Junior Varsity
July 17th, 2020
Starring: Coach (male, 35-50), Benchwarmer 1, Benchwarmer 2 (both female, high school)
The corner of a High School basketball court. Halftime. The team circles around Coach, who kneels in the middle.
COACH
Ladies.
We’re turning the ball over like crazy. You know my tolerance for crap is far beyond most people’s, but I’m not tolerating this. I won’t. It’s bad basketball.
And bad basketball doesn’t make me mad, it makes me sad.
Madness helps you win games. Sadness will not. And I feel sad for you.
Barb, when you take shots, you make them.
Tiana, I don’t want to see you step a sneaker past that 3 point line.
Micah, it’s called a bounce pass, look it up.
Syd, taking charge does not mean taking the charge.
And Marcia...block the damn ball, ok? Just block it.
Coach takes out his whiteboard with the court diagram on it.
We’re going to start running a new play called “Tangerine.”
He frantically marks up the whiteboard with X’s and O’s, drawing lines, dots, etc. as he goes.
Tiana starts with the rock at the top of the key. She passes it to Micah, who bounce passes it back to Tiana, who goes to distract Barb’s defender. Meanwhile, Marcia sets a pick for Tiana, who drives, but moves it out right to Syd, who actually drives, then lobs it to Marcia. Marcia goes for the pump fake, but then shoves it back out to a wide-open Barb for the corner 3 opportunity. Now here, Barb can decide. If she thinks she can make the shot, she can take it. If not, she’ll kick it out to Tiana, who’ll kick it to Syd or Micah at the elbows, or Marcia in the lane, who’s ready to post up. OR, Syd or Micah can take it at the top and drive and then kick it back out to Barb who can then....
Coach’s voice fades out as the Benchwarmers turn and whisper to each other.
BENCHWARMER 1
When will he realize he’s doing this all for him?
BENCHWARMER 2
When?
What do you mean when?
Fades back to Coach, who’s capping his marker. The whiteboard looks like a Jackson Pollock painting.
COACH
We all got this down?
Yes?
Good.
...
Now let’s get out there, and get mad.