WashingtonT1213

(character)wants (goal) beacause (motivation), but (comflict)

A college basketrball player named austin wants to be te greatest player at his d1 unviversity but has to overcome the stress and complications of school work family issues leading to depression and even an injury which prolongs his journey Climax: just at the begining of his freshman season he tears his ACL ans thus begins his climb to the top

The Doubt

Austin Wood was going in to his freshman year of college as the number 1 recruit out of Oak Hill academy based in Virginia. He was a 6’3”, 210 pound guard with a shooting touch like bird, handles like Allan Iverson and a vertical like LeBron James. This kid was at the top of his game knowing that he had a free ride to any top level D1 one school in the nation and knowing that his ceiling for his potential was through the roof. In addition to his physical stature, he came from a pour background growing up in the foster care system and not knowing who his real parents where always having that mystery to him. In school he was always quiet, never said too much unless asked by the teacher, had a small group of friends mainly the ones he played basketball with. He always had a chip on his shoulder he wanted to be the best he wanted nothing else than to be the best player in the world. He was the type of player who got in the gym first and left last and in the weight room pushing himself till he could no longer move he was a true blue collar type of player. When it came time to pick his school it sure was overwhelming which school was going to get him to the NBA rather than which school was more suitable to his lifestyle. On one of the last days to commit to a school he finally chose to go to the University of Kentucky This was a big deal, of course the social media was all over it they had a special on him and about his whole life had been struggle until he found basketball. This was only the start.

The first day he told the world he was committing to the University of Kentucky, the head coach John Calapari called him 5 minutes later and congratulated him to the team. Coach cal was a nice guy but previous allegations against him were a bit suspicious ,every time he left a school 2 months later an investigation would come up but since he was already at a new school the charges were dropped. Austin knew of these predicaments but he also knew of what Coach Cal could do for his players. He wanted to be on that list of Derrick Rose, John Wall, Anthony Davis, and T.J. Jones that’s why he felt the need to go to Kentucky. The summer after graduating it was off to hitting the gym and working on his game competing for the number 1 spot on the depth chart. Austin knew that in the back of his head it was all a competition at the end of the day, it was everyman for himself, who could out work who to be the best and get noticed the most cause after all the NCAA was just a job interview for the NBA and all the players are interns. He could see it now his name in lights AUSTIN WOOD playing at Madison Square Garden for the NewYork Knicks ,that was his favorite team and he knew it was his time to shine.

The off season had gone great he knew the offense to a T it was similar to the offense he ran in high school it was a motion so it was free flowing and allowed him make plays. Coming in to the season opener he was the starting point guard and after 2, 20 minute halfs everyone was going be talking about Austin Wood. Here it was game day, his first ever division 1 college basketball game. His nerves were running high and emotions even higher he had thought about how far he had came and all of the obstacles he had to overcome to get here. Coach cal gave him a talk right before the game about how he needed to take it slow and not rush anything cause it was the biggest game of his career so far. After the game had ended his stats were quite surprising he had 23 points 4 steals 5 rebounds and an amazing 12 assist he was the player of the week and had the highest assist and steals for the week throughout the nation as well. Austin had led his team to an astounding 17-0 there next game was going to be the toughest yet they were playing against another undefeated team the North Carolina Tar Heels. This game was going to be a clash of the titans each team would know that it was not going to be an easy game but Austin Wood knew that he was the x-factor he was the one that would bring Kentucky to victory. It was 30 minutes before tipoff and he was starting to feel the nervousness kick in, his hands started to sweat his stomach started to churn and the over thinking began. As the teams warmed up it was time for the starting line up and they were at Chapel Hill so when the Tar Heels were announced the crowd went bananas it was like a frenzy of screaming fans just so pumped for this big game the winner could truly be called the best in the nation and Austin wanted that more than anything. As tipoff came UNC had got the ball they immediately scored throwing the ball down low to one of there bigs. Austin's first possession was a turn over Coach Cal was not happy not just with austin but the whole team they had all came into the game thinking that they would just roll over UNC but when 2 undefeated teams clash you never know who the stronger team is until one team prevails. Here it is 4 minutes to go in the 1st half and kentucky is down 45-67, there was no defense in the first half and Coach Cal called a timeout with 3:52 left, in the huddle he pulls Austin to the side and says " we need you to make plays out there, were struggling and your the only person who can give the team the spark that we need to amount our comeback " austin replies with " Yes sir " as he heads back onto the court every one could see the fire in his eyes he was determined to win he was going to bring his team back. After the timeout while he's bringing the ball up the court UNC tries a full court man to man press Austin broke it with ease seeming as if he glided past the defenders he now had a 3 on 2 opportunity as he drives top the basket he fakes left and splits the two defenders and finishes at the rim with a nice layup this was the beginning spark to there run. They had scored a couple more baskets, now the score was 57-69 the whole team was hyped with 13 seconds left Austin brought the ball up the court got a screen from his center he came off and threw up a prayer as the clock wound down it was like the ball was rotating in slow motion and in sync perfectly with the clock as it hit 0.0 the ball went threw all net a perfect shot to end the half 60-67. At half time in the locker room all the kids were pumped up for the second half and they were ready to grab ahold of this game.

