through just to block me at the end.

A total defeat.

I had never experienced anything like this before. To be so powerless, and yet he is only one year older than me.

“I’m disappointed,“Lucas said humiliatingly.

You’re disappointed? What do you think I am? I thought I’d gotten better, and then you show me how incompetent I am.

“Did you even train?”

When Lucas said that, I freaked out.

“Did I even train? Of course! I went to the court every day and did my best! Even when it was raining, I went out to train! So don’t you dare say I didn’t train!” I yelled at him. I took all my anger out on him.

“I understand then I just overestimated you, because as you are now you don’t stand a chance against Hans."

When I heard those words, I collapsed. I overestimated myself again. I thought because I got a little better I could beat Hans already. How stupid.

That’s when I remembered Jones' words. It’s exactly what he said. I did my best and worked on myself only to end up not being good enough. Now I understand what he meant.This feeling of despair is really bad. I never want to feel it again.

Still, if I give up now, I’ll never reach my goals! I still have two weeks to go. In that time I have to get better!

“Lucas, what exactly do I have to do to get better?”

When I asked, Lucas seemed surprised. He probably didn’t expect me not to give up. He seemed to be thinking. He put his hand in front of his chin and pondered.

“Mhmmm.... train more."

Of course such an answer would come. I have already trained as much as possible.

“What else besides training?”

Lucas thought and put his hand in front of his chin again.

“I got it. Find yourself a coach."

Of course a coach. Because Jones was gone so long I almost forgot. I have to find Jones!

“Are there any other basketball courts nearby?”

“Yes, next to the kindergarten on Shebenstreet."

“Okay thanks."

I packed my things and left.

“Where are you going?” asked Lucas.

“To my coach”, I just replied.

I saw Lucas thinking of coming with me but for some reason he didn’t.

Shebenstreet was five minutes away. Most likely Jones is always there training to avoid meeting me.

When I arrived at the court, I saw someone training.

It was Jones, so I was right with my theory.

I walked up to him and when he noticed I was there he gave me an annoyed look.

But I didn’t let it bother me. I bowed and shouted,

“Jones Sensei please teach me basketball!”