The next day at the Zentron Celestial Center, Team Nealson began to trickle onto the court. The energy was relaxed, the mood easy—last night's club outing had done wonders to break the ice. There was laughter during stretches, inside jokes already forming. Whatever tension might've existed before had been burned away under neon lights and bass drops.
At exactly 1:00 p.m., a familiar figure strolled into the gym.
O'Shea Nealson, former ABA legend and now the honorary coach for Team Nealson, strolled in wearing a gray tracksuit and a backward cap, casually sipping an energy drink like he owned the place.
He clapped his hands once. "Alright fellas. We're not here to run suicides. This isn't boot camp," he grinned. "My job? Keep things organized. I'll handle the starting five, the positions, and a few simple plays. That's it."
He read from his clipboard and rattled off the starters:
Ryan Carter, point guard
Amin Thomas, shooting guard
Bo Carrick, small forward
