Phenom - Let's Play Basketball Read online

“Where do you go after the game? Matthew asked, as the players were getting dressed.

  The responses varied. A few players had dates and a couple others said their parents were taking them home. “We each pretty much go our own way,” Andy replied. “We don’t really hang out together that much.”

  “Is there a pizza place or somewhere we could get a bite to eat?” Matthew asked. “Care to go, Andy?”

  “Sure, I’ll go. There’s a place called Mama Mia’s where some of the kids hang out. They have pretty good pizza and great garlic bread.”

  “Mama Mia’s it is,” Matthew said loudly. “Anyone care to join us. Bring your parents or girlfriends, everyone’s welcome. From now on we start hanging out together. We are a team!”

  Rodney and Seth started to leave the locker room when Matthew stopped them. “Hold on a minute, guys. We leave the locker room together. Come on, get your bags and let’s go. Coach, lead us out.”

  I had no idea what was going on until I opened the door to a round of applause from the parents, fans and cheerleaders. The small crowd continued the applause until the last player appeared. I asked Principal Hawkins what the occasion was.

  Ray Wilson said this was the tradition at Matthew’s California high school, so now it’s our tradition. Win or lose, we wait for the boys and show our support. I didn’t know it at the time but soon there would be hundreds, even thousands, waiting for us after every game.

  “Thanks for coming tonight, Ray. I hope you all can make it tomorrow night at Whitefish Bay.”

  “I’ll be there, Jim. I haven’t missed one of Matthew’s games yet.”

  “Dad, we are going to Mama Mia’s for pizza tonight,” Matthew interrupted. “Parents are invited too.”

  “We can’t make it tonight son,” Matthew’s father answered. “I need to pay off some friendly gambling wagers. I owe a few people a cup of coffee.”

  “We told him we weren’t taking his money,” one of the parents said. “We all knew who really won the game tonight.”

  “That’s enough of that,” Matthew replied. “We lost by one point and that’s all there is to it. Let’s learn and put it behind us.”

  “Here he comes,” a coed whispered moments before Matthew and Andy walked into Mama Mia’s Pizza Parlor. The twenty or so Shorewood students burst into spontaneous applause which Matthew acknowledged by raising Andy’s arm. “Over here, Matthew, we saved a spot for you at our table.”

  “Thanks, Jerry, but Andy and I are sticking together.” He looked around and spotted teammates Seth and Nick who were already at another table. “Let’s pull a few of these tables together and make one big table in the center.”

  Everybody wanted to talk about the game, but after 20 minutes Matthew steered the conversation to other things. “What are we planning for the senior project?” he asked, and was met by a bunch of blank stares.

  “What senior project?” Seth responded.

  “Well, the high school where I came from, the senior class undertook a major project each year, something to remember then by.”

  “Like what?” a boy asked.

  “Well, last year the seniors built two homes for underprivileged families. They held carwashes and other fundraisers to raise the money for the materials and then got parents and volunteers to provide the expertise. The boys did most of the hard labor under the direction of professionals; plumbers, electricians, and the like. The girls did all the interior decoration; painting, wall paper, carpeting, drapes, bedding and so on. To my knowledge, the two homes are still standing,” Matthew quipped.

  “We could do something like that,” Allen volunteered. “My dad’s an electrician and I know he would be happy to help.”

  “Allen, put a committee together of eight or ten kids to come up with ideas that we could present to the Student Council and the school administrators. We would need their backing in order to do something like this.”

  While the kids were throwing out ideas, Matthew motioned to Jennifer. “Come on, I’d like to talk with the owner. Are we all set for tomorrow morning?”

  “We’ll be there at 8 AM and Principal Hawkins said he would let us in and provide us with names and phone numbers.”

  “Good, did you ask them to keep this quiet? I’d like it to be a surprise.”

  Mama Mia’s was a franchise and the store manager and half-owner of the franchise was in the kitchen. Matthew made his request. “We need to reserve the restaurant tomorrow night for Shorewood students, parents and teachers. There will be more than a 1,000 students and teachers that will be ordering pizza. Can you handle a crowd like that?”

