Girl basketball player in jersey 24 holds a ball at the free-throw line near a hoop and bleachers.

Number 24 Lines Up a Free Throw

With knees bent and eyes steady, number 24 cradles the basketball while the backboard, net, and empty bleachers wait.

🎨 How to color it

Give number 24’s jersey a deep lake blue, the basketball a classic burnt orange, the hoop rim a bright red, and the bleachers a cool silver-gray. Use sharp colored pencils for the jersey stripes, shoelaces, net cords, and court lines so the narrow details stay crisp. Try a pale gold glow around the ball to make this quiet free-throw moment feel almost magical.

The story behind this coloring page

The Note Inside the Ball — Every evening after the janitor’s cart squeaked down the hall, Tessa stayed at the old rec center to shoot ten free throws. Read the full story →

Every evening after the janitor’s cart squeaked down the hall, Tessa stayed at the old rec center to shoot ten free throws. She liked the hollow thump of the ball, the dusty-maple smell of the floor, and the way her number 24 jersey whispered against her shoulders. She wanted one perfect swish before the building closed for good on Friday.

Until one day, the ball did not bounce right. It gave a soft rattle, like a tiny pebble in a shell. Because of that, Tessa pressed her ear to the orange seams. Because of that, she found a loose valve and pulled out a rolled scrap of paper no one had thought to look for. In faded pencil it said: For the next player who stays after the lights hum—this court remembers you.

Tessa stood very still. The bleachers seemed to hold their breath. Then she tucked the note under the padding of the hoop and shot. Swish. “I’m still here,” she whispered. Next time you see number 24 at the line, notice how the quiet court seems to remember the hollow thump of the ball.