As the Celtics begin scrimmages, Danny feels overwhelmed by the other players. Coach Powers offers him little playing time, except to relieve Rasheed every so often. Danny laments it is “like he was only here to give the star of the team a chance to catch his breath” (86). Rasheed also continues to dominate the team. Coach Powers, after Danny plays poorly, forces Danny to sit next to him while he lectures Danny. As the other team wins, Coach Powers reminds Danny and his teammates (everybody except Rasheed), “‘You all learned a lesson that boys learn the first week of camp every single year—that only the strong survive here’” (90). Since the team cannot pull out a win, Coach Powers puts Danny in the game.

Given the chance to prove himself, Danny drives toward the basket, breaking away from the other players and readying to shoot: “He kept his chin up, eyes on the basket like his dad had always taught him, in a lifetime of telling Danny to play the game with his head up, putting what he knew was the perfect spin on the ball as he released it” (90-91). Danny’s shot, while well lined up, never makes it into the basket.