Once again, possession belonged to Team E.
This time, it wasn't Jamie orchestrating the offense, but one of his teammates who took position at the top of the arc. The ball tapped rhythmically against the hardwood as he tried to create space against his defender but the defense held firm. No room to drive, no easy look. The clock was ticking.
Meanwhile, Jamie was already moving.
Positioned inside the paint, he raised his hand high and called out with that commanding tone.
"Ball!"
He shouted loud enough to echo.
His teammate didn't hesitate. A quick pass zipped toward Jamie, who snatched it out of the air with one hand like it was weightless. Now he stood inside, back to the basket, face to face with his biggest challenge so far Thiseas.
The Greek tower was ready this time. Arms wide, knees bent, eyes locked on Jamie's every muscle twitch. He wasn't going to get dunked on again.
Not this time.
But Jamie wasn't rattled. Not even close.
With fluid confidence, he initiated a body feint, subtly leaning left. Thiseas flinched but that was all Jamie needed. He spun hard to the right, quick like a predator closing in. Thiseas reacted instantly and jumped to contest, expecting a shot.
But Jamie cool, calm had planned for that.
He pump faked.
Thiseas flew past him, off balance.
In one clean motion, Jamie stepped right through him, executing a textbook step through, and gently laid the ball off the glass and into the hoop. Not a thunderous finish, but a quiet checkmate.
He scooped the ball from the net, tossing it to the sideline casually.
"Nice pass," he said to his teammate, nodding. "Run it back."
From the sidelines, the gym hummed with low murmurs of awe. No one expected Jamie to play the mind game too.
But across from him, Thiseas stood frozen for a moment, jaw tight.
He clenched his fists.
Dammit… I jumped.
The words echoed in his head like a bitter lesson. "I need to do better," he muttered under his breath.
Once more, the possession began with Team E.
Jamie's teammate stood poised at the top of the arc, ball in hand. But unlike before, he didn't waste time. With a single sharp pass, he zipped the ball toward Jamie, who was now in his usual spot, working in the mid post.
Once again, Thiseas was there unmoving, unwavering, like a boulder planted in front of a rising tide.
But Jamie wasn't one to hesitate.
The moment the ball touched his hands, he powered forward. With a low, explosive shove from his shoulder, he nudged Thiseas just enough to clear a driving lane. His first step was a blur of muscle and momentum.
Thiseas stumbled slightly but didn't fold.
"Double him! Now!" he shouted, eyes wide with urgency.
Reacting in sync, the teammate nearest to him peeled off his own assignment and closed in, the two forming a collapsing wall in front of Jamie just as he reached the painted area.
It was a smart move. The crowd tensed, sensing this might be the first time Jamie was cornered.
But Jamie… smiled.
Without even looking, he whipped the ball outward a perfect one handed dish, flicked with the kind of casual genius only a true playmaker could deliver. The ball flew to the perimeter, right into the waiting hands of the shooter whose defender had just left him for the double team.
Wide open.
Set feet.
No hesitation.
Splash.
Nothing but net.
The swish rang out, clean and confident. The gym echoed with the sharp snap of a perfect shot, and with it, Team E's lead grew even more.
On the sideline, Kris leaned forward on the bench, eyebrows raised.
"Man… he's not just power," he muttered. "He's reading the game like a vet."
Nikola stayed quiet, arms crossed.
He didn't want to admit it but Jamie wasn't just brute force.
He was smart, composed… and a real leader on the floor.
Across the court, Thiseas bit his lip, staring at the teammate who had just hit the three.
I brought the help… and he punished us for it anyway.
For the first time, doubt crept into his defense.
And Jamie? He was already turning to jog back, not even looking at the shot.
He knew it was going in.
In the stands, the atmosphere had shifted. A strange tension brewed between awe and anxiety.
Aleksandar sat hunched forward, elbows on knees, eyes fixed on the court with a glare sharp enough to cut through steel.
"This juicer can pass too?" he thought, jaw clenched tight. "Not just power… not just dunks… he's making reads like a damn point guard."
Every pass, every move Jamie made added another weight to Aleksandar's chest. The despair crept in slowly first as doubt, then as fear.
"If they sign him… can I even compete with someone like that? At my current level… would I even matter?"
His pride ached. That deep, gnawing hunger to be the best twisted itself into a knot of frustration. He didn't want to admit it not to Hao, not to himself but Jamie was making the impossible look routine.
Meanwhile, seated just beside him, Hao was in a completely different world.
Eyes wide. Mouth slightly open.
He didn't even blink.
Mesmerized.
"He's so complete..." Hao whispered under his breath. "Handles, speed, power, defense… and now this. Playmaking?"
There was only one thing left Hao wanted to witness.
"Just one more piece… If he can shoot too… if he has that in his arsenal…"
He didn't finish the thought.
He was scared to.
Because if Jamie could shoot?
Then they weren't just witnessing a great tryout performance.
They were witnessing the arrival of a star.
Down on the bench, Nikola sat still far too still.
His eyes stayed locked on Jamie, but his thoughts… they were spiraling.
Three plays.
That's all it took.
Three plays, and it felt like the entire tryout had already been decided.
He didn't even play against Jamie, but it didn't matter. He had seen enough. The athleticism, the strength, the control, the vision… and the calmness behind it all. Jamie wasn't just better he was levels above them all.
"What even am I compared to him?" Nikola thought bitterly, his hands resting limp on his knees.
The sharp pang of jealousy that had struck him two days ago now felt childish. Immature. That was the emotion of someone who thought he had a chance. But now?
Now there was only a cold sense of defeat.
"I trained so hard... I shot so well... I gave everything in the drills..."
"And it means nothing."
Jamie felt untouchable like someone who didn't belong in this gym. Like a player who should already have a name in lights and a locker in a EuroLeague or NBA roster. His dunks, his footwork, the way he commanded attention… it was too clean. Too dominant.
Nikola's confidence cracked.
For the first time in a long time, he felt small. Insignificant.
He glanced over at Kris, but didn't say anything. Not yet. What could he even say?
The silent truth settled in his chest like concrete.
"No one here… not me, not Kris, not Thiseas, not even Aleksandar… stands a chance against him."