“Can’t you pass them, Dad? I’m going to be late!” Every winter, John plays in a basketball tournament with some friends. Last year, he didn’t want to be eliminated, so he just played his best game, but his team still lost in the second round. Now, to redeem himself, he first has to get to the site. He won’t make it to the tournament if he can’t get off the highway to get to the park. John gets antsy in his seat, worried the tournament would start without him. “My team needs me!” John tells himself in his head. He is getting closer and closer to the park, and finally, he makes it. 

John jumps out of the car, and sprints to the court with his friends. He makes it onto the court just when the team draft happens. All of the kids think that John is the best player on the court, but John’s team isn’t allowed to have 2 players that they all think of as “too good”. When the draft finishes and the teams are made, he realizes that his team isn’t the best. He is worried about being knocked out in the first round. John’s team and his opponent step onto the court, and the game starts. John’s team wins the tip-off, and his team gets the ball first. He is ready to play his best game and try to carry his team into the second round. 

A lot is at stake for John. He feels that if he does well in this tournament, he will be able to play varsity at school, then have the chance to get into a big-name college, and then the chance to play basketball professionally, either in America or abroad. John wants to win, and everyone knows it. After John’s teammate passes him the ball,  John begins to pour in points. He leads his team to a win in the first round, and now he has to play the second-round team, who is also coming off of a big win. 

The second-round matchup begins, and John’s team is down by 2, with 30 seconds to play. John brings the ball down the court and tries to score to tie the game. John takes his first shot but misses. Luckily, his teammate grabs the rebound. He takes the ball out to the 3-point line and takes another shot. The shot misses, and John is officially eliminated from the tournament. Even though he is upset, he knows he tried as hard as possible, so he has to let it go. 

John feels certain that due to the tournament loss, his dreams of playing at the professional level one day are surely impossible. John still tries out for varsity and to his surprise, he makes the team. He still has a chance to make it to the college level, and then to his dream of playing professionally.  During the story, the boy’s teammates, and his opponents show that just because something is improbable, it doesn’t mean that it is impossible.