  “Not all at once,” he responded as his eyes lit up, “but if you stagger them over a four hour period, I’ll get the people in here to man the ovens.”

  “Great, Jennifer will coordinate with you. The game should end about nine and the team will get here by 10 pm, but by 8 pm the place should be full with students that didn’t go to the game. From 9 to 1, just start making pizzas as fast as you can. You won’t have time to take orders, so just make the pizzas that are most popular and we will charge a flat amount. Keep track of how many you make and we will settle up after if there is a discrepancy, but remember, keep this quiet. I don’t want word getting out that we are planning anything tomorrow night.”

  Jennifer got home about 12:30 and tried to sleep, but her mind was racing. So much had happened today and tomorrow would even be a bigger day. Matthew was relying upon her. Her mother had been waiting up when she got home and promised to drive her to school. “Why do you have to be there on a Saturday?” she asked. “Is there anything wrong?”

  “No mom, I’m fine, in fact everything is wonderful.”

  She finally managed to fall asleep around 4:00 AM and two hours later the alarm went off. Jennifer washed and set her hair and by twenty of eight she was ready, but her mother was refusing to wake up. “Mother, we need to go now, I can’t be late. Give me the keys and I’ll drive myself.”

  “Okay, come on, I’ll drive you,” she said as she threw a coat over her nightgown. They drove up to the school and Jennifer could tell she was the last one there. She was frantic and worried that her most important day was getting off to a terrible start. As they pulled up in front of the school, Matthew walked over to open the passenger door. “Good morning Jennifer, you’re just in time. Wow, I like the way you did your hair. You look beautiful.” Jennifer felt the same glow that she had the night before and her anxieties disappeared.

  “Mrs. Kirkland, I’m Matthew Wilson. Thanks for driving Jennifer this morning; we couldn’t do this without her. Your daughter looks just like you - I can see where she gets her good looks. Are you planning on going to the game this evening?”

  Mrs. Kirkland was flustered and embarrassed and chastised herself for not spending the time to make herself more presentable. She knew that her hair was a mess and she had no make-up.

  “I don’t think we can make it this evening, we’re going out to dinner with some good friends; maybe next time.”

  “If they are really good friends of yours, Mrs. Kirkland, I think they would want to see your daughter cheerlead. She is really good. We are also planning a surprise party after the game and you and your friends are invited.”

  Ed Kirkland was reading the paper when Sandy returned home and the paper was open to the sports section. “Sandy, come take a look at this,” he said pointing at the paper.

  “Ed, you won’t believe the wonderful boy I just met.”

  “Is his name Matthew Wilson?” Ed asked, pointing at the picture. There on the front page of the sports section was a picture of their daughter, Jennifer, being kissed on the cheek by Matthew. The headlines touted him as the best high school player this sportswriter has ever seen.

  “I just met him, Ed, and he is something really special. He has a way of making a person feel good. Do you think Adam and Amy would agree to go to the game with us tonight?”

  There were only three adults at the school
Saturday morning; Principal Bill Hawkins, Peggy Jones, Director of Cheerleading, and me. The 16 cheerleaders, eight from both the Varsity and Junior Varsity cheerleading squads, waited for their assignments eagerly. “Girls, we are going to throw a party tonight and the entire school is invited. Our job is to call every student today and make sure they are there tonight. I have copies of the script that you are to use when contacting students. After you greet the person and identify yourself, here’s what I want you to say.

  ‘There is a surprise party being thrown tonight for the basketball team, this year’s state high school champions. Everyone at school is invited and we really need your support.’ If they laugh or ask you something about being future champions, just ask them to look at today’s Milwaukee Journal sports section and tell them that Matthew Wilson personally asked you to call them. If they say they can’t make it, try to find out why and somebody else will call them back later. If they need a babysitter, we will find a babysitter for them. If they have to work, we’ll try to find someone to take their place. I’ll be in charge of handling the follow-up calls. Tell them the party is at Mama Mia’s starting at eight o’clock. Remember, this is a surprise party. Nobody from the basketball teams, varsity or junior varsity, must know. I want it be a surprise.”

