were obvious perks to playing and practicing indoors.
Before he headed back to his classroom, he was stopped by another new co-worker.
“ Marquis Berry !”
He turned and saw a strikingly fit gentleman approaching from the weight room.
“Welcome to Finley High!” the man said as he drew near. He reached to shake his hand. “I’m Donovan Mitchell, the football coach.
“Oh.” Marquis offered him a quick smile as they shook hands. “Good to meet you, man. I heard a lot about you.”
“Probably not as much as I’ve heard about you,” Donovan stated. “I can’t believe you’re here. A real live Dallas Cowboy at my school!”
“Nah, not anymore,” Marquis said good-naturedly. “Haven’t been a Cowboy since 2012. I’m just regular old Marquis now.”
“Man, get off that.” Donovan’s smile was ear to ear. “Three years is not that long ago. For a hardcore football fan like me, it seems like it was just yesterday. I remember when you ran for 189 yards against the Eagles. Two touchdowns that game. You were on pace to break Dickerson’s record.”
Marquis had heard that before, but he always downplayed it. Eric Dickerson was the greatest running back of all time, in his opinion. As good as Marquis was, he didn’t like to be compared to the greats.
“I doubt it. I only played seven games,” he told him.
“C’mon,” Donovan said, shaking his head. “You got a thousand yards in those seven games. There’s no way you wouldn’t have broken that record. I look up to you, man. Even though you only played half a season, I think you’re one of the best to ever carry that pigskin – that’s taking your high school and college games into consideration.”
Marquis continued to shake his head. “I don’t think so, man. Not even.”
Donovan sensed their new coach was not comfortable talking about his past, so he let it go for now.
“Well, you’re here now,” he said. “But I gotta ask: Why aren’t you coaching football ? I mean, not that we don’t want you here…”
“I wanted to,” Marquis revealed. “That was my goal. But I was dragging my feet all summer. Wasn’t sure if I wanted to teach, even though I majored in education. By the time I made up my mind, it was slim pickings. I could’ve taught science at a few schools, but this is the only one that still had a coaching position available.”
“And you knew it was a girls’ team?”
Marquis found his new friend easy to talk to, so he was honest with him. “The recruiter said I could coach basketball, and I assumed he meant the boys. I think he knew what I was expecting, and he went on letting me think that.” He chuckled. “I guess I could’ve backed out at the last minute, but I figured it wouldn’t be so bad.”
“It’s won’t be,” Donovan said right away. “They had a pretty good team last year.”
“Yeah, I heard they lost half their games.”
“No, they won half their games,” Donovan corrected him. “It’s all about prospective, my brother. Plus you’ve got one of the best athletes in the school on your team.”
“I keep hearing that. But no one knows her name.”
“It’s Lisa Edmonds,” Donovan told him. “She’s a point guard. That girl can shoot the lights out. And she’s as tall as a giraffe. You don’t get that too often; tall girls who got handles.”
“Oh yeah?” Marquis said, feeling a little excited about his team for the first time.
“No doubt,” Donovan said. “She’s good for at least twelve points a game.”
“ Twelve points? ” All of his hope quickly faded. “And that’s my best player?”
Donovan laughed. “I take it you haven’t been to a girls’ basketball game in a while. A good game for them might end with a score of 48 to 55, in which case twelve points is a lot.”
Marquis laughed. “Okay. I don’t think my expectations can get any
Before he headed back to his classroom, he was stopped by another new co-worker.
“ Marquis Berry !”
He turned and saw a strikingly fit gentleman approaching from the weight room.
“Welcome to Finley High!” the man said as he drew near. He reached to shake his hand. “I’m Donovan Mitchell, the football coach.
“Oh.” Marquis offered him a quick smile as they shook hands. “Good to meet you, man. I heard a lot about you.”
“Probably not as much as I’ve heard about you,” Donovan stated. “I can’t believe you’re here. A real live Dallas Cowboy at my school!”
“Nah, not anymore,” Marquis said good-naturedly. “Haven’t been a Cowboy since 2012. I’m just regular old Marquis now.”
“Man, get off that.” Donovan’s smile was ear to ear. “Three years is not that long ago. For a hardcore football fan like me, it seems like it was just yesterday. I remember when you ran for 189 yards against the Eagles. Two touchdowns that game. You were on pace to break Dickerson’s record.”
Marquis had heard that before, but he always downplayed it. Eric Dickerson was the greatest running back of all time, in his opinion. As good as Marquis was, he didn’t like to be compared to the greats.
“I doubt it. I only played seven games,” he told him.
“C’mon,” Donovan said, shaking his head. “You got a thousand yards in those seven games. There’s no way you wouldn’t have broken that record. I look up to you, man. Even though you only played half a season, I think you’re one of the best to ever carry that pigskin – that’s taking your high school and college games into consideration.”
Marquis continued to shake his head. “I don’t think so, man. Not even.”
Donovan sensed their new coach was not comfortable talking about his past, so he let it go for now.
“Well, you’re here now,” he said. “But I gotta ask: Why aren’t you coaching football ? I mean, not that we don’t want you here…”
“I wanted to,” Marquis revealed. “That was my goal. But I was dragging my feet all summer. Wasn’t sure if I wanted to teach, even though I majored in education. By the time I made up my mind, it was slim pickings. I could’ve taught science at a few schools, but this is the only one that still had a coaching position available.”
“And you knew it was a girls’ team?”
Marquis found his new friend easy to talk to, so he was honest with him. “The recruiter said I could coach basketball, and I assumed he meant the boys. I think he knew what I was expecting, and he went on letting me think that.” He chuckled. “I guess I could’ve backed out at the last minute, but I figured it wouldn’t be so bad.”
“It’s won’t be,” Donovan said right away. “They had a pretty good team last year.”
“Yeah, I heard they lost half their games.”
“No, they won half their games,” Donovan corrected him. “It’s all about prospective, my brother. Plus you’ve got one of the best athletes in the school on your team.”
“I keep hearing that. But no one knows her name.”
“It’s Lisa Edmonds,” Donovan told him. “She’s a point guard. That girl can shoot the lights out. And she’s as tall as a giraffe. You don’t get that too often; tall girls who got handles.”
“Oh yeah?” Marquis said, feeling a little excited about his team for the first time.
“No doubt,” Donovan said. “She’s good for at least twelve points a game.”
“ Twelve points? ” All of his hope quickly faded. “And that’s my best player?”
Donovan laughed. “I take it you haven’t been to a girls’ basketball game in a while. A good game for them might end with a score of 48 to 55, in which case twelve points is a lot.”
Marquis laughed. “Okay. I don’t think my expectations can get any
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