With seven seconds left on the fourth quarter down by one point, I called a timeout. The players came off the court sweaty and tired. Wiping themselves off with a towel and drinking water, the players sat to hear the plan. It was rare for us to have a game come down to a last-second shot. Usually it was settled by this time of game. This was uncharted territory for our younger players.

With chalkboard in hand, I drew the play explaining what each player would do. The  players were excited to run a special last-second play.

“Got it?” I searched their eyes to check their focus and enthusiasm. They were ready. Circled up and each putting a hand in the middle, the team did their cheer and broke out onto the floor.

As they broke , I felt our chances to be good until one player came back to me and asked, “Were we the X’s or the O’s ?”.