Riaan I-ethos yakhe ingatholakala ngaphansi kwe-bicep yakhe yesokudla, ngezinhlamvu ezinkulu ezimnyama.
“Akunalutho,” i-tattoo ifundeka.
Kungaba lula kakhulu ukuzitika kancane manje.
Amari Bailey akaseyona inkanyezi ye-basketball yasekolishi esafufusa. Ulapha.
Ngawo wonke umnyakazo oya kubhasikidi, zonke izitobhi zokuzivikela, wonke amaphasi athola ozakwethu endaweni ekahle, UCLA Unogada omusha ukhuphula iqembu eselivele lisabekayo libe amandla angenakuvinjwa ngesikhathi esifanele.
Ube wusizo olukhulu kangangokuthi umqeqeshi wakhe wakhala ngokungamtholi kakhulu ibhola ngesikhathi kuqhubeka umdlalo Ukunqoba kukaBruins ngo 68-63 eNyakatho-ntshonalanga emzuliswaneni wesibili womqhudelwano we-NCAA.
“U-Amari wayenani?” Mick Cronin kusho ngemuva kwalokho, ethwebula amaphuzu ebhokisi ukuze athole amaphuzu. “Ishumi nane. Benginethemba lokuthi ngizoba no-18. Kodwa iphutha lami akazange athole isibhamu esanele. Namanje sisasebenzela ukuthola lowo.”
Ngenhlanhla yama-Bruins, u-Bailey ungaphezu kokukwazi ukuzitholela isibhamu sakhe. Ujike wazungeza i-Boo Buie yaseNyakatho-ntshonalanga ukuze ahlele i-fastbreak, wabethela i-jumper ekupheleni kwewashi elidubulayo futhi wangcwaba amaphuzu amathathu ukuze anikeze iqembu lakhe ukuhola okukhulu komdlalo.
Endleleni, wabonisa ukuthi icala le-UCLA alisekho UJaime Jaquez Jr., UTyger Campbell futhi noma yini i-scraps iqembu elingayithola.
“Nika u-Amari Bailey udumo,” kusho umqeqeshi waseNorthwestern uChris Collins. “Bengicabanga ukuthi ukhuphukile ngempela wabanikeza ukukhiqizwa okuhle njengomshayi magoli wesithathu.”
Bekungekona okudidayo. Emidlalweni emihlanu kusukela lapho Jaylen Clark ulimale emlenzeni osekupheleni kwesizini, u-Bailey uthole amaphuzu angu-17, okuhlanganisa ne-26 ephezulu ebhekene neColorado emqhudelwaneni wePac-12. Leso silinganiso sicishe siphindeke kabili amaphuzu angu-9.6 u-Bailey ayewalinganise ngaphambi kokulimala kuka-Clark futhi senza abalandeli bakaBruins baqonde ukuthi babujabulela kangcono ubukhona bakhe phakathi nenani elingaba isikhathi esifushane sokuhlala ekolishi.
U-Amari Bailey we-UCLA, kwesokunxele, kanye no-Jaime Jaquez Jr. balwela ukuphindela emuva noFletcher Abee waseNorth Carolina Asheville emzuliswaneni wokuqala womqhudelwano we-NCAA ngoLwesine.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
“Ngizokwenza amaphutha futhi ngilapha ukuze ngifunde kuwo wonke, empeleni nje ukuba isipontshi futhi ngiphuze konke engingakwenza futhi ngibambe zonke izinsuku engifika lapha.”
– U-Amari Bailey, ngendlela asondela ngayo emdlalweni wakhe
Angahlala isikhathi esingakanani?
“Empeleni ngigxile nje usuku nosuku,” uBailey usanda kutshela iThe Times lapho ebuzwa ngokuya ku-NBA noma ukubuya isizini yesibili e-UCLA. “Uyazi, ngizowela lelo bhuloho uma ngifika lapho. Njengamanje, ngigxile ekusizeni ukuthi ngiwine isibhengezo esingunombolo 12, lokho umgomo wami ongunombolo-1.”
