Catrice Thomas

Hoop Dreams

Catrice Thomas

shouted the crowd as Jason hung on the rim. It was the game of the year, and the

Cougars were up by twenty thanks to the efforts of Jason, a senior and the starting forward. The whistle blew and the other

team ran off the court to the coach for their full time out.

“Ooooh”

Catrice Thomas

The other team was on a five year winning streak, but the Cougars put a stop to that.

That year there was a buzz that a new basketball player was coming to LT High. It

seemed as if Jason cam from no where. He had not played before and was virtually unknown until this year. But for whatever reason, the Cougars and Sparksville High

were glad he was there.

Catrice Thomas

It turned out the Jason was sent to Sparksville to live with his uncle. Jason was the oldest child of his parents with 7 younger siblings. His mother and father were having a

hard time since his father was in a car accident that paralyzed him from the neck

down. Jason’s uncle knew the of the financial and emotional stress of a growing boy that was on the family and offered to let Jason

come and live with him to ease some stress.

Catrice Thomas

Scouts were always at the games, and Jason and the Cougars made sure to give

them a show. Already named to the McDonald’s All American team, scouts were calling and coming by daily. But little did they know

that Jason had already committed to the University of Alabama. Next year, he

was coming to be a member of the Crimson Tide and boy

was he ready to go.

Catrice Thomas

Fans and students were anticipating the arrival of Jason for the 2009-2010 season, but they had no clue what they had in store for. Thanks to Jason, the Crimson Tide had a wonderful season. They won every game except when they played NC State which Jason was healing from an injury from the

game before and was not able to play. That’s okay because Alabama went on to win the

National Championship.

Catrice Thomas

It was early Thursday morning when Jason got the call.“So whatcha go do,” said

his younger sister on the phone. “Everybody’s talking ‘bout it. Momma’s even been

interviewed by the local news! So are you gonna entr the draft or not? I can’t wait to tell the people at school that my brother is going to the NBA! I told them you were my brother but they didn’t believe me. They’ll

have no chose now!”

Catrice Thomas

Jason did nothing but hold the phone while his sister went on and on. Of course there was the prospect of playing in the NBA, but Jason never

thought so soon. He was just finishing up his freshman year and wasn’t sure he was ready.

He knew that he wanted to go to the NBA someday and would use his Business degree

later when he retired-if then at all. On the other hand, he was sure to be the number one draft pick and his family could really use the money

now. Plus he and his father always talked about him playing professional basketball and that’s a dream he wanted his father to be alive to see.

Catrice Thomas

What Should Jason Do

Go to the NBA? Stay in school and earn his degree?

Catrice Thomas

Jason knew that the NBA would always be there. Of course there was

the risk of getting hurt, but Jason wanted to set an example for his

younger siblings. He wanted them to know that getting an education was

the most important thing to do.

Catrice Thomas

Jason went on to graduate with honors from the University of Alabama and was drafted as the number

one pick in the 2012 NBA draft. He signed a multi-million dollar contract and moved his family into a

huge mansion. The only down side is that his father did not live to see him attain their dream of being in

the NBA, but Jason knew his father was looking down from heaven proud of the choices his son made.

Catrice Thomas

Jason decided that he could always go back and earn his

degree, so he entered into the draft. He felt that he would be

able to provide for his family and they would not have to worry and

struggle anymore.

Catrice Thomas

Jason was not the number one draft pick but was in the top 10. He wasn’t a starter, but his contract was still enough to get the family back together. He was able to pay for a full time nurse for his father to help ease the stress off of his mother.

Catrice Thomas

During his second season in the NBA, Jason went up for one of his famed dunks

but was tangled with another player and fell to the floor hard. He tried to get up and then realized

that he couldn’t feel his leg. He was carried off the

court and received the bad news that he tore his ACL. He was out for the rest of

the season and tried therapy, but he never fully

recovered.

Catrice Thomas

The End