“Let’s just say your call was right on time. We weren’t seeing eye to eye on the podcast's direction and decided to go our separate ways about a week before you reached out.”
“I hate to hear that, but I hope you didn’t part ways on bad terms.”
“We cool.”
I wasn’t sure if I believed him, but I didn’t care enough to press him for more details. The server returned with our drinks and took our food order.
“You didn’t belong behind the mic anyway. How’s the family?” I asked.
“Good. My wife’s not happy about the possible move and doesn’t think her and the kids should come just yet.”
“She has a good point. You know how it is in this line of work.”
“Yeah. It wasn’t a big deal when the kids were younger, but now they have school and friends and shit. If I can find a place soon, they’ll come here until school starts.”
“The realtor I connected you with should be able to find you something pretty quick,” I told him.
“How long has it been since you left the JUCO in Georgia?” Knox asked.
Ward was an assistant coach at a junior college in an Atlanta suburb for five or six years but resigned abruptly.
“About a year and a half. I didn’t realize how much I missed coaching. I’ve been on a high since I got your call. Who else did you bring on?”
We talked about the new coaching staff until our food arrived. The basketball game playing on the big screen caught our attention while we ate. The Onyx City Blazers were in the playoffs for the seventh consecutive season and were up by fifteen in the fourth quarter.
“How does the team look? Have y’all had time to watch film? Did the previous coach recruit well?”
“The team needs work, but they’re a dedicated and talented group,” Knox responded.
“As far as recruits, we’ll have to wait and see. The previous coach wasn’t able to lock in one of the most talented players in the state, but I tried my luck and reached out to him.”
“Oh yeah? How’d it go?”
“It went well. He committed this morning,” I said.
“What’s his name?”
“Nyeem Kurrie. He?—”
Ward choked on his drink, causing me to pause for a moment to make sure he was okay.
“You good, man?” I asked when he stopped coughing.
He cleared his throat. “Yeah. The beer went down the wrong pipe. What did you say his name was?”
I could be wrong, but he wasn’t drinking anything when he began choking.
“Nyeem Kurrie. He’s academically gifted and was recruited by schools across the country for his talents in football, basketball, and track. He committed to BEU’s track team earlierthis year, but when we met with him, we assured him he could do both.”
“Sounds like he’s the real deal. Hope he pans out and doesn’t turn out to be a flop. Maybe he chose track over football or basketball because he knows he doesn’t have what it takes.”
I shook my head. “That’s always a possibility, but after meeting him, the boy has the glow.”
“We have no doubt he’ll be a force,” Knox added.
“You actually might know his mother. She graduated from BEU a few years after you.”
“Nah, I doubt it. I didn’t mess around with the young girls.”
