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lemonlushff-iy · 4 years

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Read parts 1-4 here

One Last Ride - Part Five

Kagome drove down the long, winding dirt path to her mother's house, the events of the day playing over and over again in her head. She had so many questions for her mother, starting with "what the hell was going on?", followed by "why is Inuyasha helping out around the ranch?".

As her childhood home came into view, she felt the familiar bitter sweetness of nostalgia wash over her. This was the home she had grown up in. This house was the background for most of her childhood memories…both good and bad.

The wooden rocking chairs were still out on the porch. She had spent hours there as a child with her grandfather, listening to his stories about her father as a child. It's where she had plucked her fingers raw as his leathery hands covered hers, teaching her to play his guitar.

The front yard was cleaner now. It still had a soccer ball near the side, but the bikes were gone. Stored in the shed around back, like they were supposed to be. She supposed her brother drove to school now instead of biking the long distance.

She used to hate biking to school too. Only she didn't…Because Inuyasha would stop by first and go with her. He would race with her...letting her win almost every single time, because they both knew that he could pedal a lot faster.

Their fathers had taught them how to ride the bike at the same time...on this very long, winding road. Inuyasha would put on a brave face whenever he fell and skinned himself, but her father would swoop in, look at his wounds, and give him a hug. Her father would call him a champ when he stood back up, ready to keep going.

That's the kind of man her father was.

The kind of man who would wake up at four in the morning to take her fishing and just listen to her talk about all of her problems, no matter how big or small they were. He'd listen to her complain and vent over school work, excitedly talk about the latest article she was working on for the school paper, and confess her ideas for that newest short story.

It was their special time together. Where they could just be and bond...Where he had told her that he believed in her dreams. Where he told her that she was a talented writer and should keep pursuing it. Where he had told her that he was happy she was happy with Inuyasha...but if he hurt her, he wouldn't hesitate to break out his shotgun.

She had groaned at that...but having his blessing? For all if it?

It had meant the world to her.

Now...the rocking chairs stood empty, and the fishing rods lay coated in dust.

A light had been extinguished in her heart with each of their passing...and it had taken a long time to find a small flashlight for the void within.

She put her car into park, coming around to the trunk to pop it and remove her suitcase as the door to the house opened.

"Kagome!" her younger brother, Souta, called as he ran over to her, leaping into her arms so suddenly she had to drop the suitcase to catch him. "Trust fall!" he yelled as she staggered backwards from the force, the car catching her in her back. If it hadn't been there, she would have landed on her ass, but she didn't care.

"Souta," she laughed, her heart feeling a bit lighter. This was why she had come home. For him. For his graduation.

"Hey sis," he grinned, his eyes happily dancing before he bent over and tucked his head under her chin, squeezing the air out of her lungs.

"S-Sout-ta...C-can't...breathe…"

"That's ok."

"S-Souta!"

"Alright," he grumbled, pulling away from her and she gasped for air, bending over to rest her hands on her knees. "I'm so glad you made it! We were a bit worried that you wouldn't when your flight got delayed...and then we heard your car broke down…"

"I wasn't going to let that stop me! It's your big day buddy...I couldn't miss that," she grinned, righting herself and grabbing him around the shoulders to muss up his hair. "God...I think you grew another inch since Christmas...would you stop growing already? You're already taller than me."

"Just trying to catch up to Inuy-ah...LeBron James. You know. So I can have a better shot at the NBA," he smiled weakly.

"You can say his name, Souta," she replied, pulling away to push her hair behind her ears as he picked up her suitcase. "He's a good man. Not Voldemort...we don't have to pretend he doesn't exist, ok?"

"Are we pretending that Zach doesn't exist?" he asked, leading her into the house.

"Yes. Yes we are," she laughed, closing the door. It smelled like home...or at least of her mother's fried chicken. And if that wasn't home, she wasn't sure what was.

"Oh! My Sweet Baby Girl!" She heard her mother's sweet, melodic timbre instantly washed away any lingering pain from her hellish day. It was all worth it. The delayed flight. The broken down car. The horrible dinner. All of it was worth it so that she could be here. With her family.

She'd brave it all again just for this.

