Part I – Breaking It Down
The air in the gym was focused and still, almost like the entire team was holding its breath. Everyone sat cross-legged on the court as Coach Reilly stood beside the whiteboard. Ryan leaned against the wall, arms crossed, his expression calm but serious.
The loss still stung—not just because they were defeated, but because they could've won.
Coach Reilly circled three areas on the board: "Transition defense," "off-ball awareness," and "mental toughness."
"This isn't about blaming anyone," he started, his voice level. "But we do need to take accountability. So let's start—what went wrong?"
Jordan raised a hand first. "I hesitated too much on defense. I second-guessed the rotation, and it cost us a couple easy buckets."
"Good," Ryan said, stepping forward. "Owning it is step one. Now we fix it."
Another player chimed in. "I missed two screens in the third quarter—I was too focused on the ball."
Ryan nodded. "You're all seeing it now. That's progress."
They spent the next hour going over clips from the game, dissecting sequences where things broke down. Ryan paused the footage often, asking them to predict what should've happened, not just react to what did.
By the time they stepped onto the court, everyone had something to work on. Ryan broke them into smaller drills—defensive switch communication, passing under full-court pressure, recognizing offensive traps.
No yelling. No frustration. Just work.
And this time, a sense of growth.
Part II – The Call
Later that evening, the gym had long emptied, and the lights were low as Ryan walked outside. The cool L.A. night air brushed against his face as he pulled out his phone.
He hesitated, then pressed "Call: Mom."
It rang twice.
"Ryan?" Sarah's voice came through warmly, already smiling through the phone.
"Hey, Mom," he said, sitting on a bench outside the gym. "Got a minute?"
"For you? Always."
There was a quiet pause, and then he added, "We lost yesterday."
"I know. I saw the update," she said gently. "How are you feeling about it?"
"I thought I'd be more frustrated," he admitted. "But honestly... it taught me more than our win did. The guys responded better than I expected."
Sarah chuckled. "You sound like a coach already."
He smiled faintly. "Feels right, y'know? Like this is where I'm supposed to be."
"I knew it the day you took over the Wolves in Rosehill," she said. "You had something in you that couldn't be taught."
Ryan leaned back, watching the stars above the city. "It's crazy. Sometimes I miss it there. Rosehill. The café. The gym. Even Coach Daniels."
"He'd be proud of you, Ry."
"Yeah," he said softly. "Sometimes I wonder if I'll ever go back for good."
"You've got a whole journey ahead," she replied. "But Rosehill's always there. And so am I."
"I know," he said, eyes blinking a bit more than usual. "Thanks, Mom."
"Now go win that next game, Coach Whitmore."
He laughed. "Yes, ma'am."
And for the first time since the loss, he felt full again.