The text came at 6:17 AM on a Friday.
Michael: Jamal went down in practice. Knee. It doesn't look good.
Alvin stared at the screen. His heart stopped. His blood went cold.
Jamal. My star point guard. The kid who'd rebuilt the dynasty.
He called Michael immediately.
"What happened?"
"Landing wrong. His knee buckled. The trainers are looking at him now."
"Is he okay?"
"I don't know. It didn't look good."
Alvin got dressed and ran to the gym.
---
The training room was crowded when Alvin arrived.
Jamal was on the table, his knee wrapped in ice, his face pale. The trainers were huddled around him.
"What's the diagnosis?" Alvin asked.
"We're waiting for the MRI," one of the trainers said. "But it looks like a torn ACL."
Alvin's heart sank. "How long?"
"Six to nine months. He's do