Her mother swept her up into her arms, rocking her from side to side, and she inhaled deeply. Underneath the scent of fried chicken she smelled of her, and of the fancy rose scented perfume she only wore on special occasions.

"Hi Mama," she sighed, pulling away to look closely at her mother. She was the same, but not. She was a bit thinner than she remembered her being...her cheeks only slightly more sunken in than she recalled as being "normal" for her mother. She wore concealer, under her eyes...something she normally avoided doing. Perhaps it was to hide the dark circles she was certain was under it? Her hair, while still short and wavy, was a bit frizzier than she remembered it being as well. Sure it was summer and all, but her mother had always taken pride in her hair.

If Inuyasha hadn't already tipped her off that something might be wrong here, she would have known the second she saw her mother.

"Let me get a look at you! Oh it's been too long, Kagome!" Her mother sighed, holding her out at an arm's length as she examined her. "Good! You're eating well."

"Mother! Did you just call me fat?"

"I said nothing of the sort - I'm just glad living in California hasn't gotten to you yet and I don't have a twig daughter."

God! Everyone and their hatred of California!

"I'm fine Mama," she growsed. "Maybe a little tired and emotionally worn down from dinner...but I'm fine."

"Yeah how'd that go?" Souta called, running down the stairs from her room. He sounded like a bull in a china cabinet, with the way his feet pounded on each step. "I was shocked when Mama told me. Of all the places for your car to break down…"

"Trust me - I know," she replied rolling her eyes as she followed her mother and brother into the kitchen. "It was...well, I would have liked it if it had gone better, but it could have been a hell of a lot worse. Inuyasha helped me fix the car up as soon as dinner was over."

"Did you two talk about anything?" her mother pried lightly, placing an open tupperware of chocolate chip cookies in the center of the table.

She snorted and plucked a cookie out from the pile within, taking a bite and asking, "about what specifically?"

"I don't know, anything noteworthy," she shrugged, reaching into the refrigerator and pulling out the milk, pouring it into two glasses.

"She's asking if you and Inuyasha talked about...things," her brother helpfully supplied.

"We talked about a bunch of things."

"Such as?" her mother tried again, placing the milk in front of them and crossing her arms on the table.

"Such as my favorite color," she replied dryly, taking a sip from her milk.

"No...really..." her mother said, cocking her head to the side.

"Really," Kagome confirmed, taking another bite from her cookie. "He asked me what it was. He wasn't sure if it was still green. Shouldn't we be talking about something more exciting than my run in with Inuyasha? Like Souta's graduation?"

"I dunno sis," he teased. "You've been avoiding him for seven years. This feels pretty exciting to me…"

She threw her cookie at him.

"The two of you! We're fine. Everything's fine. Can we just...move on from him?" she groaned, and they reluctantly changed the conversation to Souta's graduation plans.

The ceremony was the day after next, and Souta had requested that they go to Ottwell's, one of only two diners in town, afterwards followed by bowling. Apparently he had plans with some friends that night, so he was graciously gracing them with his presence in the afternoon.

After that, they spent the next two hours talking about everything and nothing. Kagome filled them in on how work at the magazine and was going, and confirmed that no...she hadn't seriously started dating anyone new yet. She had set up Tinder on her phone again though.

Buyo her cat was fine. A little older and more crotchety, but her roommate Ayame was looking after him while she was gone. She had met Ayame in college and the two had become fast friends, supporting each other on all of life's ups and downs on the west coast.

Souta, she was surprised to hear, had decided to delay attending a college for a year. When she had pressed him on why, he had simply shrugged and told her that he wasn't sure what he wanted to do beyond this...and if there even was something he wanted to do beyond this. Besides. It's not like it ever hurt anyone to take a year off. He would use the time to help around the ranch and do some soul searching.

She would have liked to argue with him, but she couldn't. It was important that he forge his own path, and if this was what he needed to do…well...she might not like it, but she could support it. Just as they had when she left home for UCLA.

When he began to fake yawn to excuse himself to go to sleep, but really play video games in his room, Kagome stood up and snapped the lid back onto the tupperware of cookies.