Uzodinga ukudlala kahle kakhulu ukuze abuke leyo ndwangu eluhlaza okwesibhakabhaka negolide ikhuphuka ngaphakathi kwe-Pauley Pavilion, ikhuphukela kunselelo ngayinye enzima kakhulu. Okulandelayo kuma-Bruins anembewu yesibili umdlalo owandulela owamanqamu wesifunda e-T-Mobile Arena lapho izobhekana khona neGonzaga enembewu yesithathu noma iTexas Christian yaseTexas.
Noma ubani ocabanga ukuthi u-Bailey uyi-dynamo eshaya amaphuzu akabhekile eduze. Ukuzivikela kwakhe kwe-Lockdown ku-Buie, umdlali ohamba phambili we-Wildcats, kwamgcina engenalo igoli lasensimini esiwombeni sokuqala futhi kubonakala kumenza athule ngendlela engavamile ngaphambi kokuthi angene esiwombeni sesibili. U-Buie uqede enamaphuzu angu-18 kodwa wadubula amahlanu kuphela kwangu-13 futhi uphume ngendlela yokuthi waphuthelwa yi-gimme layup sekusele imizuzwana engu-13 evale isiphetho sama-Wildcats.
U-Bailey naye washayela futhi waqonda phakathi nendawo Adem Bona okwedunk ekuqaleni komdlalo, ekhombisa amakhono akhe aphezulu okuphasa. Yebo, ukuguqulwa kwakhe okuthathu bekuyikhona kakhulu eqenjini, umkhuba oqhubekayo ongase wenze labo abanethemba lokuthi uBailey uzobuya ngesizini ezayo babambe ithemba lokuthi ufuna ukulungisa lolo daba ngaphambi kokuya ezingeni elilandelayo.
Isici esisodwa segeyimu ka-Bailey esilungele i-NBA ukuncintisana kwakhe.
“Ngiyabathanda abafana abadlala ngokuzikhandla ngoba baba ngcono,” kusho uCronin. “Ungazipholisha ezinye izinto uma umfana ezoncintisana. Njengokuthi bengiyisikhulu esiphezulu [in the NBA], uma ngingakwazi ukuthola impendulo yalokho, ngangingakwazi ukukhathalela ubude, ikhono, ukuphakama, ukuphakama. Uma ngibuka insizwa kodwa ingenalo itikha futhi ngeke iqhudelane ngokomzimba, ngingakutshela ukuthi loya mfana akadlali ku-NBA ngoba labo bafana, kuwo wonke umdlalo wabo, labo bafana badlala ngokuzikhandla ndoda.
U-Bailey wayengumkhiqizo omkhulu ngaphambi kokungena ekhempasini, eqoqe iningi labalandeli bakhe be-Instagram abangu-565,000. Kodwa akadlali muntu noma alahleke usaziwayo wakhe.
“Angikaze ngingene kukho konke lokho, ngokweqiniso,” kusho u-Bailey ngokubanjwa yi-hype. “Ngizibuka njengomuntu, okokuqala. Ngiye ngizibambe ngezikhathi ezinjengokuthi mhlawumbe lokho engithathwa njengakho, kodwa ekugcineni, ngiyingane eneminyaka engu-19 ubudala ecabanga ngayo njengawo wonke umuntu. Ngingathi ngizokwenza amaphutha futhi ngilapha ukuze ngifunde kuwo wonke, empeleni nje ukuba isipontshi futhi ngicwilise konke engingakwenza futhi ngibambe zonke izinsuku engifika lapha.”
U-Bailey ufunda wonke umuntu osebenza naye eqenjini, aze abukele umnyakazo kaRussell Stong IV eprakthiza. Abadlali abaphezulu abahlala bexhumekile kuma-walk-ons bagcine igumbi lokungena lihlangene, kungekho maqembu akhayo ngokusekelwe enanini lezinkanyezi noma ubani azithole esikoleni esiphakeme.
“Angikaze ngidlale eqenjini lapho besihlangene khona,” kusho u-Bailey, “empeleni bengifuna okungcono kakhulu komunye nomunye – bekungakhathalekile ukuthi besizenzelani mathupha, bekungakhathalekile ukuthi besihamba ngani. phansi, lapho nje singena phakathi kolayini noma sifika endaweni yokuzilolonga, sigibela indiza noma yini, kukhona ukukhululwa ngokushesha, ngakho-ke leyo yinto engihlale ngiyibheke ngabomvu.”
Amasonto amabili ngaphezulu, uma konke kuhamba kahle.
