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"KIM'S LEGACY."
december, 2023
KIM MULKEY HAD SUCCEEDED IN HER efforts to ruin Le'ana Rodes. It all began with a simple knock to her confidence, yet now as she stared Geno in the eyes, all she saw was the piercing gaze of Coach Kim. The remains of LSU haunted her at UConn.
"Geno you're not making any sense." She scolded, arms crossed over her chest. It was clear the girl was angry and Geno couldn't fault her. She had every right to be.
"It's simple Le'ana. You can't play. I'm sorry-" Geno attempted to say before he was cut off by a raging Le'ana.
"That's why I came here, coach!" She yelled (as nicely as possible). "I would've stayed at LSU if I knew it would've been like this."
At that moment her eyes met his and she recalled back to the LSU meeting room. She recalled back to the court where confetti fell after she won the championship. She recalled back to the press conference about how much she wanted to devote to UConn. Every time she found comfort in her situation, something had to ruin it.
Her mind cast itself to Paige, despite the fact she wanted to remain focused on basketball. She couldn't help but wonder if she was the 'something' that ruined them. How had she messed up the one sense of stability in her life? Her only constant now remained an unpredictable mess.
"I get that Le'ana but you've been tired recently. I'm not risking your health just for some minutes." That was the difference between the two coaches. Le'ana knew if this conversation were to have occurred with her former coach it would've taken an entirely different direction. It was times like this, even in moments of anger, where she was thankful for Geno.
"I get it Geno, but I'm fine." She reassured, almost aiming to convince herself in the process.
"You know yourself best Le'ana. If you think you can play - then play." He sighed. It's unimaginable how grateful Le'ana was to hear those words leave Geno's mouth as she contained herself from cheering.
Le'ana left his office feeling accomplished only to be greeted with a sorrowful Paige Bueckers the minute she opened the door. She sighed, not wanting to hear Paige's scolding of her decision to play in their game against Marquette tonight. It was the final game of twenty-twenty-three, as midnight would mark the start of the new year. Having a game on new year's wasn't ideal for any of the girls, but a win would just make it so much better.
"Le, you know you can miss a game or two?" Paige laughed with a tone of severity behind her question.
"I'll be fine Paige." She nudged the girl. Le'ana had repeated that phrase about five times today, confused about why all the girls were suddenly picking up on her tiredness.
Le'ana showed up. So far into the second quarter, she was on fire. Whilst the whole stadium hyped up her twenty-nine points so far, Paige was far more focused on Le'ana's picked-up pace of breathing. She picked up on the excess sweat dripping down her forehead and she definitely caught sight of her eyes drooping.
Paige was unable to necessarily compute what was occurring as Nika passed the ball to her. Preparing to shoot a three, the basketball entirely left her hands when a loud thud was heard behind the girl. Her vision met Le'ana's on the floor before the girl's eyes closed and her breathing slowed.
As Le'ana lay on the court, the stadium fell silent, the cheers and chants replaced by concern and worry. Paige rushed to her side, kneeling beside her fallen teammate, panic rising in her chest. Within moments, the medical team rushed onto the court, their practised movements efficient and swift. Geno appeared at Le'ana's side, his expression a mix of concern and frustration. He knew he should have listened to his instincts, should have insisted she sit this game out.
Le'ana was quickly surrounded by a flurry of activity as the medical team assessed her condition. Paige stood by anxiously, her mind racing with worry for her friend. Her hand reached up to her mouth, nerves causing her to bite her nails to oblivion. KK despite her concern, lifted her arms to swat Paige's hand away. She pulled the girl into an embrace as both of them struggled to process what was going on.
They carefully lifted Le'ana onto a stretcher and all the girls eventually got onto the court, individually praying she'd be ok. Confirmation from the medical team that Le'ana would be fine allowed for the game to be restarted. All the girls had now found their starting positions except Paige. She remained at the three-throw line she had been at for the past ten minutes, unable to move. Geno walked over placing a hand on her shoulder.
"She's fine, Paige," he said quietly, his voice tinged with regret for not listening to Paige's concerns. "Go win it. For her." He was always one for the dramatics.
It was safe to say Paige took those words to heart as she spent the next three quarters dropping forty points. Fans were hyped, celebrating the incredible win against Marquette. For a while, Paige's worries about Le'ana were silent as she focused on winning the game but when the girl found her way into the locker rooms, concern about Le'ana plagued her again. She saw her sprawled out on a massage table in the locker room smiling at a comment Ice made. Paige ran over, more than joyous that Le'ana was awake.
All she could do was ask the brunette if she was ok, why she was so stupid and overall bombard her with questions regarding her health but was briefly interrupted by Le'ana.
"What time is the new year's party tonight?" Paige couldn't help but laugh. Even in times when discipline is required, which was very obvious by Geno's glare, she still managed to make the whole locker room entertained. it wouldn't be Le'ana if she didn't crack a joke at the worst moments.