"You know, I had been hoping that perhaps you had patched things up with Inuyasha," her mother began casually, watching her daughter wash her hands in the kitchen sink.

Kagome could sense her mother had been waiting until he was out of earshot before starting this conversation, and she sighed.

"Mama…"

"He didn't want to upset you, but Souta would really like it if Inuyasha would join us. The bond he shares with him...you know he's always been like an older brother to him."

"And you're both asking me for permission to invite him along?" she smiled wryly, coming to slump down in a chair at the kitchen table again.

"He's not. He didn't want to hurt you...but he's mentioned it in passing, quite a bit. I am, though. It would mean the world to him, Sweetheart."

Kagome worried her fingers and bit the inside of her lip, her chest slightly pained that they were afraid to invite him along because it would upset her. She knew that the two had always shared a special bond. Inuyasha was the older brother Souta had never had...and he was the brother Inuyasha had always wished he had.

It hurt that her family didn't believe in her ability to keep it together with him for one day for her brother's sake...yet what reason did they have to believe that they could?

Every single time she had ever come in, they had carefully asked just once if she planned to see him. And every time her answer had been no.

She avoided him like the plague.

But...if today was any indication, fate really was forcing him back into her life.

Besides. Souta deserved to have his male role model there. Their grandfather and father died when he was so young...Inuyasha was all he had to look up to. She couldn't take that from him.

"He should be there. We can be civil for an afternoon, if today was any indication," she finally whispered, and her mother reached out to take her hangs, giving them a light squeeze.

"Thank you Sweetie," she grinned warmly. "Why don't you tell him in the morning? It will make his day and I don't think he'd be able to go to sleep now if we told him."

"Sounds good," she nodded. "I...Mama...I want to ask you something. About something Inuyasha said earlier."

Her mother instantly froze and her back straightened. She was apprehensive.

"Oh? What did he say?"

"He implied that things aren't going so well here. That he's been helping out around here a lot? At least enough to know I was dating Zach, and that's not exactly a casual conversation topic…"

Her mother's eyes flashed with slight agitation before she schooled her expression again into casual nonchalance.

"Nothing is wrong, Sweetie. He's offered to help out, and I appreciate his assistance."

"But why did he offer? Mama...come on. You can tell me. I know something is going on. The Takahashi's have a large enough ranch that Inuyasha wouldn't offer help unless there was a good reason...And you look stressed, Mama. You aren't eating right...getting enough sleep...your hair is a mess…"

"Kagome Higurashi, you bite your tongue! I raised you better than to insult your mother!"

"I'm not insulting you, I'm trying to figure out what is going on! Please Mama...I'm not a child. You can confide in me. What's going on here?"

Her mother gave her a long, hard look before sighing and rising to her feet, retrieving two of her father's whisky glasses and a bottle of Jim Beam. She deftly poured two fingers worth into each glass, adding a few ice cubes before setting the drinks down on the old, wooden table.

She sat down, picking up one of the glasses and giving the amber liquid a swirl, trying to chill it a bit faster before taking a sip.

"Kagome...the ranch isn't doing so well. We haven't been for the last year."

"What?" she gasped, pulling her glass closer to her and gripping it tightly between white-knuckled fingers. "What happened?"

"It was just...one thing after another. First we had a rodent infestation in the feed...then Bullseye died of old age, and Bill got sick...we only had Benny left," her mother began, shaking her head as she began to list their tragedies. Bullseye, Bill, and Benny were all of their bulls. And if they were only down to one breeding male, that would make breeding seasons difficult and affect profits. The rodent infestation would have killed off most of their feed...and both replacing the feed and their bulls was expensive.

"Then we had a bout of coyote attacks picking off the calves," her mother continued. "Money got so tight that I had to make some hard decisions. I had to let go of Matthew, Jim, and Kenny. They've found work elsewhere, but it's been hard maintaining this place without their help and with the loan shark breathing down our neck—"

"—Loan shark?!" She squealed. "You went to a loan shark?"

"Kagome, Honey, I was desperate. It's expensive replacing all of that feed...and I was only able to replace one of the bulls to try and keep us going, but it hasn't been digging us out of the hole yet," her mother sighed, taking another long swig from her glass. "The mortgage was due and I didn't have the money, so I did the only thing I could."

