“3,2,1” . . . buzz! Over the loudspeaker Principal Grey announces, “and that’s the game, the South Lansing, Hawks have defeated  Bay City Central  by a score of 62 to 59, keeping their 48 game winning streak alive!”

Marissa River gazed as her twin brothers, Ryan and Alex, lined up with the rest of the Varsity Hawks to shake the Bay City Central's players hands.  She observed  her brothers, and the rest of the Hawk players smile and dart off to the locker room to celebrate another victory.

Although Marissa was proud of her brothers, she was heartbroken behind her smile.  Marissa wanted nothing more than to be part of a basketball team.  She longed to hear the crowd yell her name, and hear her name announced over the loudspeaker as she  rolled onto the court or made a game winning shot.

But Marissa knew she could never live this dream.  Unlike her brothers, Marissa was born with only one leg.  When she talked about playing basketball, often adults would smile at her but had a sad look in their eyes.  No one ever believed she could play.

As soon as the court was clear of players and fans, Marissa quickly rolled her wheelchair onto the empty court while her parents stood in a small group with other parents waiting for the players to come out.

Marissa turned her wheelchair toward the hoop, closed her eyes, and remembered all of the nights in her driveway that she shot the basketball.  Her brothers had started teaching her the proper hand position two months ago, and even began sitting in lawn chairs to show Marissa how she could shoot when sitting.  Although Marissa was terrible at first, with hard work, and dedication, each night her shot got closer and closer to the basket and became more consistent. 

Marissa was yanked out of her daydream when she heard her brother Ryan yell, “Marissa, heads up!”  She quickly threw her hands up and caught the already incoming pass her brother was sending.

Alex, two steps behind Ryan yelled, “You’ve got this Marissa, it’s just like practice in the driveway.”

Marissa took a deep breath and shot the ball from just behind the free throw line.  Everyone watching began to clap in awe as the ball swished through the net.

Marissa threw her hands up in victory as her brothers rushed over to give her a high-five.

Her parents swiftly approached where Marissa and her brothers were, as well as, Doug Wilson, the well known Michigan State shooting coach who had come to the game to observe and assess local talent. 

Mr. Wilson, bent down next to Marissa’s wheelchair and asked, “Have you ever thought of playing on a wheelchair basketball team?”

Marissa was dumbfounded, she had never heard of such a thing, but if there was such a team, she knew she wanted to be on it.

Mr. Wilson explained that he was helping coach the Detroit Wheelchair Basketball Elites and that tryouts would be the first Saturday of February, only four weeks away.  He explained to Marissa she would also need a sports wheelchair in order to tryout.

The minute Marissa and her family arrived home, they began to research sports wheelchairs.  They found that two companies within the state built top end custom sports wheelchairs that were lightweight, quick, strong, and specifically made for basketball!  But sadly, her insurance would not pay the big $4,000.00 price tag.

Marissa felt her heart sink, but Ryan easily gave her a boost, “$4,000.00, rookie numbers, we can raise it as a family.”

The thought came to Mrs. River, a popcorn lover, to see if they could hold a popcorn sale at  Friday’s basketball game against the crosstown rival North Lansing Wolves.  Marissa felt nervous the entire following day until Ryan and Alex arrived home saying Mr. Grey said, “the popcorn sale was a great idea and they could do it.”
When Friday arrived, Marissa was ready!  She sat just behind the popcorn table, and as her mom, dad, and some neighbors popped and bagged the butter aroma popcorn, Marissa took the money and handed out the bags.  She could not believe her eyes; the line was stretched down the two main halls and even out the back door!  Although the popcorn was only $1.00 a bag, Marissa was shocked when numerous people handed her a $20.00 bill and said “Keep the change.”  She even had two different families who paid $100.00 for a bag of popcorn!  Marissa kept handing out bags of popcorn. She saw the faces of her neighbors, teams from other towns, school board members, and was shocked when a large man, with a big white beard, shook her hand, bought a bag of popcorn, and introduced himself as the Governor of Michigan.

When the popcorn sale finally ended because all the supplies were gone, Marissa was exhausted!  Her family and friends who had popped and bagged for hours looked beyond exhausted, but yet they smiled!  Marissa sat with her dad and counted the money.  Each time they reached multiples of $500.00, her stomach felt butterflies.  In order for her dream to come true, they needed to raise $4,000.00.  Finally, when the last bill was counted, Marissa began to cry with happiness as they had made $4,700.00! Marissa was beyond giddy,  with this money, she could get her sports wheelchair, and try out for Detroit Wheelchair Basketball Elites! 
On Monday morning, Marissa and her mom drove to Ann Arbor Michigan where Marissa was fitted for a Top End Schulte 7000 Series BB sports wheelchair which is specifically made for basketball shooting.

With tryouts only three weeks away at this point, Marissa knew she had a lot of work to do.  Although she could shoot, she had to learn how to dribble and roll her chair at the same time.  She also had the huge challenge of learning the rules of wheelchair basketball. 

Each day when Marissa got home from school, her dad drove her to the Hawks Gym where she practiced dribbling, passing, and shooting.  Although she had a good shot, putting the skills together was difficult. Often times she would get upset and scream “S***” throughout the gym. She then began to doubt her abilities, but she knew if she gave up, she would never reach her goal of playing basketball.  Each night she returned home exhausted, but instead of resting, she read the rules for wheelchair basketball online.

When the first Saturday of February arrived, Marissa rolled her chair onto the court of the Detroit Wheelchair Basketball Elites.  Her hands began to sweat, she felt lightheaded, and her mouth went dry.  Marissa saw 60 players on the court and knew only 20 would be selected for the team.

The first pass that came to Marissa she dropped and her first shot rolled off the rim.  Marissa was pissed with herself.  She had worked so hard to reach her dream, she knew she could not give up. 

Marissa channeled the anger and disappointment she was feeling and used all of this energy to start a fire within herself.  Her next four shots went in, one a bank, and three perfect swishes.  She made strong passes, and although her dribbling was not as strong as some of the other players, she performed the best that she could.

When tryouts ended, Marissa, and the other 59 players waited in the hall for the team list to be posted.  Ryan and Alex, her biggest supporters, told her no matter what the results were, she played sensational and they were so proud of her.

As Coach Wilson walked past Marissa and taped the roster to the wall, Marissa gulped, her nerves getting the best of her.  She waited for the majority of players to leave and then rolled herself forward.  Marissa looked up at the list and a smile appeared on her face as she saw, Marissa Rivers listed as player number 16, she had done it!  Marissa turned toward her family, and with tears rolling down her face, yelled, “ We did it!”  Her dad looked at her and said, “No, you did it Marissa, we can’t wait to see you play.”