Adnan, another new Shooting Guard, just shook his head slowly, staring at the court in disbelief. "Bad doesn't even begin to cover it, man. This is a total and utter disaster. We’re getting annihited."

  Even James, despite his earlier cocky confidence, felt a little prickle of real concern. Ten points in five minutes? That was a brutal start, even for a practice match. But he was still clinging to his theory about patterns being exploitable.

  He just needed to get his chance to get on the court and actually find those weaknesses for real.

  "Hey, don't lose heart yet, guys," James said, trying to keep his voice firm and encouraging, even if he was feeling a little less sure himself. "It's just ten points, seriously. We can totally come back from this. We just need to… adjust our game pn a bit. And listen to Manager Tahera’s pn, she’s definitely got something sneaky up her sleeve, I bet." He even winked at Tahera, trying to lighten the seriously heavy mood.

  Tahera managed a weak, strained smile. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, James. And yeah, maybe I do have something up my sleeve. But right now, we just seriously need to stop the bleeding. Like, now."

  Tahera finally called a timeout, waving her hands frantically to get the ref's attention. The Banani pyers trudged towards the bench, heads hanging low, shoulders slumped. The initial excitement and hype of the practice match had been brutally stomped out by the cold, hard reality of Motijheel's overwhelming dominance.

  This uphill battle wasn't just steep; it felt like trying to scale a vertical cliff face with no ropes.

  As they huddled around Tahera, the crushing weight of the score pressed down on them, a tangible presence in the sudden, heavy hush that fell over the court. The confident swagger they’d walked in with this morning? Felt like it belonged to a different lifetime.

  Now, it was all repced by the grim, sinking realization of the massive challenge looming ahead. Motijheel’s start wasn't just strong; it was a full-on statement, a booming decration of intent that threatened to crush Banani’s spirits into dust before the first quarter even finished.

  Ryan was sprawled on the grassy field bordering the basketball court, idly watching a football match unfold. The shouts of the football pyers, the thud of the ball, and the distant cheers of the small crowd were a comfortable background hum to his thoughts.

  Suddenly, a shadow fell over him. He looked up to see Sourov standing there, a slightly perplexed expression on his face.

  "Hey," Sourov said, gesturing towards the basketball court with a tilt of his head. "Did you hear about James?"

  Ryan grinned, already knowing what Sourov was referring to. "Hear about it? Man, everyone’s heard about it by now. The whole campus is buzzing."

  Sourov frowned slightly. "He joined the basketball team, right? I saw him on the court yeasterday. Does… does this mean he’s leaving the Judo club?" There was a hint of concern in his voice. Ryan, Sourov, and James were all members of the Judo club, a bond forged in shared sweat and throws. The thought of losing a member, especially one as… unique as James, was clearly on Sourov's mind.