Kagome took a few, deep gulps of her drink and ran her fingers through her hair.

"Oh my God," she whispered, leaning forward onto the table. How could her mother have kept this from her? She could have helped! Would have helped! She would have sent back some of her paycheck, would have looked for alternative solutions that didn't involve turning to a loan shark...She would have...she would have done something!

"We will be fine, Sweetheart," her mother soothed, taking another sip from her glass. "Things will be tight, but we've made due before. We will again. I'm...I'm thankful to Inuyasha, though. If it weren't for him...I don't know how we'd be doing if it weren't for him."

"I'm confused. You let go of Matthew, Jim, and Kenny, and hired Inuyasha?"

Her mother shot her a sad smile, tilting her head to the side.

"We didn't hire him, Kagome. He's just been doing. Showed up one day before dawn and had already fed the livestock and collected all the eggs before I even had breakfast made. I insisted on giving him something for his time, but he didn't want anything other than…" She trailed off and closed her eyes sighing.

"Other than what?" Kagome swallowed.

"Other than the occasional update on how you're doing. I think...I think a part of him still loves you, Sweetie."

She couldn't have stopped the bitter laugh from bubbling out of her throat even if she had tried to.

Him? Still in love with her?

Hardly.

Though he had kissed her…She could still feel his lips pressed against hers...

But that was a goodbye.

Wasn't it?

Yes. It was. And she wasn't going to start thinking differently. It would be a mistake if she did.

Sure they had a few moments of...comradery? Civility? Nostalgia? But it wasn't anything more than that. There was enough hostility and thinly veiled barbs to be construed as something more than two people trying to get along for the evening.

"I think you're sorely mistaken, Mama."

Her mother gave her a knowing look, but didn't say more on the subject. "Regardless," she continued, "he's been coming by every morning, helping for as long as he can until he has to go back home and work for his father. I've been making him breakfast, so there's a chance you'll run into him again before Souta's graduation."

Perfect.

There really wasn't any hiding this trip, huh?

"Well...thanks for letting me know," she sighed. "At least I have a head's up this time, right?"

____________________

Had a rough morning (my dog tripped my coming down the stairs and I have a sprained ankle now) so I said FUCK IT and am posting early. I’ll still have stuff for white day.

Wall of tags! Let me know if you want in or out!

(If you get tagged in this post after requesting tags, it’s because that’s how I’m keeping track of them. If you requested a tag and aren’t there, I might not have seen it so please ask again!)

@clearwillow, @keichanz, @dangerouspompadour, @nartista, @kaze-ranna, @superpixie42, @sticky-llama-perfection, @pinkpigeonstudio, @mcornilliac, @itzatakahashi, @zelink-inukag, @juliatheanimelover7, @csim28, @smmahamazing, @the-lucky-ones311, @cyncyn981, @animemomma96, @ayari17, @underwater0phelia, @sailorbabydoll92, @l-taisho29, @clearwillow, @animelove1313, @littlemissinukag

#inuyasha #inukag #inuyasha fanfic #inuyasha fanfiction #inuyashafanfic #DAMNIT CARRA #western #rancer #cattle rancher #clearwillow #lemonlushff #one last ride

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crowdwar · 3 years

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The Memphis Grizzlies Roar Into Action Every Nba Game

We don't want to hear any excuses or promises that you can't order satellite TV until next year. 메리트 Remember that satellite TV guy you talked to last spring who said you can only order satellite TV now and only now if you want to get the low-price deal? Well, I'm that guy! And I'm here to tell you this is your last chance to order satellite TV online. (Okay, maybe not...it just sounds more dramatic that way) Here are at least 7 reasons why it's hard to say no...

