Killer Instinct

Bounce had a killer instinct. He was recommended to me by his older brother the summer before I became the Head Coach here. All summer long, I kept hearing about the young man's immense talent. Bounce was a 6'2 guard/forward who possessed a strong body, superior hops, and good ball handling skills. Through some research, I learned that he was being pursued by a couple of Division II colleges at the 4-year level around the country. According to Bounce's older brother, who was my junior Assistant, the scouts backed off because of his grades. Given Bounce's talent, it was strange to me that he didn't get picked up by any Prep schools. 

I ended up passing on Bounce since there was no on-campus housing. He ended up signing with a Division II junior college in our league. Much to my dismay, he dominated my team every time we played. Five years later, I still remember him flying through the air for a thunderous dunk during our state tournament game against his team. I often wonder what would have happened had he enrolled here.

After that season, I heard that he transferred to a small Division II college in Texas. A few years later, however, Bounce resurfaced in our league with the same team he played for initially. Since players only have two years of eligibility in our league, that means he never even suited up at his new school. The second time around, which was roughly three years later, Bounce wasn't the same player. As a matter of fact, I didn't even notice him on the floor when our teams played. There was an air of disinterest about him. I don't even think he cracked 20 points combined in the two games we played against his team that season...

A couple of weeks ago, I went out for drinks and wings with a couple of coaches. While we were talking about some of the more talented players in our league over the past several years, Bounce came up in conversation.

Hawk: Hey, you remember that kid Bounce, right?
Me: Of course. That dude was a killer! He fell off last year. Just wasn't the same.
Hawk: Well, he got into some trouble over the summer.
Me: What he do?

Stunned by the news, I googled his name to see what would come up. Low and behold, it was true. He shot a 19 year-old man nine times in the parking lot of a liquor store. Bounce is currently in prison for murder.