The second half was a breeze they were scoring at will and just dominating in every aspect, with 7 minutes to go the score was 80-71. Austin had a fast break with one man to beat has he jumped into the air something snapped and he hit the ground hard. The crowd went dead the players silent it was so quiet you could here the wheels of the trainers medical cart roll on the hardwood. Austin had a face of pure grimace he knew something serious was wrong his teammates were in shock as he was carted off and taken back into the locker room to be examined he had a blank expression on his face. The trainers had told him that he had tore his ACL and that he was done for the season and the beginning of the next. Kentucky ended up loosing the game 97-89, declaring UNC the best in the nation but all the hype wasn't on them it was on Austin Wood the leader of Kentucky basketball the superstar the phoneme. The only question now was how long would it take for him to recover and how would kentucky handle this great loss. They finished the season 26-8 and were good enough to make the NCAA tournament but they would loose to a lower seeded team in the round of 32. After the tournament Austin's grades started to slip and he seemed dazed while watching practice and just not rally talking to anyone, now Austin was always a quiet person but his stardom got him a whole lot of friends so he was never really alone. People started taking a notice to the way he was acting finally his teammates confronted him about it they wanted him to see a school psychiatrist. He told every one he was fine but in actuality he was suffering he didn't want anybody to know he even hid it from his girlfriend who at the time was really all he had Austin was slipping into a darkness that was not only hard on him but those around him as well. After a week goes by his girlfriend convinces him to see the psychiatrist, and the only reason he does it is for her she goes with him and waits in the lobby as he sits down with the doctor. Austin's life hadn't been very private the last couple of months so the doctor already knew his back story and she pried at it right away. All the repressed memories came back the lonelyness of his child hood the fact that his team continues without him he began to sob and as he cried his sadness turns into pure anger. He storms out of the office grabs his girlfriend on the way out and just starts driving he has no clue where he is going but he doesn't care you could see the anger burning inside him yet on the outside he was blank just as if he was doing nothing but sleeping. Here they are 2 hours later 110 miles down the road and he finally confesses to her and says " i just want to know why me, why was i the one who doesn't know his parents ? why was i the one who was given this gift to only have it crushed in my face? " she just looks at him and has no words all she can do is say everything is going to be okay but he doesnt want to here it he turns the car around and heads back to campus with a full head of madness. The next day he goes and talks to Coach Cal he tells him his issues and unlike the doctor or anybody else he doesnt have any questions. he tells Austin that "Everyone has issues and ailments and everyone has a way of dealing with it but its how you deal wit it that makes a man great you can let this deplete what you've become or you can make it your motivator" Austin nods his head Coach Cal finished up with saying this "Austin we need you 100% mentally as well as physically now you may go through hell and high water to get there but we'll all be waiting for you on the other side and you can best believe the grass is greener, but its only if you want it."

Austin now had a new passion for life and a new drive to succeed. When it seemed like the world had given up on him, he had his support group his coach his girlfriend and his teammates but most importantly he didn't give up his self. He had already had surgery and was starting rehabilitation, he was at the point where he could start to play basketball again. Everyone saw the jump of attitude when he stepped on the court he was thrilled to be able to shoot, dribble, slide, pass, and even run he was just happy to be doing the one thing he loved the most. 5 games into the season of his sophomore year he was still on the IR list the Wildcats fell to 2-3 on the season looking for answers. Right before the 6th game of the season Coach Cal called Austin into his office to talk he had told him that the current pointguard had disciplinary actions to account for so he needed Austin to start. He was shocked at the fact he was coming back so soon he wasnt scheduled until the 11th game of the season. Austin took this opportunity and ran with it, well more like a sprint he was clearly using coaches message to perfection each game he played just hungrier than the one before. This kid was unstoppable by the end of the year he had accumulated the most points in a single season the most assist in a single season and the most steals in on game. He was lighting up the stat book and everyone took notice now he was back to superstar status That year Kentucky finished the season 30-4 and ended up winning the NCAA tournament. Austin Wood won multiple prestigious awards even the player of the year award. This was a true story of a fall and a climb back to greatness and this was only the start of a long NBA career. After his sophomore year he declared eligibility for the draft he was picked in the 1st rd pick #7 overall to the Newyork Knicks. His dream became reality.