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What are the most popular nba jerseys? Do you know the answer? If not, don't worry. We have the answers. If you're not an nba fan and you're thinking of buying a gift for someone who is an NBA fan, the last thing you want is to buy a jersey for the 6th man on the Wizards. That probably wouldn't go over too well. Even if you're an NBA fan, don't you want to own the most popular NBA jerseys? It simply looks cooler. If you're not into looking cool, then consider NBA jerseys for players you like or players that play the same way you do. Still nba broadcast haven't seen a package that floats your boat? There are a few options that cater to the less popular sports in American culture. How about the Setanta Sports package, which offers European football (soccer) and rugby? Or maybe you'd be interested in the Cricket Ticket, which offers 200 days a year of cricket coverage. Lastly, there's the MLS Direct Kick, which gives you access to over 130 soccer games throughout the course of the MLS season. When you need to face reality. There is no shortage of fanfare for reality TV these days. Whether you want to know who is getting jettisoned from Dancing with the Stars or who is pulling off the best designs on Project Runway, you may not be able to wait for the repeats to come up on Bravo or ABC. It's a perfect time to let your DVR function take care of business. This way, you're not out of the loop when the crew is hanging out at the water cooler the following day at work. Now, Directv subscribers have a plethora of options when it comes to American sports. Football, baseball, hockey, NASCAR ... these are important to sports fans. When the major sports have play-offs like the NFL or NBA, you can count on those rabid sports fans purchasing a 'pass' which buys a whole block of games. The Dish Network does offer sports, but they are more global in their choices. You will likely find rugby, lacrosse and soccer just as much as the football or baseball. They just don't have as much of a selection. So, if sports are your thing, then going for a Directv dish and satellite system is the best choice for you. I am going to say that LeBron is my favorite player and why people dislike LeBron is puzzling to me. He never committed a crime or did anything to hurt anyone and yet he is either hated (which is a vulgar word) or very disliked. He may be arrogant at times but look in your mirror and tell me you were never proud or arrogant about something in your life. Can you throw the first stone? What an incredible industry. Every morning Jerry Jones' team has articles written about it. Free color pictures on the nba broadcast rights front page promoting his brand. Radio shows talking solely about his product for hours on end. Derrick Favors, PF/C, Georgia Tech - Favors was rivaled only by Wall in fanfare coming out of high school. While Wall flourished at Kentucky, Favors' season was somewhat of a disappointment. He showed flashes of his elite talent but struggled with consistency all season long. In Favors defense, the guard play at Tech was downright atrocious at times this season - especially their ability to feed the post and create opportunities for a very talented frontline. Fortunately for Favors, his physical tools ate tailor made for the pro game. His athleticism and explosiveness around the basket can't be matched by the other big men in this draft. Phil Jackson enjoyed about nine seasons as head coach of Chicago. He was very successful to reach 400 wins in only 557 games. He was the second fastest to milestone in league history. He guided the Chicago Bull to NBA Championship in 1990-91, 1991-92, 1992-93, 1995-96, 1996-97 & 1997-98. He was coach of the year in 1995-96.

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trilotechcorp · 7 years

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New Post has been published on PBA-Live

New Post has been published on http://pba-live.com/boston-bulldogs-brad-stevens-re-recruitment-of-gordon-hayward/

Boston Bulldogs: Brad Stevens' re-recruitment of Gordon Hayward

BOSTON — Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge heard it a million times over his first 13 years on the job: Big-name free agents won’t come to Boston. So forgive Ainge if he has enjoyed watching his team take a sledgehammer to that narrative the past two summers.

But what changed? How exactly did the Celtics get to the point where Gordon Hayward and Al Horford uprooted to sign max deals in Boston? What was it about the Celtics that convinced Kevin Durant to invite members of the team to his exclusive Hamptons recruitment party in the summer of 2016?

The fact that Boston finally had the necessary cap space to chase top-tier free agents certainly helped. That the Celtics are positioned for sustained future success because of Ainge’s relentless roster construction and asset accumulation didn’t hurt, either.

But Ainge says he believes there’s one reason above all else that the Celtics have managed to muscle their way into the living rooms of top available free agents the past two summers.

“Because of their fascination with Brad [Stevens],” Ainge said.

Ainge has constructed a roster with some of the league’s most unique talent, but his biggest superstar is a 40-year-old head coach who prefers a quarter-zip pullover to complement his athletic shorts.

In less than four years, Stevens has morphed from the Butler Bulldogs’ mid-major wunderkind into an NBA savant with the Gregg Popovich seal of approval.

