“What is it you think you don’t know?” asked the coach.
“I can’t say exactly. I suppose it’s lack of experience that I mean. There’s so much more in it than I realised, sir; in the game, I mean.”
“Yes, there’s a lot in it, but all you need to know is how to play the guard position, Rowland. Don’t worry yourself too much about the game as a whole. Play your own position as well as you can and leave the rest to the others. Which of the fellows are you most afraid of?”
“Oh, I’m not afraid of any of them,” replied Ira placidly.
“I didn’t mean it just that way,” corrected the coach, hiding a smile. “I meant which one do you find it hardest to play against?”
“Johns,” was the prompt reply.
“Johns?” The coach’s voice contained surprise. “But Johns isn’t the player that Buffum is.”
“No, I guess not, sir, but Johns—well, I don’t know; I think he plays harder than Buffum.”
The coach looked mystified. “Harder, eh? Look here, isn’t it just that you yourself don’t play as hard against Johns as you do against Buffum or Donovan? Maybe Johns has got you scared.”