Rebound: A 2nd Chance

After close to forty minutes of driving the van finally arrived at their hotel in New York City. During the drive all of the boys except for 3D and Jaya were in awe as they saw the Statue of Liberty.

For 3D this was his third time attending the training camp and so the sights didn't really impress him all that much.

As for Jason he had been a collegiate basketball player in his past life so he had been to New York multiple times and had already had a chance to experience the city.

The van pulled up to the front of a nice hotel. The driver then parked the van as he stepped out to open the door for the boys.

The driver helped the boys unload their bags and luggage from the van as a bellhop then loaded them on to a luggage cart.

The driver spoke to the bellhop. After their conversation the bellhop walked his way over to the boys as he greeted them with a smile.

"Hello gentlemen. I do hope that your journey here was a pleasant one. My name is Antonio and I will be in charge of helping you during your stay here at the Autumn Rose.

Nike has paid for the duration of your stay and this includes meals. Feel free to stop by any of our restaurants or cafes.

Each of your key cards will also come preloaded with meal vouchers. You get three a day that restore themselves the following day.

Of course if you feel like having a bite too eat but you are also feeling a bit lazy then you can call for room service.

The menus will be available in your room. Once ordered the meal should arrive at your room shortly. Room service will also use up your vouchers so please keep that in mind."

The bellhop pushed the luggage cart as he instructed the boys to follow him. He guided the boys to the front desk where the attendant took note of who had arrived.

The attendant then gave each of the boys a keycard for their rooms. Jason and Kyle would share one room while Danilo and Alex would share a room as well.

3D was the only one by himself as his roommate had yet to arrive. 3D asked the clerk behind the desk "Do you know the name of the person that I will be sharing a room with?"

The lady shook her head as she smiled apologetically to 3D's hulking frame "I am so sorry sir but according to the accommodations that Nike has set up we are not allowed to disclose any information on the guests staying here without their permission."

3D thanked the clerk anyways as he followed the rest of the boys as the bellhop took them to their rooms.

All of the boys had their rooms on the second floor of the hotel. Luckily for all five of them their rooms were all nearby each other.

Jason and Kyle used their keycard to unlock their door as they stepped into their room for the first time.

The room itself was nice and spacious. There were two queen sized beds one on each side of the room.

There was also a small dining table and four chairs in the corner of the room. Jason and Kyle took their things from the luggage cart and carried them into the room.

Jason cracked open both his luggage and his sports bag as he began to unpack. Kyle soon followed suit as they both organized their things into the closet.

After close to thirty minutes of unpacking and organizing Jason and Kyle had managed to empty out both their sports bags and luggage.

Kyle smiled as he leaned back and allowed himself to fall into his bed. The soft and comfy mattress silently absorbed the impact as Kyle laid there in a relaxed and tranquil manner.

"This is so awesome Jaya! We're actually here in New York! Can you believe it?!" Kyle sprang up as he asked Jason.

Jason just smiled at Kyle's excited reaction "It is pretty sweet. But you shouldn't be surprised man. Our hard work and commitment is what led up to this.

As long as you put in the work and you treat the game right then it won't let you down." Kyle thought for a moment before nodding his head.

"I guess you have a point Jaya. But I can't help but think about all the people that work way harder than me that still don't have the opportunity to attend something like this.

Just take a look at Matt. He's been on the team since last year and he's been putting in a crazy amount of work this year.

It almost seems unfair that I get to go to a training camp like this while he's just there at home." Kyle's words brought Jason back to his past life.

He thought about all the work that he put in. All the countless hours spent practicing and training, all the blood and sweat that he had gladly given up in the pursuit of greatness, and his lack of results.

Some people might think that being able to play at a major program like UCLA would be a big enough achievement to be proud of.

But for Jason that just wasn't the case. He had been proud of his time spent playing as a Bruin. Those years of playing in college are memories that he would cherish forever.

But to Jason he had always remained fixed on to one goal. He had always had his eyes on the pro league.

It had been his number one dream to play on of the teams as a professional basketball player. Jason sighed.

"I understand where you're coming from Kyle. And even though I said that basketball always rewards you for your time and effort sometimes the rewards just aren't on the same level of what you sacrificed.

That can be one of the painful parts of the game. No matter how hard Matt works, no matter how many hours he spends practicing, he probably won't reach the level of being an all time great.

But just because you don't have the chance to be the greatest or just because you don't have the talent to be a star doesn't mean that some people can just give it up like that.

I guarantee you that even though Matt didn't improve enough to get on the level of being invited by Nike he is still a hundred percent happy with the commitment that he made to the game.

No matter how small the improvements that he made Matt enjoyed the process. He's one of those type of people.

He loves the game for what it is. He didn't start playing because he was super tall or super athletic. For him the grind is just another part of the game that he loves.

So don't say that you feel bad for him. If he was here to hear you say that he might be the one getting upset.

The fact that he wasn't invited will just give him another goal to work towards. It's just going to help fuel him and help keep him focused."

Kyle nodded his head before resting it on his pillow "Wow Jaya. I never thought about it like that.... You really are amazing."

Jason was laying down on his bed. He turned his head and looked to the right where Kyle was laying down on his bed "I'm amazing for what?"

Kyle shook his head "You're amazing because even though you're one of the most talented people that I've ever seen you can still see things from the perspective of people that have to work so hard."

Jason was caught slightly off guard by Kyle's remarks. He paused for a second "Hehe I guess so. But to be honest I feel like I'm closer to guys like Matt and Udonis than to guys like you or Danilo.

You guys are lucky to be born with bodies that are perfect for basketball. If I didn't work as hard as Matt or Udonis then I don't think that I would even be here."

Just as Kyle was going to refute what Jason had said he felt his phone ringing in his pocket. He pulled it out and saw that Danilo was calling him.

"What's up Dlo?" Danilo answered back "Yo what's up Kyle. Guess what? I just called the front desk to ask if they had a gym."

Kyle sat up on his bed "Okay. And what did she say?" Danilo excitedly answered back "Dude! Not only do they have a gym that's open 24/7.

They have a full on basketball court! But that's not even the best part dude. The lady just told me that another group that was booked by Nike is currently playing on the court."

Kyle was silent as he heard Danilo say that. Danilo laughed "Haha you know what that means? Go grab Jaya and head down.

We don't have anything else to do tonight. Alex and 3D are already here. Let's get some fives running!"

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