  “Okay, if there are no questions get a homeroom list from Principal Hawkins and begin making your calls. Ms. Jones and Coach Simpson will call the teachers and parents of the players.” Matthew did not tell the cheerleaders that their parents would also be invited.

  “Principal Hawkins, could you help me out on something.”

  “What I can do, Matthew?”

  “There will be an awful lot of people packed into a small area this evening. We can expect parking problems, traffic congestion and the like. It would be nice if we could get some off-duty policemen working with us to provide traffic control.”

  “Better yet, “Principal Hawkins replied, “the mayor and I are good friends. Why don’t I see if we make the entire block a pedestrian walkway? We could also call the other restaurants on that block and advise them to be ready for a crowd of hungry students.”

  Four hours later everything seemed to be falling into place. 85% of the students and teachers had been contacted and said they would be there. Matthew was calling the ones that said no. My call to Ray Wilson was a pleasant diversion. “I figured Matthew was up to something,” he said. “Susan and I will be there.”

  “I’m sure you already know he is quite a young man, just as you knew that he was probably good enough to make our team.”

  “I do have a little fun understating his abilities and then watching the reaction as people see how good he is. I was proud of him last night and the way he handled defeat. You know, Coach, this was the first time he’s been on a losing team.”

  “You mean a team with a losing record?”

  “No, I mean he had never lost a game before – ever.”

  “There were only two minutes to go before half-time and my Shorewood Bulldogs were up by five points, 35-30. The stands were packed as 300 people had made the trip from Shorewood to see the new player. Matthew had scored eight points, but was nothing close to the dominating player he had been the evening before. He seemed content to get his teammates involved. There were two college scouts in the stands, and one of them said he was going to get a hot dog and coke before the half-time rush. “I’ll stick around,” the other said. “I want to watch this new kid.”

  “Don’t waste your time, he’s not as good as the newspaper claimed. There are four or five better players in the city conference.”

  “Coach, let’s put a press on them after our next basket.”

  While I made the assignments I noticed that Matthew nod to Jennifer before he headed back on court. We inbounded the ball and Kevin dribbled the ball into the fore court. He called out a play; a double screen for Matthew who came around underneath the basket and flashed the top of the key. Kevin got him the ball waist high and his 18 ft. jump shot split the net.

  All eight cheerleaders jumped to their feet holding identical signs; “press, press,” They were screaming at the top of their lungs and were quickly joined by our 300 supporters. The Whitefish Bay guard was caught unaware and was double teamed and trapped in the corner. He should have called time out, but panicked and threw a long pass up court that was intercepted by Osteen. Tom passed to Matthew who launched a 25 ft. jump shot which again swished through the basket. He was yelling, “press, press,” before the ball reached the rim.

  Rodney intercepted the inbound pass and put up a quick jump shot that went high off the rim, but Matthew caught the rebound above the basket and slammed it down for two more points. Whitefish Bay needed a time out badly, but there were only 40 seconds left in the half, enough time for Matthew to score two more baskets to increase the lead to 15. With five seconds to go he deflected the ball and caught up to it just before it went out of bounds. In one smooth motion, he turned and fired up a desperation shot from mid-court. He looked at the referees while the ball was in the air and both referees raised their hands and gave the “good if it goes in sign”. The ball fell through the basket as the half time gun sounded. Our five point lead had grown to 17 in less than two minutes.

  Matthew raced up into the stands high-fiving the Shorewood students and supporters, and the other players followed. Matthew nodded his recognition to Jennifer’s mother as he high-fived Ed Kirkland and his friend Adam Moore. The crowd was still applauding as they returned to the locker room.

  “I wouldn’t have missed this for anything,” Adam said to Ed and Sandy. “Thanks so much for inviting us.”

  The scout returned with his hot dog and coke and asked what he had missed. The other scout’s player evaluation form had 10 scrawled across all categories. “If you have five players like this in the city conference, I wish you would show them to me. They could win the NCAA Championship next year. This kid is the best I have ever seen.”

