Hoops

In Chapter 7, Lonnie and Cal go to see Mr. O’Donnel, a wealthy white man who is helping to coordinate the sponsorship of the tournament. From the moment they enter the office, Lonnie feels that Mr. O’Donnel is intentionally making them “remember where [their] place was” (110). O’Donnel wants Cal and the team not to cause any bad press, referencing a person named Rashid who called to tell O’Donnel about Cal’s reputation for causing trouble in the past.

Lonnie affirms that Cal should coach, heading to the practice facility to tell the rest of the team. When he gets there, they all head inside to find the facility has been trashed. Worst, Ox’s parakeet has been killed. When Paul supposes that a drug addict was responsible, Lonnie pushes back: “[W]hoever was here… wanted to hurt us” (117). The team members start cleaning up a little.

The team has a winning streak, and Lonnie is happy that Mary-Ann is coming to his games. When he tells Mary-Ann about the person named Rashid, she explains that it’s probably Juno Rashid, though they don’t know how Juno would know Cal. At practice the next day, Lonnie fills Cal in on the information.