Dylan?s answering laughter was music to her burning ears.

“Good afternoon and welcome to the Southern Sports Network ,television home of the Birmingham Badgers. I?m Todd Black and this is my co-host, the lovely Melinda Morton. We?re coming to you live tonight from inside the beautiful Horace Johnson Arena where the Badgers are set to open their season against last year?s WBA Champions, the New York Thunder. The house is pretty packed, Melinda.”

“You?re right about that, Todd. A nice sized crowd has shown up tonight to see if Coach Dylan Lambert?s offseason wrangling has paid off.”

“That?s true, Melinda. She?s made a lot of changes this year, including the shocker of the decade, her choice for first pick of the draft, the diminutive Catherine Hodges.”

“Well, Ms. Hodges may be small, but she has heart, and she knows her way around a basketball court, leading her college team, the UCONN Huskies to an NCAA championship. It?ll be interesting to see how she fits into the new offensive scheme sources say Coach Lambert has spent the entire offseason developing and perfecting.”

“Sounds interesting, Melinda. Anything else your sources have to tell you?”

“Not really, Todd. Just that this is an entirely new Badgers team, and that we should look forward to seeing some things we haven?t before from them.”

“I?m sure we?ll all be keeping our eyes and ears open, then. And now, let?s get courtside and listen to the team introductions.”

Hodge stood on the sideline, shifting back and forth on her feet and shaking her hands.

“You doin? alright, Shortchange?”

Rolling her eyes at her new nickname, Hodge turned toward Shaniqua Chaney, who was standing beside her. “My stomach is a cave and the bats are rebelling.”

Chaney laughed, making the black and purple beads at the ends of her cornrows click together. Hodge found the sound oddly comforting. “Don?t sweat it, Shortchange. Those bats?ll always be there. You just gotta use em in your favor.” A careless hand swept forward to the entire arena. “Look at all them people up there. All of em?s waitin to see you fly or fall. You just tell yourself them bats are gonna help you fly.”

Hodge couldn?t help laughing at the analogy, and the action caused her stomach to settle somewhat. “Thanks, Chane.”

“Hey, no problem, girl. Let?s do ?em.”

The cheering crowd became silent as the public address announcer?s voice came over the speakers. Hodge?s stomach began to churn again.

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Horace Johnson Arena, the home of your Birmingham Badgers!”

Jumping to its feet, the crowd went wild, cheering and throwing purple and black streamers which littered the court.

“And here are your starters. A five foot six inch point guard from the University of Connecticut, number 33, Catherine Hodges!”

Hodge ran onto center court in a daze, barely hearing the cheering of the crowd. Though it was something she?d done more times than she could count during the past eight years of her life, and often in front of crowds much larger than this one, something about this night was different. It seemed almost magical somehow, dreamlike in a way that even the NCAA Championship hadn?t felt.

Before she knew it, she was surrounded by her teammates and was being escorted to the sidelines, watching as Dylan, dressed in a black suit with a blinding white shirt beneath, shook the hand of the opposing coach.

Cat blinked, then shook herself out of her daze when she realized that Dylan had joined the group and was imparting some last minute instructions.

“Alright guys,” Dylan said, looking each player directly in the eyes, “play aggressive, play smart. Back each other up, and remember what we?ve been practicing.” Looking around the circle, Dylan finally smiled as she saw the sea of determined heads nodding. “Alright. Let?s do it.”

The butterflies came back with a vengeance as Hodge returned to center court and waited for the game to begin. The running sweat of her palms dampened the fabric of her jersey as she wiped her hands in a nervous gesture.

The referee?s whistle blew, and the game was on.

Roo tipped the jump into Chaney?s hands. Chaney passed the ball to Hodge, who dribbled past half court and waited for the play to set up around her. The defense was easily read as man-to-man, and faced off against her was Tarma McKinney, the best point guard in the league.

Chaney broke free of her coverage and Hodge rifled a pass, which was immediately intercepted by McKinney, who took off down the court like a rocket and scored the game?s first two points with an easy, uncontested lay-up.

Cursing herself, Hodge stepped beyond the endline and took the ball, passing it to Chaney, then receiving it back and dribbling quickly past center court. A lane to the basket opened like Moses parting the Red Sea, and she went for it, managing to dribble into the paint before a dark hand shot through and relieved her of the ball neatly as you please.

Gritting her teeth, Hodge turned and ran after the thief, but McKinney?s speed was greater and again she was forced to watch as the veteran point guard scored an easy lay-up to make the score 4-0.

McKinney placed the ball on the endline, then turned, brushing Hodge?s shoulder with her own as she ran by. “Go back to the sandbox, scrub. You got no game.”

“Don?t listen to her, Shortchange,” Chaney advised as she handed the ball to Cat. “Bullshit?s the only thing that comes outta that mouth.”

“I?ll try, Chane,” Hodge sighed as she started back upcourt.

“You don?t try, girl. You do. This shit ain?t no different from what you?ve been through already. Suck it up and play.”

Standing on the sideline, Dylan resisted the urge to turn away as the approach of Diana Caulley registered in the periphery of her vision. “Save it,” she snapped when Caulley got within range.

“That?s not why you pay me, Dylan,” Caulley interjected softly. “You need to bench her. Now, before she becomes even more of a liability.”

“I told you to save it,” Dylan replied, turning and pinning her assistant coach to the floor with her glare. “She just needs a little time to get settled.”

“How much time are you gonna give her, Dylan? Are you gonna wait until we?re so damn deep in a hole that we?ll never get out?”

