The Slippery Floor

By Raymond Rodriguez

PACHS v Mandela Academy

1-12-10 -VonHumboldt Gym

Twenty minutes behind schedule, the undefeated PACHS basketball team took the court.  They were displaced from their home gym at Barreto’s because of an unforeseen schedule change.  Von Humboldt Elementary school would be the first away home game of the season.  As the gym lights slowly flickered on, the PACHS basketball team took their warm up shots and formed two layup lines… taking turns and practicing focus.  As a blessing, they were able to have eleven eligible players!  Student athletes were working hard to stay on the team and have the ability to represent Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos High School.  As Student Athletes took their practice layups, many of them were slipping from the dusty floor.

Winnie Mandela Academy, an alternative high school from the south side of Chicago showed up ready to play, and amidst the slipping and sliding, they were very focused on their layups and jump shots.  The PACHS basketball coaches Juan and Raymond, noticed their players’ attention slipping from their own shots to the team from down south.  It was a team that showed intimidation by touching the ten-foot rim every time they took a layup.   PACHS players missed the ball from easy passes… “Focus!” Ray would bark at his Student Athletes, and he could tell that their feet would not be the only things slipping that night.

The PACHS team was excited, nervous, anxious, scared all in the same moment.  The birthday boy Jesus Garcia, had found a friend to cover his shift at work that night and was able to spend his birthday night with his team.  His daughter and girlfriend sat in the only chair in the gym accompanied by ten to twelve standing PACHS faithful, including the always loud, always positive, Principal Matthew Alec Rodriguez.  He again had his megaphone and was constantly getting the crowd excited as he pretended to coach across the gym from where the team stood.  The two teams were not given benches this night and were forced to stand.  It was almost as if the gym knew that this game would go down to the wire and decided “What would be the point?  Everyone will be standing in the end anyways, so why bother with setting up chairs?”

The game was slow as the players looked like Bambi on ice trying to slip and slide to the hoop.  It took almost six minutes for the first basket to be scored.  PACHS took the quick lead and was on a roll.  There were fast break points, rebounds and even some unselfish play displayed by the passing.  The game plan was again, to take the ball to the hole and get fouled.  However, this night, there would not be a student athlete to save us at the free throw line.  The PACHS team was fouled, hacked, hit, grabbed and the times the referee did blow the whistle, the charity stripe was more of a punishment than a reward.  A “Brick,” is when a player shoots the ball and instead of going in the rim for a score, it loudly hits the rim and sails away from an easy one-point advantage.  The PACHS student athletes could have built a small doghouse with all of the bricks that they created this night.  When you shoot a free throw, no one is allowed to move, the gym gets silent and it is You vs. You.

The PACHS basketball team was lead again by Emmanuel Holmes on the rebounding.  Although he was shorter and younger than the other team, his heart was stronger than theirs.  He was very active, keeping the poorly-took jump shots in play.  The PACHS guards were very happy to have Octavian and Jonathan back on the team but they definitely showed their rust and lack of playing time by some unfortunate turnovers.  Aside from the turnovers, they added the offense and defensive intensity that was needed to look like a fully functioning team.

Every quarter found the PACHS team with a lead.  After only scoring about four points in the first quarter, the team remembered the game plan, “Win at the free throw line,” and had big man Kike took the ball strong to the hole.  The birthday boy was clutch in reminding the guards how successful we can be if the ball goes to our big men.  The majority of the game found a PACHS student athlete at the free throw line.  Although they were bricks, it still showed the teams’ ability to play smart basketball as a team.

The Winnie Mandela team found its way back, as they realized that they were taller and faster.  They were inspired by incredible point guard play and climbed back to gaining their first lead of the game in the fourth quarter.

Confused and out of shape the PACHS team put in their best ice skater, Ricardo, to slide all over the court sticking to their point guard like glue.  His tenacity allowed the defense to focus on other players and the Mandela team was stifled.  Ricardo, allowed the PACHS team to build a comfortable lead.  Much like the feet, the lead slipped away from PACHS.  The team would be taken into over time and then lose at the buzzer with a Mandela three point jump shot.  The (PACHS) team, fans, and coaches were devastated by the score.  The game had drained all energy from everyone involved, even the scoreboard ladies were jumping up and down.  Later, the head custodian would pull Raymond (PACHS coach) aside and go on and on about how impressed and excited he was.  Everyone that showed up for the game was treated to an extremely thrilling game.  There were screams of joy, anger, laughter, elation, and then finally devastation.  More importantly, the custodian was happy that so many teens were doing something productive instead of slipping into something dangerous in the streets.

PACHS – 29

Mandela Academy – 30