When pitching Hayward this month, and Horford and Durant last summer, the Celtics put a heavy emphasis on the storied history of the franchise. They’ve called in favors from some of the region’s biggest sports stars, like David Ortiz and Tom Brady, to offer a glimpse of what it’s like to be a legitimate rock star in these parts. Boston brought along Isaiah Thomas to offer a first-hand testimonial about how playing for the Celtics can change your career.

But in crunch time, when it has been time for the Celtics to close, Boston has often spread the floor and let Stevens go isolation.

Armed with little more than a MacBook, Stevens has led a series of basketball-focused presentations aimed at showing these elite players exactly how he plans to maximize their talents. And that, Ainge believes, resonates more than anything else the Celtics can offer.

“It’s from a coach’s perspective, from how he sees this player fitting in. And Brad does it through video, he does it through statistics and analytics, and he shows it on the chalkboard,” Ainge said. “He shows exactly what he’s looking for from that player and how that player can be utilized.

“It’s not fluff. And I think the players see that. It’s not trying to make a case like, ‘You have to come here because of this statistic.’ It’s real stuff. And I think that that’s what players appreciate is that openness.”

At the pro level, Stevens remains a master recruiter. Even to those he already has recruited once before.

TO REEL IN the summer’s biggest free agent, Stevens and the Celtics called in some of their big guns for the sales pitch on Sunday, July 2.

Hayward and his wife, Robyn, had breakfast with Horford and dinner with Thomas and his wife, Kayla. There was a morning trip to Fenway Park, where the Jumbotron beyond the center-field fence welcomed the Haywards to Boston with shamrocks beside their names. Although Hayward said he’s not a “huge baseball guy,” the Celtics used the historic ballpark as the backdrop for an influential video that not only showcased the power of playing in Boston, but also featured clips of rival stars like LeBron James and Kobe Bryant discussing the atmosphere at TD Garden.

Boston brass whisked Hayward west to see the future site of the team’s state-of-the-art practice facility, which will open next spring, and emphasized its close-to-the-city location that surely resonates with players.

The Celtics then bunkered down with Hayward. Ownership introduced themselves and stressed their willingness to spend into the luxury tax to field a championship-caliber team. Ainge detailed all the future draft picks and assets that will allow Boston to remain well-stocked deep into the future.

But the key part of the presentation came when Stevens took the floor. The coach who turned a teenage tennis junkie into an NBA lottery pick detailed how he could help Hayward — a first-time All-Star for the Utah Jazz last season — take his game to a new level. The Celtics showed tape of how exactly Hayward’s talents would be utilized alongside Thomas and Horford.

And when the X’s and O’s were done and the team was confident Hayward felt comfortable with his potential role on the team, Stevens opened up about his own gut-wrenching decision to leave Butler University and how hard that had been for him. Stevens emphasized how rewarding the experience has been for him and his family and how the city of Boston has embraced them.

“There was just something different about Boston and different about being a Celtic,” Hayward said last week. “It was just a special feeling when talking about being a Boston Celtic.”

Maybe there was always just something different about Stevens.

WHEN THE HAYWARDS touched down in Boston earlier this month, they were greeted in baggage claim by two familiar faces: Stevens and Celtics assistant coach Micah Shrewsberry, who was an assistant at Butler during Hayward’s time there.

The plane he traveled on from Miami might as well have been a time machine, because Hayward felt instantly overcome by nostalgia.

“We get to the terminal and it’s late at night and my wife and I are greeted at the terminal by Brad and Coach Shrews,” Hayward said. “It’s immediate familiarity and comfort. It brought back memories of when I was being recruited in high school by Coach Brad.

“It started out like that and that was just a really cool feeling to kind of be doing it over again, this time at the next level.”

The Celtics believed they were well positioned to make a strong pitch to Hayward because they knew what made him tick. But Ainge was likewise concerned that Hayward’s familiarity with Stevens might work against the team.

“It could hurt us, too, in the fact they had such a strong bond years ago that you might not want to jeopardize that bond by getting into the stress and pressure of a completely different circumstance,” Ainge said. “So I didn’t know how that would go, quite honestly.”

