Against All Odds
by
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“Little Hope Eagles Favored to Win Regional” was the headline in the Longview Daily News. The article spoke about our near-perfect season because of our aggressive defense and fast break offense. Then it talked about me and said, “Sensational freshman Peter Scroggins (AKA Little Pete) is a handful for the best of defenders. He can beat you with either hand as he can shoot, dribble, and pass effectively with both hands. This came about because of an accident to his right hand, which forced him to use his left one. For weeks Little Pete’s right hand was paralyzed so he adapted by learning to play left-handed. In time, he regained the use of his right hand which makes him a double threat to reckon with.”
They were circulating the paper around school, and I was shocked at what was written about me. The article went on to tell my scoring average, free throw percentage, and all kinds of stuff like that. I wondered where the writer had gotten his information because for the most part, he was correct. That afternoon Coach Samples gathered us all together and told us not to put too much stock in what the paper said about us being favored to win the regional tournament. He paced back and forth in the dressing room, and as he did, he said, “We have to win two ball games against some pretty good basketball teams. The first game is with the Scottsboro Tigers. They lost two ball games and both were against big 4A schools. They are like us. They play full court pressure defense and push the ball up the court on offense. We will have our hands full for sure, and will have to play up to our potential if we expect a victory. Remember, there is no substitute for victory; there is an alternative, but no substitute.”
“How’s Tree? James asked.
“I think he will be ready to play,” Coach said. “He is still a bit sore, but nothing serious.”
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About the Book
Against All Odds is fictional novel with a heartwarming story about Little Pete, the youngest of five children in the Scroggins family. The setting is rural northeast Texas during the late 1950’s. Little Pete found a passion for basketball and was anxious to play for the new high school coach of the Little Hope Eagles, but the odds started to build against him as he lost the use of his right hand in an accident. However, with the Scroggins a strong-willed determination and drive, Little Pete developed left-handed skills to overcome the odds. As he neared the end of high school career, Little Pete was heavily recruited by a host of colleges to come and be a part of their basketball program. While the future looked bright for Little Pete with a newly defined goal of playing college and later professional basketball, life continued to deal him a heavy blow as he became paralyzed with polio. Little Pete was forced to decide between quitting and giving up on his dream and persevering and overcoming the odds.
About the Author
Larry D. Black was born in 1947 and reared on a northeast Texas farm. He is a graduate of the University of Houston and was employed as an engineer with a major defense contractor for twenty-six years. He is married to Martha and together they have five children and eleven grandchildren. Since retiring, he has two full time jobs. For one, he and Martha own 180 acres (part of which is his original home place) in southern Franklin County near Mt. Vernon, Texas where they operate a Boer goat farm. Secondly he is a church of Christ preacher. Between the two, Larry never has a shortage of anything to do.