  The final score was 91 to 62 and the players were still celebrating as the team bus approached the school. As is tradition, the Varsity team was in the back of the bus while the JV team was in front. “Why aren’t we stopping,” one of the players asked as the bus driver drove past the school, “my car’s at the school.”

  I stood up and addressed the players. “Roll down your windows, and greet your fans and admirers. You are members of the Shorewood Bulldog basketball team, future state champions. This party tonight is for you.” I glanced at Matthew and could see that he was pleased that the surprise had worked. The players had not suspected a thing. They could see the students walking along the side of the road yelling their names and holding up State Champion signs created by the cheerleaders earlier that afternoon. We pulled up in front of Mama Mia’s and the school’s pep band began to play. One call from Principal Hawkins to the bandleader had been enough to get this started. Even Matthew was surprised.

  Matthew led the team into Mama Mia’s where parents and teachers were waiting. There were several players whose parents had never been at a game and it was wonderful to see the reaction on the boys’ faces. The varsity players and parents were set up at a table in the middle of the room with the rest of the people in the booths and tables around the room. A half hour later Jennifer was sitting next to her dad in one of the booths across from their friends, Adam and Amy Moore. They were just finishing their pizza and were about to leave to make room for others. Matthew had been making the rounds talking to the parents and thanking teachers for coming. He approached the table and crouched down at the end much like a waiter taking an order.

  “Mrs. Kirkland, I am so glad you could make it. Mr. Kirkland, I’m Matthew Wilson, and these must be your good friends, Adam and Amy Moore.” Everyone but Jennifer was surprised that he knew their names, but then he knew everybody’s name, Jennifer thought. He had greeted each parent by name when they walked in the door.

  “I hope you enjoyed the game tonight. Weren’t Jennifer and the rest of the cheerle
aders tremendous?”

  “They were, Matthew, and the team looked pretty good too. I’m so glad we did this tonight. It wouldn’t have missed this for anything,” Sandy Kirkland said. “Thank you so much for encouraging us to be here.” Ed Kirkland and the Moore’s muttered their agreement.

  “Mr. Kirkland, I have a favor to ask. If it’s okay with Jennifer, may I have your permission to drive your daughter home tonight?”

  Ed Kirkland could barely speak, partially because he felt fingernails digging into his legs from both his wife and daughter. He knew what he wanted to say but he didn’t know how to say it. “That will be fine, Matthew, just so she doesn’t stay out too late. Okay, Jennifer?” Jennifer just nodded her head in agreement.

  “Thank you, and thanks again for coming. Some of the other parents are leaving now and I need to say goodbye. Jennifer, I’ll pull up a chair next to mine at the center table for you.” With that, he was gone.

  “I wish you could have seen the look on your daughter’s face,” Amy Moore said after Jennifer left the table.

  “I didn’t have to see it,” Sandy replied, “I probably had the same look on my face. It reminded me so much of when Ed asked me out the first time back in college.”

  “Well, let me leave the tip and we can make room for the next group. Are we still planning on stopping for a cocktail?”

  “I don’t think so,” Sandy replied. “I’m a little tired and would like to get home.”

  “But, it’s early,” Adam insisted, as he felt his wife’s elbow dig into his stomach.

  “What? What did I say?”

  “I’ll tell you later; I think I’d like to get home, too.”

  It was one o’clock when the final group left. Some of the players and cheerleaders stayed and helped clean up. There were 730 pizzas served that night plus another 400 orders of garlic bread. The surprise party had been a wonderful success.

  Matthew took Jennifer home that night and walked her to the door. She was exhausted and her body was trembling, partially due to the lack of sleep, but mostly because of the closeness of Matthew. She had never felt this way about a boy before and didn’t know what she should do. She wanted so much for him to kiss her. She was glad that her mother had forgotten to turn on the front porch light. As they got to the door, Matthew turned her by the shoulders and put his arms around her and drew her close.

  “Jennifer, I’ll never forget the support you have given me these last two days.” He then reached down and kissed her gently on the lips.

  Jennifer had been dating for two years and had been kissed by several boys, but never like this. Her body shuddered as his lips touched hers and he pulled her gently against his body.

  Chapter 7 - Father Sean McGinnis