But, in a way, Stevens had it easier this time than he did a decade ago. Stevens has often told the story of recruiting Hayward when he was just a skinny teenager viewed as a bigger prospect on the tennis court than the hardwood, at least until a high school growth spurt. Hayward is the son of two Purdue products and Stevens had to really sell his Butler program, especially considering how much Boilermakers gear he used to see Hayward wearing.

It’s wild to think about how different things might be if Stevens wasn’t the first to see the potential in Hayward. Those around the Butler program insist that Stevens’ early faith in Hayward was maybe the deciding factor in his decision to choose Butler over a bigger school like Purdue.

“I was there when he was a puppy, when he was a junior in high school and he was a good tennis player and nobody was recruiting him [for basketball]. And it was like, ‘You think we should offer that guy a scholarship? Nobody’s looking at him. Nobody’s even in the building,'” Stevens said before his first pro battle with Hayward in 2013 while gushing about his continued progress.

“It was probably a good decision, in retrospect. He’s awfully good.”

Hayward committed to Butler on June 1, 2007, months before his senior year, so that he could focus on trying to win a state championship in tennis.

“I went and watched him play tennis, and he was a top eight or nine player in the state of Indiana,” Stevens said. “And the one time I saw him play, he got beat, and he was wearing a Purdue hat and Purdue shorts, so I wasn’t very happy with him after that day.

“You saw the physical tools, and you know the mental side of things is high level. Then it was a matter of when he starts really committing himself to basketball full time, how good can he get? Question answered.”

Stevens deserves a good amount of the credit for putting Hayward on a path to success. A decade after that first recruitment, Stevens’ faith was rewarded by Hayward agreeing a second time to let Stevens try to take him to new heights.

Ultimately, the Butler bond worked in Boston’s favor. Both sides seemed genuinely excited to be resuming the recruiting process a full decade after the original pursuit.

“I think that it’s a really an unbelievable thing to be sitting with a guy in your offices when he’s 16 or 17 years old in the [college] recruiting process, then to again be sitting with him when he’s 27 years old and to see just the change and the maturity and the great questions and the thoughtful ways that he was looking at all of his options and all of his opportunities,” Stevens said. “Trying to talk to him about why we thought this was a really good situation for him.”

In the aftermath of formally inking his four-year, $128 million maximum-salary contract last week, Hayward joked about how different things are now from the initial recruiting process. As a high schooler, he had to ask his parents to enable texting capabilities on his flip phone because college coaches were bombarding him with messages.

Text messages, though, remained a big part of this recruiting process. Stevens said he texted Hayward starting at midnight on July 1 and then tried to keep in touch as Hayward made his visits to meet with the Heat and Jazz.

Still, on July 4, Stevens was like the rest of Celtics (and Butler) nation.

“I sat and waited with my fingers crossed,” he said.

IT’S NO SECRET that Stevens is an NBA hit-maker. In his short time in Boston, he has made Jordan Crawford the sort of player that could win an Eastern Conference Player of the Week award. He harnessed the talents of Evan Turner and Kelly Olynyk enough so that teams paid them a combined $120 million the past two summers. Stevens helped Thomas morph from overlooked sixth man in Phoenix into someone who finished fifth in MVP voting last season while earning All-NBA second-team honors.

Hayward knows well how Stevens can maximize talents. He had done it already at Butler, helping Hayward emerge as the lottery-caliber talent that the Jazz picked with the ninth pick in the 2010 draft.

Hayward is one of the most efficient scorers in the NBA. According to Synergy Sports data, he averaged 1.091 points per play last season, which ranked in the 91st percentile among all NBA players.

Nearly a quarter of his plays came as the pick-and-roll ball handler, and Stevens is sure to tap into that talent, even when Hayward shares the floor with Thomas. Sure, it will take some time for both players to figure out when and where their shots come from, but both are versatile enough to play on and off the ball.

The Celtics haven’t had a player like Hayward to pair alongside Thomas the past two seasons: someone who can create his own shot. Avery Bradley was a fine two-way player but much of his offense came on spot-up shooting and backdoor cuts. Hayward’s ballhandling opens up new possibilities for Stevens and gives the Celtics a primary scoring option when Thomas is off the court.

