The Squared Circle Read Online Free PDF Page A

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    For the press conference, Sonny sat near the end of the head table, Luther on one side and Robert Lee on the other. It wasn’t possible to be far away from the microphones, but Sonny made sure he was no closer than he had to be. Robert Lee nodded his head at the huge gathering and said, “This is intense, man.” But he was clearly enjoying it. Luther, who had a grin a mile wide, leaned back in his chair and locked both hands at the back of his neck. “Ain’t it a rush?” he chuckled.
    To begin with, Coach Gentry made a brief statement about how hard the players had been working in practice. He talked briefly about the schedule. Coach Gentry was only in his second year as SIU head coach, but he was a sophisticated, polished man, at ease even in this much limelight. His three-piece suit was stylish, and not a hair was out of place. When Sonny looked at him, he couldn’t help but think of Brother Rice, his old ninth-grade coach, that other time he was a freshman. Rice was a crude, blunt slob who let it all hang out, while Gentry was like a corporate executive. Even in practices he was detached and low-key, like a CEO handing out duties to his vice presidents.
    Coach Gentry drank some water and leaned over from the lectern while the sports information director whispered in his ear. He nodded his head several times before he straightened up to tell the reporters, “Jesse informs me that the only home games with tickets remaining are three conference games in late February and early March.”
    The first question was one about pressure. A reporter asked, “Some publications are ranking you as high as ninth or tenth in their preseason reports. What kind of pressure does this put on you and your players?”
    â€œNone on the coaching staff, and we hope none on the players,” the coach answered. “We want to be the best team we can be, but we don’t talk about polls or media expectations. We can’t stop players from watching television or reading newspapers, but any pressure they feel will be self-generated; none of it will come from me or my assistants.”
    â€œIs it fair to say you expect to win the Missouri Valley Conference without much difficulty?” It seemed like a loaded question and it came from a reporter Sonny didn’t recognize; he wondered if the guy came from Chicago.
    Coach Gentry’s crisp answer was, “It’s fair to say we expect to play hard in every game and do our best to win.”
    Someone asked the coach if he knew who his starting lineup would be, but he answered, “It’s premature for that kind of speculation. We’re just evaluating at this point, trying to determine our strengths and weaknesses.”
    A few of the reporters chuckled in a smug kind of way, and the group as a whole seemed somewhat restless. One of them stood up and asked, “What kind of a contribution should we expect from Luther and Sonny?”
    Coach Gentry adjusted his necktie before he said, “Let’s start with the obvious. Luther has the advantage of two years’ experience at the junior college level, while Sonny is a true freshman. They aren’t at the same point in their development. They’re both excellent players, as you know.”
    â€œAre you saying they might not start?”
    Gentry took off his glasses. “Luther and Sonny are both outstanding talents, players any program in the country would be delighted to have. But everyone needs to remember that we were seventeen and eleven last year, and most of our veteran players are returning. Let’s not forget that Otis Reed is one of the best point guards in the league, and Royer is one of the best centers in the league.”
    â€œBut your returning players are going to be much better with Luther and Sonny on the floor at the same time.”
    Gentry got a big laugh when he said, “Is there a question in there somewhere?”
    Sonny could hear