The Test II

The twenty young faces stared back at Maddox with the kind of casual attention that came from countless practice sessions. They'd heard it all before. Every coach who'd stood in front of them had promised something different. Most had delivered disappointment.

A few of them smiled. The tall kid with the bleached hair actually grinned.

"I'm not going to waste your time pretending I know everything about you," Maddox continued, pacing slowly in front of the group. "I've got thirty minutes to watch you play, and you've got thirty minutes to show me what you can do. Fair enough?"

Nods around the circle. The skepticism in their eyes was fading, replaced by something that might have been curiosity.