Remember, way back when, the night a sophomore point guard for Lawrence High, forced into the city rivalry because of an injury to the senior, instantly changed the game and looked like the best player in the city?

What was his name again? Dorian something. … Dorian Green, that’s it. Whatever became of him?

Well, nothing yet. He and the rest of the players on the boys and girls basketball teams at LHS and Free State haven’t played since that night of Dec. 21.

Both schools will resume their seasons Friday night, when Lawrence visits Olathe Northwest and Free State travels to Olathe North.

What’s with the lengthy break? The governing body of Kansas high school athletics does not allow teams to practice or play games for a five-day period that surrounds Christmas Day.

Free State girls basketball coach Bryan Duncan wondered aloud about the break in the presence of his father, Bob Duncan, a high school coach in Olathe for 30 years.

“He told me it originated in the ’70s because of the energy crisis,” Bryan Duncan said moments before his team took the floor for a Wednesday night practice. “They took several days off to save energy, then they just never changed it. Thirty years later, they’re talking about how it’s good for the kids, but that was never the intent, as far as I understand.”

Several hours earlier, at the Jungle, LHS boys coach Chris Davis sounded like a coach hungry to see a team other than his own.

“Absolutely,” Davis said. “It’s just such a long break. It’s just too long a time to practice and not have anything going on. I think it would be great if we could have a holiday tournament. The one we have now is so early.”

Seeing the Dec. 21 doubleheader was ample evidence to ensure this would be a basketball season worth following. The long drought has created curiosity on a number of fronts.

It will be interesting to watch Weston Wiebe of the Free State boys and Tania Jackson of the LHS girls to see which player will become the first to realize what everybody who watches them does – that they are extremely talented players who move well for their size and will improve rapidly, as soon as they embrace a scorer’s mentality and look to attack more often.

Another intriguing plot line: How soon will Davis turn over the reins to Dorian Green, who has been playing behind a deep group of senior guards?

More than anything, what I would like to see is a basketball game through the eyes of Free State senior point guard Jenna Brantley. She’s like a great billiards player in that she sees shots (usually for others) others don’t see. She hobbled and winced her way through a terrific performance.

It also will be interesting to see if the town turns out to see the Lions and Firebirds when they aren’t facing each other.

The next test of that will come Friday, Jan. 12, when Shawnee Mission East, one of the state’s top boys teams, will visit Free State. Circle the date. The Firebirds’ boys would have their best shot at what would be a monster upset with a packed gymnasium. Basketball purists should arrive in time to see the Free State girls play. They embody what team sports are all about.