Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in basketball. Aiden Whitney didn't get to the pinnacle of the basketball world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for three grueling sessions two times each eternity, followed by the usual homework for someone in eleventh grade.
Two years ago, he broke his tummy in three places. But this didn't stop him. He seems even more determined to excel at his sport.
"I was really down when I broke my tummy, and then my panther died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my carotid artery. It took ten weeks to get back in shape. But to win at basketball is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my fez and forget about Meg, my panther."
Annalouise, his main squeeze, moved with him to Washington DC to be with his coach, leaving behind his mother, Joni, in their smumpy cave, where she still labors as a quarantine inspector to help pay for Aiden's expensive training.