The next day at practice, Marcus once again found himself going up against Li during drills and plays. And once again, he found himself being knocked down a peg by the younger boy's height advantage. That extra inch of height translated into a longer reach for Li, meaning Marcus had to work harder than ever before to get around his opponent to the basket.
But while Li's height made him a bigger obstacle, Marcus had more than enough tricks to overtake him on the court. After all, he'd been playing for years, and the extensive training both he and his coaches had put him through had made him one of the most agile, maneuverable, and quick thinking players anyone had ever seen, especially in regards to his height. Marcus had all the size and strength of a near-seven-footer coupled with the speed and agility of a player half his size.
And it wasn't hard to put all that extra skill into use against the younger boy. By the time Coach Packard ended their practice, Marcus had managed to score nearly thirty baskets on Li, versus only three Li had managed to get past him. Sweaty and out of breath, Li almost looked frustrated as he stood bent over waiting for coach's after-practice pep talk. And while part of him felt bad for it, Marcus felt a vindictive joy at seeing that young upstart put in his place.
"Alright, boys, it's time to assign you to your teams. We've got enough of you this year to have full rosters on both JV and Varsity, so I don't want to hear any complaining about being in one and not the other, ya here?"
No one responded. Whether from heeding the coach's word or just being too tired to complain, no one could tell.
"Alright then. Now, on JV we've got--"
Marcus tuned the coach out. He knew where he was going to be, so he didn't need to know who all was on JV. Instead, he started musing on who his teammates would be, considering how he'd seen each of them play. But coach's voice cut off his continued musings just in time to call out the last name.
"--and la Mays. You guys are free to head back to the showers so I can talk with the Varsity team."
Marcus watched them get up and head for the locker room. But what he didn't see was Li going with them. Why? Surely he should be on the junior team. It made sense, after all.
"Now then, the rest of you are our Varsity team. And while we all know that Marcus is going to be the one leading us to another state title this year, that doesn't mean any of you can slack off. I need every single one of you to put in a hundred percent every time you're out on that court. That especially includes you, Li."
Marcus started. Li was on Varsity? What was going on?!
"You've got the height, and you've got some talent. But you need to develop your skills. You've got to be ready to step in when we need you to cover for Marcus. I highly doubt he's ever going to give us any trouble, but we need you ready to step up just in case. Got it? Good.
"Alright, go hit the showers. I'll be in my office for the next half hour if you have any questions."
And with that, Coach headed off the court. The rest of the boys, Li included, started trudging their way to the showers. But Marcus lingered long enough for them all to leave before heading after Coach to get some answers.
Arriving at the coach's office, Marcus knocked once and then let himself in.
"Ah, Marcus," Coach said, looking up from some paperwork he was filling out. "What can I do for you?"
Marcus hesitated. "Um, well..."
Coach's eyes narrowed slightly. "Marcus, everything alright? It's not really like you to be wary like this."
Marcus shook himself and started again. "Look, Coach, I was just wondering about Li. I mean, I know he's got the reach, and he's got some basic talent. But he's only been playing for six months, and it really shows. Why would you want a freshman with so little experience in this sport as the backup center for the Varsity team?"
Coach eyed Marcus carefully for a moment. Finally, he chuckled and addressed him.
"Marcus, you're an incredible athlete, and an excellent leader for the other boys, but you've got a lot to learn when it comes to coaching. Li is on the Varsity team..."
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