Hayward rated well defensively, too, allowing 0.842 points per play, according to Synergy data. That ranked him in the 83rd percentile despite playing one of the league’s most unforgiving positions. Hayward will be tasked with helping to defend elite scorers, but Boston has loaded up on versatile wings and can throw a variety of bodies at the likes of LeBron James or Giannis Antetokounmpo.

“I know [Brad is] a genius when it comes to [maximizing talents], both offensively and defensively,” Hayward said. “I couldn’t be more excited with the guys we have on the team and I’m ready to get to practice already and start learning and competing with these guys.”

AINGE WAS MAKING his way back to Boston earlier this month to greet Hayward when a stranger approached him at the airport.

“He seemed real excited,” Ainge said. “I’m not even sure he had an affiliation to Butler or anything, but he did say he’s from Indiana, and he couldn’t wait to watch Celtics games this year. I’ve heard that a lot lately.”

Maybe the only people more excited than those in New England could be those residing in central Indiana, Butler Bulldogs territory.

Since almost the very moment that Stevens left Butler to take over as head coach of the Celtics on July 3, 2013, there has been chatter among those with ties to the Butler program about whether he and Hayward might eventually work together again. So when Hayward elected to explore free agency this summer and declared Boston would be one of the three teams with which he would meet, those with connections to the Bulldogs wondered if their paths might actually intersect again.

When he announced his decision to join Boston in an article for The Players’ Tribune, Hayward cited “unfinished business” with Stevens as part of his motivation to rejoin forces.

“Some of us would probably say, ‘What took so long?’ Because we probably wanted it to happen for both of them,” Butler athletic director Barry Collier said. “On the other hand, there’s so many pieces involved that you don’t know if it’ll ever happen. It’s just exciting that it has and we’ll see what the future brings.”

Still, even those around the Butler program marvel at how serendipitous a reunion it is. It was a decade ago that Stevens, then a top assistant at Butler, first convinced Hayward that he had NBA potential while recruiting him to the Bulldogs.

The paths of Hayward and Stevens diverged for seven years, their interactions severely limited during the past four because of NBA tampering rules. But now they’re together again and those around the Butler program are convinced the Butler bond played a key role in Hayward’s decision.

“Unless you’ve really lived it, it’s hard to explain to people on the outside,” said Matthew Graves, an assistant under Stevens at Butler who now coaches at the University of South Alabama. “[Outsiders] get a feel for [the Butler bond]. You’re getting a feel for it. But unless you’re really part of it, it’s really something truly special.”

Graves now lives 750 miles south of Butler’s campus, but his phone number’s 317 area code is a reminder of his central Indiana roots. And in the weeks leading up to Hayward’s decision, his phone was bombarded with calls and texts from Butler associates wondering if he thought Hayward might choose Boston.

“Everybody is extremely excited,” Graves said. “I guess Butler people are going to still watch Orlando now that Shelvin Mack is there, but it’s a nice opportunity to get to see both Gordon and Brad together again on the same team. I know everybody is really looking forward to it.”

Graves is already planning to make the two-hour trek to New Orleans when the Celtics play the Pelicans next season.

After news of Hayward’s decision to join Boston emerged, Butler’s men’s basketball account tweeted out a picture of Stevens and Hayward in Butler blue with a hashtag #GoDawgs. The University later tweeted, “The Boston Bulldogs has a really nice ring to it.”

Even the account of the team’s official mascot, Butler Blue III, tweeted a picture of the bulldog sitting at center court at TD Garden.

“I think Indiana probably has an affinity for the Celtics going back quite some time,” Collier said. “In large part that was developed through [Larry] Bird’s years there. But now with these two Butler guys, as we would coin them, we’re excited. On our campus, there’s really a buzz of excitement for them and to be able to see how they might win games for the Celtics.”

The excitement was on display at Butler. Now it’s coming to Boston.

“When you already have that kind of built-in trust and chemistry,” Graves said, “amazing things can happen.”

Source: http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/19975645/nba-brad-stevens-re-recruitment-gordon-hayward-boston-celtics

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