Night Before the Game
Hotel Room – San Juan
The air in San Juan was heavy with rain, but inside the hotel, it was all pressure.
Kyle sat on the balcony, shirt off, headphones in, watching old clips of the Puerto Rican guard he'd face tomorrow.
A blur. A lefty. Ranked top 30 in the region.
Quick as a rumor, sharp as broken glass.
Kyle paused the video. Rewound it again. Watched the same spin move.
He wasn't impressed.
Dre walked out of the room with a bag of ice and a plate of plantains.
"You still watching that tape?"
Kyle nodded. "Mi not underestimating him. Mi just... preparing."
Dre placed the food down. "Yuh ready?"
Kyle didn't even blink.
"Mi born ready."
Game Day – Coliseo de Puerto RicoThe arena wasn't full, but it was loud. Puerto Rico's home crowd had no chill.
Flags waved. Horns blew. Every bucket from warmups got a scream.
Kyle walked out with the Jamaican team in silence, his warmup hoodie zipped all the way up, head down.
He wasn't there to show off.
He was there to close the door.
First Quarter – Puerto Rico Fires FirstPuerto Rico came out fast.
Their star guard, Marcos "Clip" Varela, was everything the rankings said.
Crossover. Step-back. Splash.
Then a backdoor cut. Layup.
Jamaica fell behind 8–2 in three minutes.
Coach Barrett called timeout.
Kyle sat on the bench, breathing slow.
Barrett looked around the huddle.
"Wilson. Go wake dem up."
Kyle Checks In – Change the TemperatureKyle subbed in.
Clip tried him on the first play.
Quick crossover—step back—rise for three.
Kyle swatted it.
Clean. Straight into the front row.
Crowd gasped. Kyle didn't react.
Next possession, he bullied a switch, caught it mid-post, spun baseline, and laid it in.
8–4.
Then another steal.
Then a put-back dunk.
Suddenly, it was 12–10.
The building got quieter.
Puerto Rico called timeout.
Second Quarter – Back-and-Forth FireClip found his rhythm again.
He hit a pull-up over Dre.
Then drove and kicked to the corner for a three.
Kyle kept switching onto him, but the Puerto Rican coach ran complex off-ball screens to shake him off.
Still, Kyle adjusted.
Started calling the screens before they came.
Started jumping passing lanes, rotating to protect the rim.
Offensively, he played bully ball.
Pump fake, drive, spin.
And-one.
By halftime, it was tied 34–34.
Halftime – Locker Room
Sweat dripped from Kyle's jaw as he sat silent.
Coach Barrett finally spoke:
"You don't need to prove anything. But if yuh want to win... play free. Play now."
Kyle looked up.
"Mi not here fi prove. Mi here fi end this."
Third Quarter – Kyle UnleashedFrom the jump, Kyle started calling switches. He took Clip every possession.
He clamped him on the perimeter.
One play, he bodied Clip into a turnover, sprinted down court, caught a full-court pass in stride and hammered it with two hands.
Dre shouted, "Let's GO, Ghost!"
Then Clip tried to iso him one last time.
He crossed left, stepped back, rose—
Kyle timed it perfectly.
BLOCK.
Then a stare-down.
No words. Just ice.
Jamaica took the lead 48–41.
Fourth Quarter – Blood and BucketsPuerto Rico fought back.
Their second unit brought shooters. The crowd re-ignited.
With 4 minutes left, it was 60–58 Jamaica.
Kyle was gassed. He hadn't sat in the second half.
Dre turned to Coach. "He need a breather."
Coach shook his head. "Nah. He finish this."
Kyle, hands on knees, nodded.
Next play—he caught the ball at the top of the key.
Jab step. One dribble.
Pull-up jumper.
Bucket. 62–58.
Final 90 SecondsPuerto Rico hit a three. 62–61.
Jamaica missed a free throw.
Clip got the ball again. 14 seconds left.
He danced. He jabbed. Kyle gave him space.
Clip rose for three—
Kyle met him in mid-air.
Swatted it. Again.
Game. Over.
Final Score: Jamaica 64 – Puerto Rico 61Post-GameScouts swarmed the hallway. Kyle didn't stop walking.
Dre caught up.
"Bro... that was legendary. They gonna talk about this for years."
Kyle wiped sweat off his brow.
"Mi not done yet. One more."
Coach Barrett caught up.
"You earned this. You earned everything coming next."
Next – The FinalJamaica vs. Bahamas.
Kyle vs. a 6'9" power forward already committed to a D1 school.
But Kyle didn't flinch.
He knew who he was now.
A two-way dog.
And tomorrow, the world would see.
