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Kalani Simpson

Sidelines

By Kalani Simpson


Everyone can dream
for a few minutes


SILENCE. Then basketballs bouncing on an old wood floor. A layup line.

The place is cavernous, empty. Cold. There are only a few faces in the stands. It's too early, yet. There's nobody there. But a basketball team warms up. The clock says there are but minutes to go before it all happens. The first team takes the court.

Outside, the light is soft and warm. The people are coming in slowly, two and three at a time. Aunties, uncles. People who could somehow get the day off work.

The man with the Waimea "W" on his hat has an enormous smile, bright as Christmas Day. You can't see his eyes, you can't see anything through those midnight sunglasses. But somehow, you know his eyes are shining like they haven't in a long, long time.

After all, anything is possible.

The games haven't started yet.

And it is the first day of the boys state basketball tournament.

Everyone has a dream in the first few minutes of the boys state basketball tournament.

For the first few minutes, that is.

By then, usually, one team is alley-oops and the other simply "oops."

Neighbor island teams, every team, really, can be a little bit nervous. Throwing passes in midair. Hard dribbles that go out of bounds. Dribbling behind the back on a fast break, and into a trailer's knee. Passes off fingertips, shots so far off they don't even clunk iron. They caress it.

This is the first day of the boys state basketball tournament:

Huge Afros and shaved heads. Waiakea's "Chachi" warm-up tops. Headphones before and after games. The seeded teams strolling in early in long, impressive lines, one after another, before sitting down en masse to watch.

The Big Island radio station with two announcers "MacGyver"-ing the broadcast into a single cell phone they've attached to a microphone stand.

Grimaces and arms, in the lane. Great saves and officials' compliments. Calls missed and 3-pointers made.

And still, hardly anybody here.

That's OK. You can hear the coaches yell: "You think these guys don't want to beat you guys? They came here to beat you guys!"

You see, the dream was still alive.

For another few minutes.

But then, at the end, one dunks, the other thumped.

When it is over, there is resignation at last, and then handshakes.

It's no longer possible.

Outside, the light is a little softer, the sun just starting to think about settling down. People are coming in slowly, a few more of them this time. The people who are already pau work. Inside, a basketball team warms up.

The people are smiling, their eyes bright. Everyone has a dream, at least for the first few minutes.

After all, anything is possible.

The game hasn't started yet.

And it is the first day of the boys state basketball tournament.



Kalani Simpson can be reached at ksimpson@starbulletin.com



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