The jumpmaster yells five minutes. Wes and the other soldiers in training are flying in a C-130 military aircraft. The soldiers have been in the sweltering Alabama summer heat for over an hour. The instructor, or Black Hat, opens the door at the front and inspects the drop zone. Wes has 50 pounds of gear strapped to his body and has to pee from the amount of water they were forced to drink.

At age 18, having decided to continue his career in the army, Wes is preparing to become a paratrooper. He spent his summers at prestigious basketball camps, and there was an article written about his high school sports career in the New York Times. He knew at that time the attention was getting to his head. His Uncle Howard had taken him to shoot hoops in the Bronx a few months back, and Howard’s moves as a strong player reminded Wes he wasn’t ready for the NBA. Howard reminds him only 60 players are chosen in the NBA draft every year. Wes realized, while he played against nationally ranked players, he wasn’t at the same level as them. Howard wanted him to have a backup plan.

Wes became interested in reading when his mom gave him the book Fab Five, which is about five freshman starters who make it to a national championship game.