The New Experience

Chapter 7

The week of camp went quickly. Way faster than expected. But it was a great experience.

Like every basketball camp, the camp in New York was for learning. We did drills, one-on-ones, three-on-three, and five-on-five. It was the first time I went to the camp. I thought it was worth the $250 that I had to spend for it. It was just a week of basketball with no other distractions. This is the reason I'm broke now.

I was also hyped for who was at the camp. College recruits made an appearance. Among those colleges was Duke University. What high school player doesn't dream of being with the Blue Devils and Coach K? I know that was my dream school. At camp it was time to impress.

I did make an impression too. I dominated one-on-one competition, losing only one game versus a guy from California. I also showed I was a good team player. I did not just score, but I could pass and rebound. Coaches like unselfish players with high IQ for the game.

I think schools were impressed with my size and my style of play with that size. A couple of colleges spoke with me. They were all the same, what were my grades and that they will keep a look out for me, housekeeping stuff. Duke was not among them, but I'm pretty sure they were watching. At least I hope so. Best college that talked to me was Syracuse. The Orange is alright, but nothing like that dark blue and white.

Other than the competition and school, being a part of the overall experience was great. We played in the famous Madison Square Garden. The stadium was awesome. I might be playing there one day. The other guys that participated were cool.They came from all over. California, Texas, even someone from Canada came to participate. New York City like expected was great. The city had a lot of venues that you could interact with that Jersey City did not have. Camp was only 5 hours a day. The rest was free time.

The experience could have been better if Dashaun could have gone with me. I made friends over there, but I was not likely to keep in contact with them all. Plus, it is always nice to have someone you already know with you. He could have gone, but his mom took him on a two week vacation to Los Angeles. This reminded me, I won't see my bro for another week.

Now I was back home and literally on my doorstep. I was thinking if anything changed since I've been gone. Will things change now that I'm back? I opened the door and went in.

I looked around. Nope, everything is still in place. Furniture, television, and the kitchen, everything was how I remembered it. There was a different look and feel to the house however. Probably because I have not been here in a week. I just have to readjust.

"Welcome home, Ray!" my mom shouted coming from the kitchen.

"Hi, mom." I said. I smelled food so I guess she was cooking.

"How was the week?" she asked.

"It was good." I answered.

"What did you do there?"

That was a stupid question, but I knew what she meant by it. She wanted a conversation. I was too tired for that though.

"I'll tell you about it later. I want to go to bed right now. Long bus ride, you know."

"You don't want to eat first? I'm almost done with dinner." she said. It was going on six o'clock.

"Na, I'm ok right now. I just need some sleep. I'll eat later."

"Ok. Glad you are home."

"Me too."

I started making my way upstairs. I noticed that someone was coming down at the same time. It was Jessica. She was looking beautiful like always. She was the same as I left. I turned to the side so my duffle bag did not hit her and she had room to get by. I was about to say hi, but I stopped. The reason being was because she just ran by me. She did not look at me or even acknowledge me. She just went by. She usually says hi at least, but today nothing. I was gone for a week too.