“Enough,” Dylan snapped, and turned away, putting an end to the conversation. She kept her gaze focused on Hodge as the young woman drove up and down the court, always in constant motion. To Dylan?s experienced eye, Cat had settled somewhat, but Dylan frowned as she realized the reason behind it.

As the point guard, Hodge chose the plays the team would use, and Dylan could tell that the young woman was choosing plays that kept her as far away from the action as possible.

She doesn?t trust herself, Dylan thought, gritting her teeth. Shit.

Her jaw clenched harder as she watched Hodge try a courageous block which, unfortunately, wound up in a shooting foul. That was followed up almost immediately by a second foul as Hodge pushed off on McKinney in order to get herself free to receive the inbounds pass from Chaney.

Two fouls in two minutes.

Her reluctant decision made, Dylan called out over her shoulder without ever taking her eyes from the action on the court. “Mackey!”

“Yes, Coach?”

“You?re in for Hodge.”

“Ok, Coach.”

Dylan watched as Hodge jogged from the court, sat on the bench, and covered her bowed face with a towel. She sighed softly and allowed the young woman to stew for a moment as she made sure Mackey was able to pick up the slack.

Assured, Dylan walked back down the sideline and squatted down in front of Hodge, laying a hand atop the point guard?s knee. “Hey.”

Hodge looked up, an expression of abject misery darkening her eyes. “Hey, Coach.” Her voice was little more than a whisper.

“You alright?”

Hodge laughed. It wasn?t a pleasant sound. “I choked.”

“Not yet, you haven?t,” Dylan countered.

“Sure I have.” She laughed again, a hopeless sound. “First round draft pick, next big star?.”

Dylan?s eyes softened. “You can?t be a star unless you give yourself the chance to shine.” She squeezed the knee under her hand. “You can do this, Catherine. I know you can. You know that too.”

“How?”

The naked plea went straight to Dylan?s heart. Turning, she gestured to the action on the court. “Look at them, Catherine. Do you see anything going on there that you haven?t done a thousand times before?”

Hodge looked. After a long moment, she shook her head. “No.”

Dylan smiled. “Exactly. You just need to take the confidence we both know you have in yourself and let it out. Just like every other time you?ve stepped on the basketball court.”

“But this is different.”

“Not really. It isn?t, Catherine. The only thing you?re lacking is professional experience, but that?ll come with every play, and every game. You have the skills. You have the heart. Now let?s see you use ?em, alright?”

Not breaking Dylan?s gaze, Hodge took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She felt something within herself center and become calm. A smile came up from somewhere and she let it bloom on her face. “Okay.”

Dylan allowed her own smile to broaden, and she slowly rose to her feet. “Go back in for Mackay. And when you do, I want you to use 43 Block 27.”

Hodge?s eyes widened. “Coach?”

“Just do it.”

“Okay, Coach.”

The whistle blew, and Hodge ran back onto the court, wiping her hands on her jersey. Chaney greeted her with a grin and a slap on the behind. “Get ?em, Shortchange.”

Hodge nodded, then took her place behind the endline. With a sure pass, she rifled the ball to Chaney, who tossed it back to her on the run. Side by side they made it past half court. McKinney came in for a lazy steal, but Hodge drew the ball between her legs in a scissors dribble and easily evaded the other woman?s attempt.

She passed the ball to her left to her small forward, allowing King to use her body in a pick as Hodge eased behind her and onto an open spot in the corner, unguarded. The ball flew into her hands and left just as quickly, arcing through the air and through the net for a three point play.

The crowd cheered and Hodge pumped her fist as she backpedaled, then stepped in, returning a favor by stealing the ball from McKinney and dishing it off to a speeding Chaney for an easy lay-up.

The crowd cheered again, and Hodge shouted happily.

She was back.

“And that wraps up our coverage of the Birmingham Badger?s opening game, with the Badgers loosing a hard fought battle, 94 ? 88. Any parting thoughts, Melinda?”

“Well, Todd, after a somewhat rocky start, Catherine Hodges showed flashes of why she was chosen by Coach Lambert as the first pick in the draft. With twelve points and nine assists, she was responsible for almost half of the Badgers? offence, and she was a defensive dynamo as well, managing three steals against McKinney, arguably the best point guard in the league.”

“I agree, Melinda. Her teammate Shaniqua Chaney, who led all scorers with twenty two points is also going to be a force to be reckoned with in the coming weeks. If they can just work on their defensive scheme and foul-shooting, I think Badgers fans could be in for quite a ride this season.”

“Can?t say much more than that, Todd.”

“Then I guess that about wraps it up. From all of us here at Southern Sports Network, here?s bidding you goodnight from Horace Johnson Arena where the Birmingham Badgers lose to the New York Thunder 94 – 88.”

Cat stood at the top of the key bouncing the ball slowly, back and forth between her hands. She looked around the mostly dark arena. Everyone was gone now, and the only sound in Cat?s ears was the roar of a ghostly crowd that did its best to cheer the team to a victory.

“Sorry, guys,” she offered to the net as she shot the ball at it like a missile. “Guess I blew it this time.”

Her teeth bared in an expression that was half growl, half grimace as she caught the ball on the rebound. She hated losing. Hated it with every fiber of her being. And to know that the loss rested on her shoulders made an intolerable situation even worse.

“Shit. What a joke.”

“What makes you say that?”

Cat?s head dropped when she heard the voice behind her.

“Well.” Coach Lambert drew steadily closer, her steps resounding softly on the court floor. “What makes you think you?re a joke, Catherine?”

“Come on Coach.” Hodge turned around to face the tall woman. “We should have won that game.”

“Why? Those were last year?s champions. What makes you think we could have beaten them?”