off the court it 's all anticipation , hunger , counting down the minutes until the next practice or game , drawing plays in my notebooks , visualizing myself on the court : seeing myself diving for loose balls and feeling the scabs on my knees burn ; defending so closely my mark 's knees and elbows leave bruises on my legs , arms , and chest ; passing creatively , finding the open hands of my teammates ; even making a few layups ; coach telling me i did well ; dad and pop smiling proudly .