"The bus bounced along the highway from Eagle Butte, S.D., to Lawrence, Kan., covering the almost 700-mile trip in about 16 hours.

Folded into one of the seats, 6-foot-10 Terrance Little Thunder tried to make himself comfortable enough to relax.

It was no use. He was far too preoccupied to rest. Every time the bus stopped, Little Thunder scrambled in his seat to make sure he hadn't lost the worn-out scrap of paper stuffed in his pocket.

Before he left his home on the Lakota Nation reservation, Little Thunder had scratched a phone number on that piece of paper.

If he lost the paper, he lost the number.

If he lost the number, he lost his last shot at a future.

He was 29 and out of chances.

"All I had was a little bit of money and that piece of paper with Coach's number on it," Little Thunder said. "I held onto that thing so tight, man. I wasn't about to lose it.""

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