On the Devil's Court

The next day at practice, Joe discovers that his ability to shoot the ball is gone. He can still pass and run the team, but he cannot make any outside shots. He stays after practice to try to get his shot back without success. John tells him to relax and not practice too much, saying, “Your shot will be there when you need it” (177). John predicts they are going to win, adding, “I know you don’t believe it, but we are” (178).

Firmly believing his abilities are gone and his team is going to lose, Joe goes through the motions of preparing for the tournament game against Richland. He looks forward to being out of the spotlight. In the stands, he spots Bonner from Eastern Washington alongside another man whom he believes is the head coach. On the first play of the game, Joe takes a pass and dashes the length of the court to slam dunk the ball. He misjudges his jump and hits the rim, falling backward and hitting his head on the court. He sits out the rest of the game in the locker room with a concussion, his mind foggy. A stranger continually reports the score to him. To his amazement, Eastside wins a close game. His parents, who were kept away from him by an anonymous security guard, take him to the hospital to have his head x-rayed.

The emergency room doctor tells Joe he will be fine but must not play basketball for two weeks. Joe immediately reacts, saying he must play the next day. The doctor relents, saying he can play in two days if his team is still in the tournament and he has no headache. Lying in his bed, Joe feels tremendously confused. Before the game, he did not want to play at all. Now he cannot wait. At home, he writes down the reasons he thinks he sold his soul and, on the opposite side of the page, the reasons he could not have sold his soul. The two sides even out. He distracts himself by spinning the basketball on his finger faster than he ever has: “It was like the ball was attached to my finger, like it was a part of me” (184).

Joe’s parents let him sleep in the next day, and he wakes to find himself alone at home. He is angry and frustrated that he cannot be at the team’s shoot-around. He shows up for the game in a suit and tie and sits at the end of the bench. The team is sluggish at the beginning. Joe recognizes mistakes they are making and opportunities they are missing. Eddie Doyle, who has taken his place as the point guard, sits beside him during a break and asks for advice. Joe spills out a number of changes, which Eddie puts into the play, and Eastside rallies to defeat Shadle Park, putting them into the championship game the next day. As Joe prepares to leave the locker room as the team celebrates, John grabs him and says, “Can you believe it, Joe? We won both these games without you. Think what will happen tomorrow night when you’re playing again” (186).

Eastside will play Loyal in the state final. Both teams are undefeated. Joe is like a caged lion all day, then grabs his basketball and heads to the Boys Club gym. Rain is pounding the roof as he returns to the spot where he sank 10 in a row. The feeling of power returns. He makes seven baskets in a row and realizes making three more will not make a difference one way or another. Joe feels ready to play in the championship game. As he emerges from the gym, a police car shines a spotlight on him. He explains he ducked into the gym to get out of the rain. When he identifies himself as Joe Faust, the officers know who he is and tell him never to return to the gym.

At the skimpy evening meal, his family makes small talk until his father brings up that evening’s game, saying, “It’d go easier on my heart if you won big” (189). Joe’s parents drop him at the Coliseum, where he stands outside alone. The team is extremely nervous as they gather. Joe says, “the general terror was infectious” (190). Walking onto the court, Joe declares, “I was ready to play” (190).

As the championship game starts, Ross is playing a great game. The other Loyal players are not following suit, however, and the Eastside players are keeping up. The crowd is fairly silent during the first half, expecting Loyal to blow Eastside away. One minute before halftime, it is a two-point game. When Doyle breaks away for a layup, a Loyal player clotheslines him, and a near brawl ensues. It takes 10 minutes for play to resume, and the half ends with Loyal up 34-30.

The third quarter is essentially a shoving match with very little scoring. Both teams are throwing elbows, and the referees are not controlling the hostility. Raible calls for Eastside to stand up to Loyal, saying, “Don’t back off. Show these guys what you’re made of. The whole state is watching” (193). Joe realizes the one thing no one is seeing is good basketball. In the fourth quarter, the game gets even rougher. When a second brawl erupts, Joe and Ross back away and stand together at the other end of the court. After order is restored, Joe walks to each Loyal player and shakes his hand. He gathers his team and sees they are all furious. He tells them: “Listen […] this is a championship game and we’ve done everything but play basketball” (195). The team responds, cutting Loyal’s lead to two points. Joe is fouled as he sinks a shot and, with the free throw, cuts the lead to one point with 22 seconds remaining. Loyal tries to run out the clock with a four-corners stall. When Ross tries to shoot, John blocks it. Doyle throws up a desperation shot as the clock expires. Joe catches the ball in the air and dunks it. Eastside wins 64-63. In the celebration, Joe sees his parents trying to come onto the court. Joe is caught up with the other players and whisked to the locker room.

After an hour-long celebration in the locker room, Joe’s parents take him for dessert, which he is too excited to eat. Once at home, Joe falls asleep, but he soon wakes up hungry. His father comes into the kitchen seeking a snack as well, and they sit across the table from one another. Dr. Faust reveals that he spoke with Coach Bonner. Joe is embarrassed since he did not speak to his dad about Eastern Washington. His father acknowledges that, at Joe’s age, he was passionate about science and had hoped Joe would be as well. He confesses that his father had wanted him to be an architect.

Deuker ends with a brief Epilogue that focuses on Joe’s father’s renewed effort to get him into Stanford by speaking with the basketball coach and, because Joe’s SAT scores are not as high as necessary, to the administration. Joe thanks his father for desiring to help but says that, “from now on, I’m only going through doors I open for myself” (201).