Night Before the Game
Hotel Room – San Juan
The air in San Juan was heavy with rain, but inside the hotel, it was all pressure.
Kyle sat on the balcony, shirt off, headphones in, watching old clips of the Puerto Rican guard he'd face tomorrow.
A blur. A lefty. Ranked top 30 in the region.
Quick as a rumor, sharp as broken glass.
Kyle paused the video. Rewound it again. Watched the same spin move.
He wasn't impressed.
Dre walked out of the room with a bag of ice and a plate of plantains.
"You still watching that tape?"
Kyle nodded. "Mi not underestimating him. Mi just... preparing."
Dre placed the food down. "Yuh ready?"
Kyle didn't even blink.
"Mi born ready."
Game Day – Coliseo de Puerto RicoThe arena wasn't full, but it was loud. Puerto Rico's home crowd had no chill.
Flags waved. Horns blew. Every bucket from warmups got a scream.
Kyle walked out with the Jamaican team in silence, his warmup hoodie zipped all the way up, head down.
He wasn't there to show off.
He was there to close the door.
First Quarter – Puerto Rico Fires FirstPuerto Rico came out fast.
Their star guard, Marcos "Clip" Varela, was everything the rankings said.
Crossover. Step-back. Splash.
Then a backdoor cut. Layup.
Jamaica fell behind 8–2 in three minutes.
Coach Barrett called timeout.
Kyle sat on the bench, breathing slow.
Barrett looked around the huddle.
"Wilson. Go wake dem up."
Kyle Checks In – Change the TemperatureKyle subbed in.
Clip tried him on the first play.
Quick crossover—step back—rise for three.
Kyle swatted it.
Clean. Straight into the front row.
Crowd gasped. Kyle didn't react.
Next possession, he bullied a switch, caught it mid-post, spun baseline, and laid it in.
8–4.
Then another steal.
Then a put-back dunk.
Suddenly, it was 12–10.
The building got quieter.
Puerto Rico called timeout.
Second Quarter – Back-and-Forth FireClip found his rhythm again.
He hit a pull-up over Dre.
Then drove and kicked to the corner for a three.
Kyle kept switching onto him, but the Puerto Rican coach ran complex off-ball screens to shake him off.
Still, Kyle adjusted.
Started calling the screens before they came.
Started jumping passing lanes, rotating to protect the rim.
Offensively, he played bully ball.
Pump fake, drive, spin.
And-one.
By halftime, it was tied 34–34.
Halftime – Locker Room
Sweat dripped from Kyle's jaw as he sat silent.
Coach Barrett finally spoke:
"You don't need to prove anything. But if yuh want to win... play free. Play now."
Kyle looked up.
"Mi not here fi prove. Mi here fi end this."
Third Quarter – Kyle UnleashedFrom the jump, Kyle started calling switches. He took Clip every possession.
He clamped him on the perimeter.
One play, he bodied Clip into a turnover, sprinted down court, caught a full-court pass in stride and hammered it with two hands.
Dre shouted, "Let's GO, Ghost!"
Then Clip tried to iso him one last time.
He crossed left, stepped back, rose—
Kyle timed it perfectly.
BLOCK.
Then a stare-down.
No words. Just ice.
Jamaica took the lead 48–41.
Fourth Quarter – Blood and BucketsPuerto Rico fought back.
Their second unit brought shooters. The crowd re-ignited.
With 4 minutes left, it was 60–58 Jamaica.
Kyle was gassed. He hadn't sat in the second half.
Dre turned to Coach. "He need a breather."
Coach shook his head. "Nah. He finish this."
Kyle, hands on knees, nodded.
Next play—he caught the ball at the top of the key.
Jab step. One dribble.
Pull-up jumper.
Bucket. 62–58.
Final 90 SecondsPuerto Rico hit a three. 62–61.
Jamaica missed a free throw.
Clip got the ball again. 14 seconds left.
He danced. He jabbed. Kyle gave him space.
Clip rose for three—
Kyle met him in mid-air.
Swatted it. Again.
Game. Over.
Final Score: Jamaica 64 – Puerto Rico 61Post-GameScouts swarmed the hallway. Kyle didn't stop walking.
Dre caught up.
"Bro... that was legendary. They gonna talk about this for years."
Kyle wiped sweat off his brow.
"Mi not done yet. One more."
Coach Barrett caught up.
"You earned this. You earned everything coming next."
Next – The FinalJamaica vs. Bahamas.
Kyle vs. a 6'9" power forward already committed to a D1 school.
But Kyle didn't flinch.
He knew who he was now.
A two-way dog.
And tomorrow, the world would see.